It sounds like someone is brushing their teeth in the first track of Lunatik Sound System's The Heavy Minded Orchestra. Brushing their teeth really, really hard. Just on occasion, mind. The rest of "Nusynthonic Matter" sees the producer also known as STL pinning a (lightly) industrialized breakbeat and bells upon bells into a mess of sound beamed directly out of I Care Because You Do-era Aphex Twin. It's one of my favorite tracks of the year.
Not because it's nostalgic. But instead because it showcases yet another side to one of the world's most talented and prolific producers. Stephan Laubner, as he's also sometimes known, has two well-known modes: Hypnotic house champion and unsung drone merchant. The latter is what the rest of The Heavy Minded Orchestra focuses upon, Laubner pitting slow-moving field recordings against one another. Mountains of sound. You know generally what it sounds like.
Specifically, Laubner is interested in sound with a depth that is often unmatched by contemporary ambient producers. He lets in the same sort of grit around the edges as he does on his house tracks as STL, more than happy to use the grain of the recording to his advantage. It marks him out among those who have taken a digital approach to drones. There are mistakes. Things don't line up neatly. Melodies don't appear, ready to sweep you off your feet into aching reverie.
You also won't find Laubner calling his tracks "When You Realized It Was All a Lie." His purpose isn't to elicit easy emotional responses. More often it's something like "Another Form of Time" or "Face It," underlining a complexity of both construction and aim. Orchestra, which is largely composed of material that has already been released through his CD series, acts as a neat summation of these investigations. It's the first time that most (any?) of it has been pressed to vinyl, the first time that Laubner has taken the financial risk of putting out ambient on wax. For those looking to experience the second (and third) side of what Laubner does, it's the perfect way to jump in.
Buy Lunatik Sound System - The Heavy Minded Orchestra at
Tracklist: Lunatik Sound System - The Heavy Minded Orchestra
 A1 Nusynthonic Matter
A2 Nitetrain
A3 Another Form Of Time
B1 Whats Up Digger
B2 The End Of The Beginning
B3 All Engines Go
C1 Peaceful Inhabitant
C2 Face It
D1 How Should I Feel Today
D2 Solsystem
D3 Mindblower Seven
D4 Over And Out
| 
