Daniel Stefanik – Confidence

ARTIST: DANIEL STEFANIK

TITLE: CONFIDENCE

LABEL: COCOON

Daniel Stefanik has had a rapidly growing influence on electronic music since he first appeared on the scene in the mid noughties. Hailing from Leipzig in Germany, Stefanik has released music on some of the countries leading labels including Mobilee, Moon Harbour, Freude Am Tanzen and of course Sven Väth’s Cocoon Recordings. Part of the new generation of successful electronic DJ/Producers he has forged his own style, melding elements of house, techno and dub to create his own unique take on the sound of the dancefloor.

For his latest album ‘Confidence’, Stefanik has tapped into the underbelly of club land, telling the story of a night on the town, with nine tracks that chart the progression through a hazy evening, night and morning. Opening cut ‘Entrance’ is the gate to Stefanik’s club world with its deep Detroit influences and floating ambient washes, a perfect start to this intimate electronic tale. ‘Light On’ picks up the pace with a foray into deep techy house with its staccato rhythms and subtle melodies. ‘1996’ and ‘Port of Transition’ head into the heart of the journey with a stripped back feel that harnesses the influences of Dave Clark, Slam and Jeff Mills. ‘Distillery’ takes us back into housier territory with its layered FX and shuffling drums patterns before Stefanik veers into mesmerizing techno ground with the wonderful ‘Bend the Rules’. The last three compositions draw on the latter part of the club experience, first with the excellent off kilter ‘Dazed & Confused’ before we move onto the intense and emotional ‘Keep On (Version II) and finally the uplifting and dreamy closing piece ‘Confidence’.

With this latest album Stefanik has truly stepped up to show the world the producer he can be, heart-felt, mature and inspiring electronic music like this is a rare find and paired with the legendary Cocoon label this should be in the running for one of dance music’s albums of the year…

Release: 17th of September 2012.

Ranking: 8/10.