STL – At Disconnected Moments
Before going into At Disconnected Moments let’s not forget that Stephan Laubner has released on Echocord and echospace [detroit], the greatest dub techno labels since Basic Channel, and Perlon, the Basic Channel of microhouse. Outside of this he’s done the odd few things for Smallville while his own Something is a pillar of inspiration for anyone that wants to run their own label their own way. But a STL album, does it really mean anything right now? Of course it does, but to put it into perspective, he’s released around 15 of them, and way too many EPs in between to talk about. The thing is, when it comes to putting out quality records on the regular, the DJ can always rely on STL – so why should this album be any different?. Everyone has a “Loop” A, B or C by the German beatmaker stashed away in their record collection somewhere (a locked groove is a trademark of each physical STL release).
STL
At Disconnected Moments
Smallville
2LP, CD, Digital
There’s a total of seven ‘tracks’ and four loops on At Disconnected Moments, two of which were already released on Smallville: “Neurotransmitting Clouds On A Secret Freeway” (on the digital version) from the 2009 And Suddenly It’s Morning compilation, and his most recognised production, the serene “Silent State” (also on the digital version). So if you take away those two productions and the loops, you’re essentially left with a five-track mini-album, or, EP. But on the vinyl copy, which I’m writing about, we’re provided with seven fresh originals and four killer loops.
STL doesn’t resist the urge to open this full length with a wish-washing few bars of shifting white noise and his trademark ‘bom bom, bom-bom-bom’ beat design, which like a strand of ink that’s been dropped into a beaker-full of distilled water, becomes diluted in a murky swell of sonic osmosis. Following “Scuba’s Motion Dub” is the ambient-ish “Loop A”, which like all loops on this vinyl LP, sits surreptitiously in the inner ring of each disc like a stray hair stuck to a record.
Aqueous themes continue on the B-side with “One Day” maintaining DeepChord-like ambience and sunken beats, except STL adds a tangibly human element via blurry waves of brassy, flute-like melodies. The musicality in “Space Cats” however sees Laubner go for something a bit Krautrocky with that spacey synth, while loop of the album “Loop B” again proves STL is today’s master of the locked groove you won’t get sick of.
Crammed on to the D-side are four tracks, but before that there’s the ten-minute “Amelie’s Dub”, a dub techno excursion through filtered keys, textural ambience and a houseier take on Ancient Methods-style percussion. At times this track finds itself going through the motions that a lot of extended dub techno productions can do, but rhythmic deepness remains – and remember, this is STL we are talking about. It also provides the DJ, if they need it, with a chance to make that trip to the bathroom!
The tubular-ringing “Good Wine” is the LP’s ambient track, a complimentary segue to the cavernous “Ghostly Ambit” – a production sharing similar cadence to much of Icelandic producer Exos’ music. “Over And Out” ends this latest STL transmission with a crackly, radio-wave ambience similar to an SOS signal from a wrecked Russian sub or a German U-boat.
For someone that listens to a lot of dub techno and house, ambient, and deeper styles of dance music, STL’s At Disconnected Moments delivers everything you would hope for in an album of this nature. It may not offer some of the recondite sounds that many house and techno listeners require at the moment, but let’s not forget this has been released on a minimal house label from Germany. By and large there’s nothing ground breaking, mind altering or overly challenging to Stephan Laubner’s latest LP, but really, that’s no biggie, because it provides the necessary strands of cerebralism inherent to all good dub techno, and another opportunity to talk about “Silent State”.
James Manning
Tracklisting:
A1. Scuba’s Motion Dub
A2. Loop A
B1. One Day
B2. Space Cats
B3. Loop B
C1. Amelie’s Dub
C2. Loop C
D1. Good Wine
D2. Ghostly Ambit
D3. Over And Out
D4. Loop D