subtractiveLAD - giving up the ghost

Stephen Hummel's SubtractiveLAD moniker encapsulates the sounds he strived at producing at an early age with roots firmly planted in the jazz-improvisation scene. The relatively recent progress of computer technology, however, has allowed Hummel to design most of his own instruments, creating a sound that is both extremely personal and unique. Giving Up The Ghost (his debut release) is about hope and the ability to keep moving forward. Loss and sadness are balanced with feelings of transcendence and fragility. Threaded emotions and evolving rhythms seemingly transmit an aura of pure sonic ambience. Warm analogue frequencies cycle around reflective moods while skittering beats continue to expand throughout the inherent mangling of electrical wires. Distress signals of loosely tied, emotionally driven electronics allow Hummel to creatively blend the surreal ambiences of Boards of Canada with the pulsating rhythms of label-mates Proem and Vesna. The title track delivers swirling atmospheres cemented with dense, dribbling beats and sweet ambient fluttering while the epic track, "Remain Removed," is a cascading, melodious entity that charges itself with flowing percussion. Elsewhere on this debut release you'll find plateaus of enriched rhythms tugging at the heartstrings, drifting into oblivion. As an emotional snapshot of the heart, Giving Up The Ghost fuels the mind with magnetic electricity and a sense of optimism in a world full of chaos.