Matthew Dear's Big Hands, Mobius Band

Since his 1999 debut, the Texas-born, Ann Arbor-based techno producer Matthew Dearhas created more amorphous sounds than he has monikers (Audion, False, and Jabberjaw among them). For the dedicated listener, it’s been a fascinating journey. So when Dear released his latest full-length, Asa Breed, this summer, it shouldn’t have come as a much of surprise that his next logical step was actually one of the most obvious—crossing over to make a bona-fide pop record. It might have caught purist techno-heads a little off guard, but Asa Breedis 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 music’s usual suspects—synths and drum machines. Dear will bring Asa Breedto life as Matthew Dear’s 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