Dekmantel Podcast 189 - Steffi

Each of Steffi’s three studio albums on Ostgut Ton have brought with them new musical explorations. The Dutch born Panoramabar Bar resident’s debut was a warm and classic house affair with steamy vocals. Her second in 2014 was a more techno and electro styled work that took cues from the sleek futurism of Underground Resistance. But her latest, World of The Waking State from late last year, was her most fully realised and individual yet. A deep affair with flourishes of IDM, it’s utterly emotional and intricate, with pulsing drums coloured by deft synths that flash about with a life of their own. It was a perfect continuation of the mix she served up for fabric, but this new one for us follows a different path. Slowly awakening from spaced out ambient, it explores kinked electro, more rugged EBM style grooves and tough, drum lead tracks that are all tied together by a sci-fi sense of atmosphere. Like everything Steffi does, it manages to pack a real punch at the same time as touching on a range of moods from melancholic to optimistic. Now over two decades into her career, Steffi remains as unpredictable and compelling as ever.