Since his 1999 debut, the Texas-born, Ann Arbor-based techno producer Matthew Dear has created more amorphous sounds than he has monikers (Audion, False, and Jabberjaw among them). For the dedicated listener, its been a fascinating journey. So when Dear released his latest full-length, Asa Breed, this summer, it shouldnt have come as a much of surprise that his next logical step was actually one of the most obviouscrossing over to make a bona-fide pop record. It might have caught purist techno-heads a little off guard, but Asa Breed is a delightful, pleasant listen; Dear brings his uneasy, wavering vocal abilities to the microphone, layering them into the mix of crisp, organic instrumentation and electronic musics usual suspectssynths and drum machines. Dear will bring Asa Breed to life as Matthew Dears Big Hands with a backup rhythm section comprising John Gaviglio and Mark Maynard of the Brooklyn-based band Cannons. With Mobius Band.
Sat., Oct. 20, 9 p.m., 2007
