Technical drawings is Melissa St. Pierre (prepared piano) and Jesse Stiles (electronics). In “The Ruined Map,” Technical Drawings’ debut release, St. Pierre and Stiles pioneer a new genre that has been termed “Dub Concrète,” combining influences from neoclassicism, rock, gamelan, and hip hop with results both weird and electrifying. In one of the record’s centerpieces, “Strange Flora,” the post-rap poet Todd Jones verbalizes the musical journey: “We found an island on the edge of the world. With no name for it we made a claim for it.”
“The Ruined Map” was recorded over the course of two days in Missi’s attic in Pittsburgh. Post production took place in a remote rural textile factory in which Jesse lived from 2007 to 2010. “The Ruined Map” was released by Gagarin Records in 2011.