Electric Birds is the solo project for Mike Martinez, co-owner of the Deluxe record label since 1995. The imprint has accumulated a diverse roster of quality releases by the likes of Matmos (whom Martinez has collaborated with), Disc, Blectum from Blechdom, and Satisfact. Martinez' early bands included John Henry West and Cars Get Crushed; the latter released full-lengths on the Goldenrod and Mod Lang labels. In 2000, he released his Electric Birds debut, an excellent album that combined computer processing with more conventional instrumentation and included production contributions from Matmos. After Martinez' second release, 2001's Panorama, and the EP's collection Strata Frames (for Belgium's U-Cover), he signed Electric Birds to Mille Plateaux, the premiere European label for experimental techno. The first full length release for the label, Gradations, appeared in April of 2002. ~ Mark Richardson, Rovi