Music Review: 68000 "Techno Color"

Take a 130+ bpm jones, cut it with heavy Kraftwerk damage and you have a rough draft of Portland's 68000. Jeremy Wells (Mr. 68000) is a manmachine of considerable depth. Ninety-nine percent of the current techno explosion is paint by beats product, forgettable by design. Wells beats these odds by putting himself into the mix. The Clash once dreamed "If Music Could Talk," while instrumental bands from the Ventures to Pell Mell have been proving it can for years. Like Kraftwerk before them, 68000 break through the perceived sterility of synthesizers and drum machine to create a rich assortment of melodic statements. "Technohead," "Data Cloud 9" and "Juno Echo" are liquid music, working head, body and feet as the listener sees fit. Despite its name, Techno Color is not just a techno record, nor is it faux Kraftwerk. It is a combination of these and many other elements, but most importantly Techno Color returns what has been missing from electronic music for far too long: A little bit of soul.