Daniel Stefanik

Daniel Stefanik's career is at an all-time high. In the spectrum of dance music, it doesn't get much bigger than a full-length release on Cocoon. The Leipzig prodigy has managed to climb the ranks, uphold the integrity of his craft and comfortably maintain the respect of his peers in the underground. Perhaps the subtle irony of Stefanik's European success can be attributed to his evident fixation on the sound of Detroit. Intentional or not, his latest album, Confidence, could easily be mistaken as an ode to the Motor City. The majority of the record relives that bare-bone, machine-driven brand of industrial techno one would expect to hear Kerri Chandler belting out in his prime. While the seemingly hollow progression of some tracks might leave a little too much up to the imagination, Stefanik does shine with, "Entrance" and "Keep On (Version II)," where calmer themes present a clear passage into his high-tech soul.