Repress!

With his new album, Year Of The Living Dead, Vienna-born and LA-based producer John Tejada finds a blissful extended moment of balance between the new and the familiar. Anyone who’s followed his career to date, which has included four previous albums for Kompakt, outings for storied labels like Plug Research, Playhouse and Cocoon, and numerous remixes and collaborations – most recently, his Wajatta duo with actor and musician Reggie Watts – will immediately sense the warmth and eloquence that Tejada brings to his gilded, pliant techno and electro hybrids. But there’s more here, too; an explorer’s glimmer in the producer’s eye, as he gets to grips with new ways of working and being, while offering a reflective opening for the listener, something echoed in artwork by graphic designer and ‘contemplative artist’ David Grey.

“The album was started using tools I was unfamiliar with, which became an interesting exploratory process,” Tejada says. “Staying away from the obvious and having to re-learn simple things was a fun challenge.” You can hear these new creative pulsions pushing the eight tracks on Year Of The Living Dead ever-forward; the album has an unique cast, and though there are trace elements of the genres Tejada has indulged previously, he’s never quite put them together this way before. There’s the dubwise glitter sprinkled across the moody opener “The Haunting Of Earth”, the kind caresses found amongst the deftly woven textures of “Sheltered”, and the churchy melancholy, all hymnal and golden, of “Echoes Of Life”.

Year Of The Living Dead also speaks obliquely to its moment, though Tejada works this implicitly, allowing the strange circumstances of 2020 to cast their inevitable shadow without being obvious or didactic. “The production process began right before lockdown and continued through what felt like a very serious time for all of us,” he recalls. “Not being able to see or touch our loved ones made me feel we are all like ghosts. We can observe from a distance but cannot really be there. We are isolated and alone.” And yet, Year Of The Living Dead’s tenderness offers an out for that anxiety and loneliness, its intimate immensities gifting the album a redemptive and compassionate core. Compact and glistening, Year Of The Living Dead sculpts unassuming beauty. More

With his new album, Year Of The Living Dead, Vienna-born and LA-based producer John Tejada finds a blissful extended moment of balance between the new and the familiar. Anyone who’s followed his career to date, which has included four previous albums for Kompakt, outings for storied labels like Plug Research, Playhouse and Cocoon, and numerous remixes and collaborations – most recently, his Wajatta duo with actor and musician Reggie Watts – will immediately sense the warmth and eloquence that Tejada brings to his gilded, pliant techno and electro hybrids. But there’s more here, too; an explorer’s glimmer in the producer’s eye, as he gets to grips with new ways of working and being, while offering a reflective opening for the listener, something echoed in artwork by graphic designer and ‘contemplative artist’ David Grey. “The album was started using tools I was unfamiliar with, which became an interesting exploratory process,” Tejada says. “Staying away from the obvious and having to re-learn simple things was a fun challenge.” You can hear these new creative pulsions pushing the eight tracks on Year Of The Living Dead ever-forward; the album has an unique cast, and though there are trace elements of the genres Tejada has indulged previously, he’s never quite put them together this way before. There’s the dubwise glitter sprinkled across the moody opener “The Haunting Of Earth”, the kind caresses found amongst the deftly woven textures of “Sheltered”, and the churchy melancholy, all hymnal and golden, of “Echoes Of Life”. Year Of The Living Dead also speaks obliquely to its moment, though Tejada works this implicitly, allowing the strange circumstances of 2020 to cast their inevitable shadow without being obvious or didactic. “The production process began right before lockdown and continued through what felt like a very serious time for all of us,” he recalls. “Not being able to see or touch our loved ones made me feel we are all like ghosts. We can observe from a distance but cannot really be there. We are isolated and alone.” And yet, Year Of The Living Dead’s tenderness offers an out for that anxiety and loneliness, its intimate immensities gifting the album a redemptive and compassionate core. Compact and glistening, Year Of The Living Dead sculpts unassuming beauty. More

Palette 71 kicks off with legendary Warp artist Plaid on remix duties. Transforming the title track, re-synthesized 909 samp-les and lua scripted sequencing, Plaid builds melodies and ar-rangement to epic proportions in classic Plaid fashion. Tejada’s new EP is an homage of sorts to the sample heavy production style of the late '90s. "Limiting the options and just creating and manipulating a batch of samples is my happy place,” says Tejada. The title track hints back to a personal favorite, Optical’s "Moving 808s." While the sound is quite different, the approach is similar: samples, editing, some fil-ters and not a whole lot more opens up a lot of creative possi-bilities without too much getting in the way. Of course, the bass plays an important role. Combing through some older influences of varying styles, the production became more in line with Tejada classics like “Timebomb” and “Western Star-land,” both sample collage pieces focused on groove. The final track, "Infinity Room" also follows this production process while resulting in a slightly moodier sound. More

As Palette Recordings approaches its 23 year anniversary, John Tejada returns to the label he started in 1996 with a new 4-track EP entitled “Performance Review.” From the distinctive sound of the opening chords on the title track, it is clear we are in Tejada’s patented world of melody and harmony. Each track highlights Tejada’s artful approach to crafting grooves that blend deep origins with soulful new ground. His unmistakable sound drives the four songs throughout with a focus on layering samples, rhythm and sound design. More

Following up to three albums on Kompakt since 2011, the latest being 'Signs Under Test' (KOM321/KOMCD119) in 2015, Los Angeles based house and techno producer John Tejada returns to the Cologne-based imprint with his thirteenth full-length, 'Dead Start Program' - an eleven-track journey spanning a prismatic array of styles and patterns, from John's signature soulful techno tunes to the further mazy, hypnotic motifs of his trancey electro hybrids. Be it solo or through a host of multifaceted collaborations, Tejada keeps himself busy on all fronts in and off the club environment, be it by contributing the 44th number in Fabric's seminal mix series, playing drums for Detroit legend Daniel Bell (as DBX), testing the limits of acid with Tin Man or joining forces with the hilarious self-proclaimed "disinformationist" Reggie Watts as Wajatta.
Since his beginnings and the drop of his debut 12", 'Waxing', released through his own label Palette Recordings over twenty years ago, John has been carving out a lane of his own - combining and assembling elements from all ends of his wide-spanning spectrum of reference in a way that allows a more direct transition from the realm of the mind to the circuits of the machine, as confirmed by the deliberately limited studio setup used in the making of the present album. Navigating across the lines, from the arrhythmic machine spook of the album's opener 'Autoseek' via the straight out thumping and jacking pulse of 'Hypochondriac' and heavy-lidded breakbeat of 'Sleep Spindle' onto the kosmische-infused vibrations of 'Telemetry', vibrant slo-mo inertia of 'Loss' and wistful club-ready winds of 'Duty Cycle' and 'Heal', John threads his way through genres and tempos with optimal chameleonic effect. Cloaked in a beautiful sleeve art courtesy of John's long time friend Juan Mendez aka Silent Servant - another key contributor to the Los Angeles scene worldwide,

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JOHN TEJADA carries a reputation as one of North America’s most prolific electronic music producers for good reasons: maintaining a steady stream of releases on iconic underground labels as diverse as 7th City, Plug Research, Tigersushi, Playhouse, Areal, Pokerflat Recordings or his own Palette imprint for more than two decades is one, the unabated high quality of his output another. Classic tunes such as “Timebomb”, “Mono On Mono”, “The End Of It All” or “Music For Doubles” prevail in Tejada’s coveted portfolio, indicating an artist seriously committed to his craft. A member of the Kompakt family since the 2011 full-length “Parabolas”, Tejada has continued to fill the crates of demanding selectors worldwide with two more Kompakt albums (2012’s “The Predicting Machine” and 2015’s “Signs Under Test”) and much-acclaimed EPs such as “Lakewood Drive” from 2016. From the carefully sized floor stomp of the title track CEOL to the snappy momentum of PRELUDE TO MADNESS and AISLING’s impressionist, melodic grooves, his latest 12” outing further hones an already unimitable sense for balance between driving techno beats and soulful house synths, crisp production and dreamy, hypnotic textures. More

Hot on the heels of Refraction Vol. 2, Residual welcomes the return of long time friend John Tejada. The prolific programming master serves up salacious selections that are searing to say the least. The lead track Jaco is a Pepe Bradock influenced piece the twists and turns with breaky beat work. The numbers on the B side are firmly focused on filing the dance floor. Round the Outside shows Tejada in top form. Upfront drums and basslines perfectly paired with flittering melodies. Repurposed is more minimal in form but no less effective. Quirky tweeks along cascading riffs.

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in celebration of Palette Recordings 20 year anniversary, Palette releases a special re-issue of John Tejada’s timeless classic “Timebomb” and the “Timebomb VIP mix”. Both versions were originally released in 2001 and 2002 on Daniel Bell’s 7th City Records. With permission we now for the first time have them together on the same 12” release. Remastered by Stefan Betke at Scape Mastering they now sound better than ever.
Both versions became instant classics, have been played over the years by the world’s top DJs and have been licensed to numerous compilations. Timebomb original and VIP are 2 classic Tejada tunes that have stood the test of time More

Having released more than a combined 80 EPs and LPs to consistent acclaim since 1995 is certainly no small feat - for techno luminary JOHN TEJADA, one of the most respected producers in the US, it's the result of an all-consuming passion for electronic music spanning two decades. Returning to Kompakt after last year's stunning solo album SIGNS UNDER TEST (KOMPAKT 321 CD 119) - already his third full-length with the label -, the LA-based artist presents his latest concoction LAKEWOOD DRIVE. It's a sturdy, spirited EP showcasing Tejada's admired brand of energetic, melodic minimalism, packed to the brim with three expertly crafted cuts confidently commanding dance floors. His predilection for sophisticated, playful bangers is very much intact, making this another hugely successful foray into the realm of hot-wired synth machinery and glistening beats. More

"The End of It All," released in 2006 on Palette Recordings, is one of the most iconic John Tejada songs ever produced. It is instantly recognizable and has been played by top DJs of different genres the world over. Selling thousands of copies on vinyl, it hit #2 on the Beatport overall chart as well as garnering a lengthy stay on it's classics chart. It's been imitated, covered (unauthorized), and until now only one official version was ever released. There have been multiple unreleased versions over the past 9 years, including a version Tejada performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with a 100-piece male chorus (LAGMC) in the summer of 2010. Why after so many versions did he finally decide to release a new mix? Simply because this one just felt right and seemed to stick. The new 2015 mix originated as part of Tejada's 2015 live hardware set that he has been touring around the globe. This new mix stands on its own yet avoided receiving a brand new title since its strong emotive theme and connection to the original were undeniable. "Reactivation" and "Sheven" are two additional new works featured on the B side. Originating from his 2015 live set, the two tracks showcase Tejada's strong sense for the dance floor. "Reactivation" is a Casio CZ-101 and Roland TR-909 locking into a strong bass line driven groove that draws elements from Tejada's own influences. "Sheven," named for its use of a Roland SH-7, features a sickly sounding riff with punchy 909 drums. This new release of The End of It All will continue to ensure the track's legacy as one of John Tejada's most valued classics. More

Palette 71 kicks off with legendary Warp artist Plaid on remix duties. Transforming the title track, re-synthesized 909 samp-les and lua scripted sequencing, Plaid builds melodies and ar-rangement to epic proportions in classic Plaid fashion. Tejada’s new EP is an homage of sorts to the sample heavy production style of the late '90s. "Limiting the options and just creating and manipulating a batch of samples is my happy place,” says Tejada. The title track hints back to a personal favorite, Optical’s "Moving 808s." While the sound is quite different, the approach is similar: samples, editing, some fil-ters and not a whole lot more opens up a lot of creative possi-bilities without too much getting in the way. Of course, the bass plays an important role. Combing through some older influences of varying styles, the production became more in line with Tejada classics like “Timebomb” and “Western Star-land,” both sample collage pieces focused on groove. The final track, "Infinity Room" also follows this production process while resulting in a slightly moodier sound. More

As Palette Recordings approaches its 23 year anniversary, John Tejada returns to the label he started in 1996 with a new 4-track EP entitled “Performance Review.” From the distinctive sound of the opening chords on the title track, it is clear we are in Tejada’s patented world of melody and harmony. Each track highlights Tejada’s artful approach to crafting grooves that blend deep origins with soulful new ground. His unmistakable sound drives the four songs throughout with a focus on layering samples, rhythm and sound design. More

in celebration of Palette Recordings 20 year anniversary, Palette releases a special re-issue of John Tejada’s timeless classic “Timebomb” and the “Timebomb VIP mix”. Both versions were originally released in 2001 and 2002 on Daniel Bell’s 7th City Records. With permission we now for the first time have them together on the same 12” release. Remastered by Stefan Betke at Scape Mastering they now sound better than ever.
Both versions became instant classics, have been played over the years by the world’s top DJs and have been licensed to numerous compilations. Timebomb original and VIP are 2 classic Tejada tunes that have stood the test of time More

"The End of It All," released in 2006 on Palette Recordings, is one of the most iconic John Tejada songs ever produced. It is instantly recognizable and has been played by top DJs of different genres the world over. Selling thousands of copies on vinyl, it hit #2 on the Beatport overall chart as well as garnering a lengthy stay on it's classics chart. It's been imitated, covered (unauthorized), and until now only one official version was ever released. There have been multiple unreleased versions over the past 9 years, including a version Tejada performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with a 100-piece male chorus (LAGMC) in the summer of 2010. Why after so many versions did he finally decide to release a new mix? Simply because this one just felt right and seemed to stick. The new 2015 mix originated as part of Tejada's 2015 live hardware set that he has been touring around the globe. This new mix stands on its own yet avoided receiving a brand new title since its strong emotive theme and connection to the original were undeniable. "Reactivation" and "Sheven" are two additional new works featured on the B side. Originating from his 2015 live set, the two tracks showcase Tejada's strong sense for the dance floor. "Reactivation" is a Casio CZ-101 and Roland TR-909 locking into a strong bass line driven groove that draws elements from Tejada's own influences. "Sheven," named for its use of a Roland SH-7, features a sickly sounding riff with punchy 909 drums. This new release of The End of It All will continue to ensure the track's legacy as one of John Tejada's most valued classics. More

PAL 065 opens with "Dramamine" and "Code Ext", a refined blend of haunting phrases and grooves that flow with vibrancy and challenge familiarity. Each track is uniquely its own yet thrives with a warm cohesiveness. "Cipher" and "Clairaudience" tie up the release with engaging rhythm-al-ism and well-crafted synth melodies. "Cipher" builds upon the emoted pulses of the preceding tracks and transitions hypnotically into "Clairaudience". The final track touches visions from a listener's deepest sleep and weaves those ideas into sounds and beats that breathe beyond the limitations of dreaming. More

Pulse Locker refers to the analog method of synching analog modular instruments and drum machines, a method of working John Tejada & Josh Humphrey have embraced to generate their trademark sounds and grooves. Preferring to work away from the computer as much as possible, John and Josh have adapted a more old school approach to their work, syncing analog gear together, not from a computer, but the way it was synced back in the day. The results are a tight, organic analog sound showcased particularly by the 2nd track "Bifur Gates." With a TR-808 as master clock, syncing the modular system, the sound takes you back to the mid 90s era of techno. Real 808 beats, punchy bass and an ever so shifting classic chord line will leave you lingering for the days of old. On the A side, "Pulse Locker" with its big and warm groove, gets things moving with a blend of house and techno. Rounding out the ep, "Unanimous Arc" showcases the mad acid sounds possible on the SH-101 while modular chords elevate the track to a manic pace. "Pulse Locker" marks the duos third collaboration on Palette Recordings. More

Tejada & Maxwell are back with their unique approach to collaboration using a hardware modular synth setup. More