steven tang: disconnect to connect

Every producer's dream is to one day complete and release a full-length album. After a string of well-received 12" singles on my own label, Emphasis Recordings, and most recently, on labels like Aesthetic Audio, Machining Dreams, Syncrophone, and Dolly, I thought now is the time to start realizing that dream of the full-length album. The idea for the album really started around year 1999 and/or 2000, when I completed the tracks, "Interstice,' 'It's Perceived as Sound,' and 'Brink Of Dawn.' When the tracks were done, I felt they were better-suited for an album release because I experimented outside of the typical 4/4 dance track. I wanted to experiment with ambient music; like something without a kick drum, or different time signatures, which led me to creating a jazz tune using electronic instruments. 'It's Perceived as Sound' was conceived in that way. But putting an album out during that time would not have garnished the impact that I wanted, since I was still a relatively unknown artist. So I put the tracks aside. Over the last decade, I worked on many more 12' singles to get my name out there, while still working on tracks that I thought would suit the album. Tracks like 'Eternal' and 'Heat Burst,' produced back in 2011, help add to this album some of that Chicago/ Detroit vibe that I've been known for. As I was getting close to finishing the album, I was thinking which label should release it? The first thing that came to my mind was Smallville. I read two interviews on blogs featuring Smallpeople, aka Julius Steinhoff and Just Von Ahlefeld, who also run the label and store out of Hamburg. In each of the interviews, they mentioned me by name. I thought to myself, 'these guys really like my music!' Since having visited Hamburg three times now, I got to know the label, the people behind it, and thought my project and I would be a good fit. So I decided to send an email to Julius and Just to see if they were interested in releasing the album. They said yes, so here I am, proud to present to you, as well as Smallville, my debut album entitled Disconnect to Connect." --Steven Tang, Chicago, May 2013