Field Records continue their run of essential archival vinyl reissues with a beautifully remastered edition of Stephen Hitchell’s 2009 ambient dub techno masterpiece under his Variant alias, The Setting Sun.
Best known as the driving force behind Echospace Detroit and celebrated for his work as cv313, Intrusion and Soultek, Hitchell stands as one of dub techno’s defining producers – an artist equally fluent in deep rhythmic propulsion and pure tonal immersion. As Variant, he distils that full spectrum into an ambient-with-teeth suite that finally receives the vinyl pressing it has long deserved.
Originally released as a CD-only album on Echospace Detroit, The Setting Sun was constructed through an intensely tactile process. Hitchell drew from field recordings of late-night storms in Berlin and train journeys through Narita Airport in Japan, blending them with outboard synthesis, samplers and hardware recording techniques – with no computers involved at any stage. That physical approach to sound design radiates throughout the album: towering chords rich with harmonic overtones, surface noise used as an expressive element, and subtle layers of distortion that deepen the narrative weight of each piece.
While dub techno’s foundations are present, they are applied with remarkable restraint. Our pick from the album is Someplace Else – steeped in hazy chords and smoke-laden atmosphere, its languid beat work glides through layers of reverberation, resulting in one of the album’s most chilled and immersive moments.
A benchmark release in Hitchell’s catalogue and a modern classic of dub techno-adjacent ambient, The Setting Sun now returns in full fidelity as a stunning 2×12″ remaster – reaffirming its place as one of the genre’s most immersive and enduring works.
‘The Setting Sun’ reissue is scheduled for release on 27th March via Field Records. Buy a vinyl copy from Inverted Audio Record Store and digital from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. As Time Stood Still
2. Enchanted
3. Upon A Dream
4. A Silent Storm
5. Someplace Else
6. Adrift
7. The Setting Sun