Bleep

The eponymous debut LP from John Beltran’s Indio project is essential for fans of classic Detroit techno. Across the album we find keyboards and synths anchored by booming kick drums to create timeless club thrills. This style is particularly apparent in the early section of the record, with cuts like ‘Earthtones’ and ‘Abolene’ sure to delight those who are fond of the early Midwestern techno sound.

However, while its major influences are clear, Indio is also an adventurous record which doesn’t stay in one lane for too long. From his core sonic palette Beltran moves outwards to take in a variety of electronic club styles which were in the air around the time of Indio’s initial release back in 1999. With its blown-out percussion and soft, pensive synth pads, ‘Lite Yellow’ is a prime bit of 90s IDM; the shimmering chords and skipping groove of ‘Armenian Eyes’ draws from shuffling, jazz-inflected house; ‘I Need You In The Fall’ plays further IDM synth pads off a stuttering breakbeat. In the hands of another producer all of this genre-hopping might make for a disjointed record, but Beltran expertly brings the disparate array of tones heard across Indio into a coherent whole.

Available for the first time on vinyl since it was released in 1999, this eponymous record from Indio is a cult-classic techno collection from John Beltran.