fabric 94: Steffi

Album review

Ten years after she arrived in Berlin, Steffei Doms, aka Steffi, has become a major name of the European clubbing scene. It’s only logical then that the Dutch, now 43, would also be welcome in the prestigious Mix series from Fabric Records. She put the greatest care to honor this invitation by using only new tracks. One of the characteristics of the mix that she created here is the fact that it’s never monolithic and apprehends every genre that she likes. In terms of atmosphere, the native of Boxtel—in the South of Holland—tells the story about how she drew the inspiration from the spirit of Artificial Intelligence, the famous series of eight albums released by Warp Records in the early 90s. Then she listed the friends and loved ones from whom she requested a track, and talked about a few of her own creations added into the mix. “The original idea was to get out of the classic beat mix and let the mood of the tracks dictate the general tone. But this ended up taking the form of a true mixed album.” Here lies the strength of this Fabric 94: in its convolutions alternating between sounds redolent of the early Detroit and deep house sequences, before returning to tracks more suited to the clubbing scene. It is a very intoxicating trip indeed. © MZ/Qobuz