MIA DOI TODD [U.S.]
the way mp3
for a label usually associated with electronica / dub et al, mia doi todd is a surprising addition to the plug research stable. singer / songwriter todd is essentially a folk artist, however it’s useful in that context to quote from an interview with american duo the books in this month’s wire magazine: “folk is one of those terms that has been defined and then destroyed and then redefined so many times that its really difficult to know what people are talking about”. mia’s fourth album ‘manzanita’ comes out on plug after a flirtation with major label sony columbia for 2002’s ‘the golden state’. the above mp3 cracks open with the sense that we’re in post-rock territory before mia drops her trademark joni mitchell vocal – singing “woe is we”. it’s dark and disturbed in there, although the guitar solo raises an unexpected smile. buy at iTunes
JOHN TEJEDA [AUSTRIA]
alone with you (feat. carl a. finlow) mp3
john tejada is a name normally associated with detriot techno, although the man himself was originally born in austria and relocated to california. tejeda has released a huge catalogue of music spanning many genres – classic electronica, house, techno, drum & bass, even a guitar based project for german label city centre offices working with japanese guitarist takeshi nishimoto. his album for plug research, ‘logic memory centre’ is his tenth album, and features a few collaborations, including kimi recor of the invisibles and jimmy tamborello (who has worked with dntel and the postal service). tejeda has cited that this album is 100% digital, crafted entirely from the desktop without recourse to hardware. the end result is smart, crip techno and beautiful uptempo electronica, with enough bright lights and dark corners to sustain our listening pleasure right across the album. buy at iTunes
THOMAS FEHLMANN [SWITZERLAND]
lindt mp3
fehlman’s career stretches back over 25 years -as founder of early 80s post punk-pop palais schaumburg (with the excellent holger hiller), as a key member of the orb for many years in the 90s and as a prominent player in the rise of detroit techno in berlin and beyond. add to that collaborations with robert fripp, remixes for juan atkins, klaus schulze and more – needless to say, respect is due. ‘lindt’ is taken from the plug research album ‘lowflow’ and is representative of fehlmann’s approach to this long player – the aim is not to inspire on the dancefloor, but rather to provide more experimental, downtempo and dub flavours throughout. like tejada, it’s techno and electronica with heart and soul. dig around fehlmann’s site (in the discography section) for more mp3s. buy at iTunes
LANGUIS [ARGENTINA]
never now mp3
‘the four walls’ is album number 5 for this south american duo (now based in los angeles) and, much like caribou‘s latest work, it’s a successful marriage of live instrumentation and electronica. i can hear new order in the basslines, a whole heap of emo in the vocal, and yet the rest – familiar though it seems – can’t be nailed down. if post rock was invented in the early 80s, it might have sounded something like this. buy at iTunes