Automata

Automata’s sound is like a lucid dream: there’s a subtle familiarity in it that lures you into something altogether otherworldly. Blending dub, soul, pop, blues and rock with break beat, electronic, ambient and classical music, the Chicago-formed quartet seamlessly shifts through an endless spectrum of organic and mechanical textures. One is likely to find themselves meandering through a spaghetti western one moment, a Kingston dance hall the next. If that’s not engaging enough, Automata pairs their tracks with psychedelic video and film work for their live performances, overwhelming audiences with swells of sights and sounds. 
Automata has been years in the making. J.D. Plotnick and Justin Samuel Martin, who grew up with one another and lived together in a loft-turned-music studio in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, were having little luck in their search for a vocalist to work with on their many projects. At a friend’s birthday party, Martin ran into Rachel Thomas, whom he and Plotnick had known in high school. The two quickly got to speaking about music, and made plans to get together. As Plotnick had an album's worth of electronic compositions nearing completion, the group primarily focused their attention on putting vocal melodies to them while temporarily putting Thomas and Martin’s material on the backburner. 
A few months into working together, Martin left the country with his brother Alex and a backpack full of camera equipment. The two took an overland route from the west coast of Europe to the east coast of Asia and Martin archived video footage along the way to be integrated with Automata’s music and live show. Plotnick and Thomas continued working on the electronic compositions while keeping in regular contact with and emailing tracks to Martin, who would send his thoughts and suggestions back. By the time Martin returned to Chicago, Plotnick and Thomas had grown frustrated with the electronic songs. Something, they felt, was missing. With Thomas on vocals and keys, Plotnick on drums, percussion and samples and Martin on guitar and samples, they began to work on the songs as an actual band. Playing the songs live immediately breathed new life into the project and Automata, with a new direction clearly laid out before them, began auditioning bass players. In April 2009, longtime musical collaborator and high school friend Justin McClain joined the group. The quartet began reworking their original material while developing new compositions. Microcosm, Automata's debut EP, is slated for release in early 2010.