- Even at its deepest, John Tejada's music has big-room potential. A master of touching melodies, the US veteran has built a career on star-gazing synths and celestial pads, heard throughout a catalogue that dates back to the mid-'90s. And while his affiliation with Kompakt might suggest an artist favoured by DJs most at home in big rooms, his early releases get plenty of play in the nerdiest of circles (Slow Life and Nicolas Lutz are just some those who regularly rinse his tracks). As we heard on his recent Signs Under Test album, this underground-meets-overground approach makes him a great match for Kompakt. Ceol, his new EP on the Cologne label, is further confirmation.
We get three melody-rich tunes with different levels of intensity. "Ceol" is the biggest, a tangle of high-pitched synths and bleeps. Less versatile than the EP's deeper tracks, its cascading melodies come close to breaking point, but they're kept in check by the chugging groove. The other tracks are more reduced and will suit a wider range of DJs. "Prelude To Madness" tunnels along with zaps and squiggles, bolstered a dreamy middle section that's easy to get swept up in. Thanks to a modest key riff and more cosmic effects, "Aisling" is dreamier still, rounding off an EP with a unique big-room appeal.
TracklistA1 Ceol
B1 Prelude To Madness
B2 Aisling