- Stephan Laubner's quest for sound may have entered its 15th year, but the journey continues. Nonzero Sonics is his latest transmission, a three-track EP that mines the terrain between dub techno and ambient that he's so skilfully explored as STL over dozens of meditative EPs. "No More Words," the reverb-heavy standout, finds Laubner in particularly good form, opening with a six-minute ambient stretch of swirling sub-bass and dub techno synths. A faint kick enters at the midpoint, building from a background tick to a propulsive stomp. The mess of effects morphs and twists as it clouds the simple rhythm. Like many great producers, Laubner isn't concerned with conventional structure, which gives the track a unique narrative.
STL is also a project for stoned beats, and we get one here with "Smooth Selector." It's more reduced than many of his other beatdown-style tracks, with a broken rhythm driven by a twitching bassline and percussion in the high-end. The mood is spacey, introspective and deep, so the energy never rises above a simmer. There's a hint of melody in a series of synth notes—the EP's cheeriest element—buried in the mix. "Out Of The One," another broken-beat track, has more bright synths, only this time they're melancholic. They chime atop the track's halftime groove, another touching emission from the sound world Laubner has made his own.
TracklistA1 No More Words
B1 Smooth Selector
B2 Out Of The One