Variant - while the universe sleeps (2026)

With while the universe sleeps, he has achieved something remarkable. As with all the variant music, Stephen takes influence from the vast recesses of the cosmos, both imaginatively and sonically. Drawing on NASA's sound archive, "the vast echoes of space have been manipulated and resynthesized throughout the duration of this sonic experience." Through decades of dedication to his craft, Stephen has become a producer of almost unparalleled skill - all seen through the lens of formative years immersed in the inception and evolution of techno, house, ambient and countless detours. All this is brought to bear on while the universe sleeps - a truly masterful deep-space voyage, eighty minutes submerged in cathartic waves of interstellar bliss. Infinitely spacious - echoing chords and endlessly sustaining pads establish an emotional core, surrounded by highly-processed astral transmissions and organic analogue noise. Always underpinned by sub-bass reminiscent of the lowest frequencies emanating from the studios of Jamiaca, that are also of massive significance to Stephen's work. Huge thanks to Stephen, an incredible addition to the series. The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album - originating from a photo from Stephen which was then captured with analogue photography and processed here at quiet details studios. As usual, the album is presented on the physical edition, a custom six-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.