quantec: 1000 vacuum tubes

Within the first minutes of reverbed vocal samples appearing out of ambientish soundscapes, the listener becomes a confederate within Quantec's sound universe. Statements that seem to speak to oneself from another space and time set the mood for 1000 Vacuum Tubes. It's surprisingly melodic, and rhythmic opener "Ayahuasca" sets the mood for Quantec's versatile voyage through his own dub history. Sven Schienhammer, the man behind this moniker, has a broad view on the sounds and techniques of dub. Where in other productions, coldness and monotony became a standard sound of dub techno, the psychedelic warmth of this album lets the listener dive constantly deeper into Quantec's "Vacuum." Within the full length of the album, the tracks keep up a certain kind of lightness while still remaining danceable all the time. Vocal cut-ups and fragments of house music like in "Truth Maintenance" and "Eternal Soul" are as well-processed as deep basslines and meditative echospheres (for example "Unplumbed Depth" or the title track). Reminiscences of the analog beginnings of the Basic Channel sound like in "The Gathering" sup up with modern digital arrangements. Everything is held together through the pointed use of vocals that create the necessary amount of personality and deepness. Besides all its complexity, Quantec's album always remains a traditional dub album. The different approaches of the tracks point to a greater understanding of dub as a production method that consists of much more than a typical trademark sound. It's not the effects that stand in the foreground, but a way of fathoming the different forms of expression of dub in electronic music. 1000 Vacuum Tubes generates its special qualities from a deep understanding of a long history of dub in techno music. Quantec knows how to combine these elements to create a magnificent and timeless album.