Detroit | Tao Groove

Nov 15 2008

Milk Chocolate

A later album, the sound was an experiment with more organic sounds. Smooth and funky was more the goal. A lot of Rhodes and vintage analog synths, plus horns and slap ass bass.

This record coincided with Tao Groove’s involvement with David Scott and The Logixhouse Collective, an international thinktank of musicians and artists. In 2004, Logixhouse helped to coordinate Windsor Ontario, CA’s branch of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (Movement 2004) with Derrick May.

no comments | tags: Deep House Links, detroit, disco, funk, funk house, funky, groovalicious, house, james brown, jazz house, outkast, remix, techno | posted in Featured, Milk Chocolate

Nov 15 2008

Up

Up is a later release by Tao Groove. This period of intense attention to bass and beat came after the Unification event at Motor Lounge in Detroit. The event was just prior to the closing of Motor, so they atmosphere was relaxed and destructive. After cranking his booth monitor hotter than normal, the right booth monitor caught fire, and shortly thereafter, the whole right sub stack went out.

The realization that music could start fires sent Tao off in a basshunt direction.

Up is a transitional album, intense jungle drumwork and dustings of electro robotique. Quirked tracks like “happy robot man” and “sloppy feets” turn this entire album into a pretty eclectic blend that sounds more like a Various Artists compilation than a one man show.

FYI: Talks of a video for Happy Robot Man have surfaced.

no comments | tags: breakbeat, detroit, drum n bass, electro, funk, happy robot man, jungle, Up drum and bass | posted in Up

Nov 14 2008

Live Performances (Detroit Techno)

Tao Groove live performances were rare. Mainly because he disliked public appearances, but also because of the extensive setup time an event required, as all live music was made uniquely for the event.

For the same reason, the styles in each of the live performances (Live PAs) are distinct from each other to build on the flow of the evening, depending on who else was playing.

no comments | tags: breakbeat, DEMF, detroit, hip hop, house, jungle, latin, Live PA, Live Performances, Movement 2004, techno, trance, trip hop | posted in Live

Nov 10 2008

Warehouses Of Our Fathers

Warehouses of Our Fathers is an EP centered around hard driving techno. No bullshit, no pulled punches. It’s heavy and dirty and designed to be heard from the parking lot of an abandoned factory.

no comments | tags: detroit, hard, percussive, techno, warehouse | posted in Warehouses of Our Fathers

Nov 8 2008

5 Miles Outside of Detroit

The 5th Tao Groove album. More of an EP. Departs somewhat from the previous release and explores more aggressive sounds. Goes into a more Detroit mode of heavy technology, but still keeps an organic feel that is absent from most Detroit techno sounds. The mood is less somber, but more unrelenting.

no comments | tags: dark wave, detroit, dj, drum n bass, electronica, house, jungle, techno, trance | posted in 5 Miles Outside of Detroit

Sep 26 2008

The Babylon Experiment

The Babylon Experiment was a major evolution from the debut Tobey’s New Toy album. Harmonically there’s a lot of range change and overall the tracks start to get more meat on them. The spectrum spreads stylistically as well, with parts of the record tasting like bubblegum and parts like dog shit.

FYI: The piano from “Reconciliation” was recorded over the phone into a laptop microphone in the business office of Brilliant Studios in San Francisco. It was the hippie waitress girl Tao met at the Mexican restaurant down the block from the studio. She had been learning piano. The rest of the track was built around that single piano line.

Samples in “Light Cannot Escape” from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Samples in “Phreak” from Full Metal Jacket.

no comments | tags: ambient, detroit, downtempo, drum and bass, house, lofi, techno, trance | posted in The Babylon Experiment

Jul 10 2008

Pagoda

Another early Tao Groove record, released after NeoTribe. This maintains a pretty consistent and upbeat anthem vibe pretty much throughout. During it’s creation, Tao moved between San Francisco and South Miami Beach, both influences are obvious in the tracks.

The track “Dictophone” alludes to a connection between Tao Groove and the then Detroit/NYC based 8 bit peoples collective. Tao Groove was one of the original members of 8bit before their chiptune style became fully realized. He still maintains a close relationship with 8bit founder Mesu Kasumai.

Stylistic differences caused Tao Groove to recede from involvement with 8 bit peoples early on.

no comments | tags: anthem, dance, detroit, electronica, house, techno, trance | posted in Pagoda

Jul 2 2008

Skematik For The Peoples

This EP is really a B-side collection that was scavenged from older tape clips and a work-in-progress archive. All of the tracks are relatively old, sparse and definitely quirky. It marked a step in Tao’s drum programming before many of the loose knocky beats were being made.

no comments | tags: detroit, drum and bass, hard, idm, latin, techno | posted in Skematik For The Peoples

Jun 26 2008

uxin

Loosely connected at the hilt. This entire record is a little discombobulated. The rhythms are chopped and the synth work is dirty and broken apart. There are only 3 tracks in this release, and they’re definitely speaker workouts.

In the original release, there were 4 tracks, the 4th being a remix of “I Made A Radio Song”, without vocals, to play live. Several speakers were destroyed because of the track, which lead to a version for safe play in clubs. This is the version we’ve released here. We also compressed and normalized it too, so you’re safe. Hopefully.

no comments | tags: braindance, darkwave, detroit, electronic, idm, industrial, techno | posted in uxin

Tao Groove