Jonteknik – Tectonics (CD Album – The People’s Electric)
Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.
Background/Info: Based in Brighton (UK) Jon Russell better known as Jonteknik, has just released his ninth full length album. It’s a conceptual album, inspired by the artist’s fascination ‘by the connection between humans and nature’. “Tectonics” has been released on Russell’s own label and is also available on vinyl format and as a very limited cassette edition.
Content: If you’re familiar with the music universe of Jonteknik you won’t be surprised to discover that his electro-pop music will remind you of Kraftwerk, and also of the ‘Amiga-pop’ of Welle:Erdball. Some songs are coming pretty close to the aforementioned bands, but when considering this musician is already active for nearly 30 years it becomes obvious his music is not a copy. The work reflects an intelligent pop format, which has something ‘robotic’, space-like and definitely minimal.
+ + + : The link with the original electro-pop from the 80s has something authentic and that’s for sure because of Russell’s fascination with analogue gear. It brings good-old memories to life, but also adds something refreshing. The sound treatments are pure magic –especially when clearly evoking Kraftwerk songs. The songwriting is well-crafted while revealing cool melody lines and great effects.
– – – : The only single element that in my opinion could be improved is the production of the vocals. I think there can be a bit more ‘passion’ or ‘conviction’ in the vocals.
Conclusion: “Tectonics” is an album I fully recommend for the lovers of what I commonly call ‘Kraftwerk-pop’, but I’m still convinced there’s more in this project than what comes out! So the best is yet to some…
Best songs: “Mount Etna”, “Tectonics”, “Mount Fuji”, “Silfra”.
Rate: (7).
Artist: www.jonteknik.com / www.facebook.com/Jonteknik
Label: www.thepeopleselectric.com / www.facebook.com/thepeopleselectric
About Jonteknik
Jonteknik is the electronic project of Brighton, UK-based musician Jon Russell, with a catalogue stretching back to the 1990s and including the albums “Giants Under The Microscope” (2012), “Large Hadron Collider” and “Structural” (both 2015) and “Skylines” (2017), the latter inspired by Russell’s interest in architecture and informed by his fandom of Kraftwerk and A-ha.
Russell has also worked with Paul Humphreys (OMD) and Claudia Brücken (Propaganda, Act) on their Onetwo project, remixed the Alfa Matrix act Metroland, and contributed to iEuropean, the project of former Empire State Human member Seán Barron featuring Kraftwerk’s Wolfgang Flür. In 2016 Russell founded his own label, The People’s Electric, which issued iEuropean’s debut album before releasing Jonteknik’s own “Tectonics” in 2019, followed a year later by a companion release, “TECTONICS_too”.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
