STL - From A Distance

Previously uploaded on my original channel - 09 May 2009.

A lovely 'chugger' hissing its way thru the speakers.

STL (a.k.a Stephan Laubner) "From A Distance", taken from the flip of the Silent State EP on Smallville Records [SMALLVILLE 012]. May 2009

Mastered at D&M (Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, Germany).
Distributed by Word And Sound (Hamburg, Germany).

As the owner and sole driving force behind the label Something, the enigmatic Stephan Laubner manages to freely indulge his prolific nature without sacrificing quality. In 2008 alone he notched up six well rated releases, three of which could be considered albums, only one arriving on another label (Lost In Brown Eyes for his friends at Perlon), and hes already released a new 2×12″ in 2009. Laubners efforts also seem immune to easy characterizations. They stretch from massaged field-recordings to wistful deep house, caustic techno to more chipper tech-house treats, and thats ignoring the many loops etched into most STL releases. Whats surprising, then, about STLs debut for Smallville Records is not that it turns the page in the self reliant producers catalog, but rather its potential to loom large over what came before it.

Silent State finds Laubner introducing dub technos vast palette of reverbs and delay to his repertoire and varies greatly from track to track. The most fascinating is the title cut, a sub-aquatic meander whose elegant craftsmanship unfolds across 12 minutes without feeling even a second too long. Ambling forward as an enthusiastic guide, the tuneful bass line steers listeners towards several synth lines mingling at different depths, ripples following wherever they go. Each melody flows at its own pace yet feels interconnected to its companions, even the sharpest, most fleeting progression and sustained snare hits. Laubners command of synthesizers is so great hes captured an entire eco-system in flux in the form of a functional techno track. To call it breath-taking is almost not enough.
Youd be forgiven if it takes a few spins before feeling ready to flip the record, but side B is equally rewarding. Six In A Row is a substantially grittier affair that channels its energy into the grumbling central riff. Squirming along a bed of tape hiss and street noise, reverb magnifies its jagged edges until they gnash together, their resonance creating eye-opening new pitches. And while Six In A Row could easily find its way into many techno sets, its not too far a stretch to include the rarefied lo-fi aesthetics of black metal among its extended family. While more conventional than its siblings, From A Distance is impressive in its own right. As the insouciant yin to Six In A Rows overcast yang, the tunes placid underpinnings are as celebrated as the dubbed out washes bouncing gamely off the walls. Hushed Rhodes tip-toes between two chords, holding together the unpredictable reverberations like a serene glue. Its lucid beauty rivals some Maurizio tracks, so dont be surprised when From A Distance, like the rest of the EP, is stuck in DJs rotations. If STL hasnt yet been canonized on the strength of his bountiful back catalog, Silent State seems poised to be his ticket to the front of the line. (Steve Mizek)
-LWE-

Related Links:
http://www.something-records.com
http://www.smallville-records.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• STL
• Stephan Laubner
• From A Distance
• Silent State
• Smallville
• Something
• Electronic
• Techno
• Dub Techno

[bladerunner366]

Ho so goooooooooooood

[Frobbz]

@bladerunner366 Yeah, this one's a belter. :o)

[solidgroove01]

i ve been waiting for it :D great track ! again and again :-)

[Frobbz]

@solidgroove01 :o))

[solidgroove01]

yeah ! there it is again  :-) thx throbber 1 -thx frobbz ;-):-)

looooooooooooooooooooooooove it !! :-)

[Frobbz]

@solidgroove01 Thank You :o))

[minimalboffin]

One of my all time favourites...classic and defining dub techno at its best ;D

[leny19811]

Love this....