John Tejada/Arian Leviste: Back for Basics By Paul Bergenh., 9 June 2005

Na in 2003 een volledig album afgeleverd te hebben (Fairfax Sake - Playhouse) nu een nieuw album van John Tejada en Arian Leviste: Back for Basics (Palette). Op de CD 10 tracks, waaronder de eerder uitgebrachte "Psycho Happiness", de vinyl variant bevat alleen de 8 nieuwe tracks.

John Tejada/Arian Leviste >> Back for Basics
Palette Recordings/USA

Kat. Nr. Palette036 CD/2LP
Format : CD / 2LP
Release Date: 30.05..2005
UPC: 827170058224


The Artists:With an acclaimed soprano for a mother and a conductor (no, not a bus conductor) for a father, it's hardly surprising that John Tejada (picture below) devoted his life to music. Born in Vienna, Austria, Tejada moved to his current home, Los Angeles, when he was eight. Eschewing traditional music in favor of the electronic variety, Tejada's early love of all things hip hop developed into a penchant for electro and later techno. Yet John Tejada is easily one of the most productive DJ/producers in modern dance music. While most of his colleagues work on establishing a signature sound within one specific genre, John Tejada works in all genres simultaneously. Whether house, techno, electronica or drum & bass, every scene gets something from this multitalent, and Tejada manages to move within each field as if it were his own. Recently he surprised everyone by revealing yet another facet to his already impressive ability: he is releasing an album on the Berlin label City Centre Offices with Japanese guitarist Takeshi Nishimoto, under the project name "I'm Not a Gun". The album impressively demonstrates that Tejada can make a place for himself in post-rock circles as well, mixing electronic and acoustic sounds in the Tortoise tradition.Tejada's early techno outputs can be found on cutting-edge European labels such as Ferox and A13 in the U.K., Multiplex in Denmark, Generations R&S in Belgium, Playhouse and Poker Flat in Germany . He has also produced mind-bending tech-house for U.S. labels such as 7th City, Organized Noise, Immigrant, and Plug Research. He has been collaborating with longtime friend Arian Leviste since '91 (!!) , and many of their tracks are featured on Tejada's own Palette imprint. While Tejada´s 3 own recent Productions on Palette and Pokerflat have sold more than 18000 copies on Vinyl and charted in Groove Magazine Top 50 Number 1 (“Sweat on the Walls/Poker Flat 54) and 3 (Mono on Mono/Palette) in the same edition (!!) , Leviste is so embroiled in his studies he has yet to pursue a solo career.

The Album:

„Back for Basics“

is John Tejada and Arian Leviste´s first full lengh Collaboration since their remarkable “Fairfax Sake” Album on german Playhouse in 2003 and maybe altogether their best production to date. The 10 tracks of the CD (8 brand new plus the Recently Released “Psycho Happiness” and “Ghetto Platipus”/Palette 32) flow together like one piece and come on like a highly needed techno lanndmark in the “consesous” retro electro times of 2005.Just check how the nervous feel of “Patterns” gloriously blends with the warm liquidy electronic bliss of “From Empty Words” and back to the energetic “Triad Jack” - sensible intense and tempting for more! Tejada and Leviste's advanced production technique makes a sound you'll be hard put to name, right in the sweet spot between house and techno, breaks and 808s, plucked strings and patch cables, edits and immediacy. It's sunlight and silicon; it's a breath of fresh air. Can you feel it?

John Tejada on “Back for Basics” : “I think it's a pretty strong statement and different to all the things going on. It's not glitch techno, it's not 80's synth crap. it doesn't sound so many things do these days. we were sort of trying to go for the feeling of the first time you heard "chime" (Orbital) or something like that. going back to what made us feel that way. a timeless sort of thing in the current age of trends.”Press on “Back for Basics” :Groove Magazine Germany, feature Story and Interviewmore to followMarketing on “Back for Basics” : Adverts in all leading german Electronic MagazineFull Marketing and Promo Campaign through Was Dj Pools and Superstition Network Promotions
Key Tracks: Patterns, From Empty Words, Triad Jack, Neurotic Order

Tracklisting:

CD TRACKLISTING:
01. Radio Head
02. Word Problems
03. Patterns
04. From Empty Words
05. Triad Jack
06. Neurotic Order
07. Ghetto Platypus
08. Forgotten Fly Girl
09. Short Wave
10. Psycho Happiness

2LP TRACKLISTING: A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 D1 D2 (same order as CD version without the 2 latest tracks which have already been released on Palette).