Audiopile Review: Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus are generally given credit for inventing dub techno under their duo aliases Basic Channel and Rhythm & Sound. But it was as curators of the Chain Reaction label that they really designed the template for what dub techno would become. Like everything Basic Channel-related, Chain Reaction was a mysterious operation, and some of its artists seem to have retreated into the fug from which they barely ever emerged. Others, notably Shinichi Atobe, Monolake, and Vladislav Delay, have been distinctly visible in recent years. In some senses, Greek producer Konstantinos Soublis, aka Fluxion, has been the most visible of the lot. He’s not the best-known Chain Reaction alumnus, but he is the one with the crispest, most organic sound. As such, the title of his excellent new album, ‘Haze’, is slightly misleading. He commonly mixes the obfuscated synths and glitchy percussion of standard dub techno with clearly recognizable instrumental textures. And his sound has an easy-going, vibey essence that sometimes steers close to the lounging funk of Thievery Corporation or Kruder & Dorfmeister. But, as you might expect given his musical history, there’s a depth and rigorousness to Fluxion productions that is a million miles from generic downtempo beats. Every one of his albums delivers a collection of music guaranteed to lubricate any thinking person’s living room, and ‘Haze’ is no exception.

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Since his early days at Chain Reaction, K. Soublis (Fluxion) has carved his own unique style, combining elements of dub, ambient, techno, score, textural, and even jazz elements, all glued together with his distinct production aesthetic. Haze is a broad selection of pieces that was recorded between 2023-2024. The music is moving from more slow cyclic compositional pieces on Life Motif, Nexus, Desiderium, to ambient dub pieces, on Magenta and Touch, on to more euphoric and uplifting ones on Footsteps, Berlin and What Tommorow Brings, reflecting on artists need to tell stories. As a whole Haze showcases the artists versatility on moving and combining different genres with his own distinct crafted sound, bringing a bold always fresh unique view, making the album an indulging and intriguing listening experience as a whole. Fluxion has managed to constantly adding to his sound through the years always evolving and Haze is a testament of his restless nature and the artist’s need to move towards more uncharted territories without alienating the listener.