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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
