Books on Tape is Todd Drootin. Todd Drootin is Books on Tape. He does some really tweaked out and spazzy beats that make you want to dance while on drugs, then rob a guy on your way home. He has several releases on all kinds of labels, including Alien 8, Deathbomb Arc, and Grey Day. He just recently broke up with himself and will no longer be playing shows. Check out his remixes of Aa and Bipolar Bear on their 7".

>> Books on Tape website

See Also
Bipolar Bear, Aa

Press
"Instead of trying for polyphonic density with sample layered upon sample, DIY electronica wunderkind Todd Drootin reconfigures his crunk-punk around bare bones linearity. The skeletal textures underscore Drootin's seemingly random hopscotch from one micro-boogie to the next as fractured cut-and-paste thumps are punctuated with snippets of metal riffs, surf guitar and various bleeps; then they're blindsided by tempo shifts and distortion. The schizophrenic twists and turns can be a little disorienting at times, but when you consider the oddball who made the record, that's most likely the idea." -- CMJ Magazine

"Valley native Todd Drootin (a.k.a. Books on Tape) suffers from a severe case of electronic epilepsy. Standing behind his series of odd sequencers and mysterious boxes bursting with knobs, levers, and who-knows-what, the man seems to compose in a fit of spontaneity. However, the brilliant premeditation is evident in how friggin' good his stuff is. Using samples as minimal as a single guitar chord or bass line as his palate, Drootin mixes in blips, buzzes and other kinds of primitive electronic noises to create music that is somewhat punk, somewhat dancey and often cinematic in scope. The project began when Drootin wanted to play music but lacked the space necessary to store his various bulky traditional instruments. Sequencers, about the size of shoeboxes (but a lot more fun), seemed like the way to go. What has grown out of this space-issue is a full-fledged act that is less "electroclash," and more a direct result of influences such as jazz, punk, indie, and just plain rock. Books on Tape shows have been described as "high-energy gymnastics" and even the most die-hard electronic traditionalists and jaded indie-rockers have been known to break a smile watching the frantic, knob-turning, pedal-slamming spectacle that is a Books on Tape show. Drootin has had the opportunity to play with such established acts as Cursive, Rilo Kiley and Stars as Eyes. The debut Books on Tape album received high critical acclaim and became a staple on college radio stations nationwide." -- LA Alternative Press