2023-10 | Headphone Commute’s review of ‘The Quiet Companion’
In another collaboration, titled The Quiet Companion, Sven Laux and Tobias Lorsbach (aka Logic Moon), who previously also appeared together on Ambientologist, produce nine gentle, neo-classical pieces featuring piano (Julia Gjertsen makes an appearance), synth pads, and strings. “The ‘quiet companion’ serves as a metaphor for many scenarios. It is the voice inside a musician’s head while making music. The inner monologue of a writer. An entity that accompanies a suppressed soul, preventing them from drowning. It is a good friend who is never seen but always there when needed. It is a faded moon behind the clouded night sky.” I like this one very much. There’s plenty to peel apart and to drown in on this record. read more

2023-07 | Betreutes Proggen’s review of ‘These Clouds…’
Weshalb es weniger postrockend denn mehr flächig, relaxed und ambient zur Sache geht. “These Clouds…” wirkt denn auch wirklich wie langsam vorbeiziehende Wolken, auf die man sich schon konzentrieren muss, um ihre Anwesenheit überhaupt wirklich wahrzunehmen. Pastellgetupfte Soundscapes zerfasern hier zu kaum wahrnehmbaren Schleiern transzendenter Traumtänze. read more

2023-07 | Opus’ review of ‘These Clouds…’
With their limited edition runs and handmade packaging, Sound in Silence has made a career out of proving that quality does, indeed, trump quantity. These Clouds… makes it abundantly clear that label owner George Mastrokostas — who also records under the Absent Without Leave moniker — has an excellent ear for intriguing music, a fact that bodes well for the label’s next hundred releases, and hopefully beyond. read more

2023-06 | A Closer Listen’s review of ‘These Clouds…’
And while the title may reference sorrow, the track contains some uplift, due to its forward movement; the exact emotion is open to interpretation. Sven Laux’s “The Missing” continues in this realm with crackle and string, simultaneously calm and melancholic. When Yellow6 adds guitar, he retains the patient pacing, making a post-rock piece ambient as well. “Everything, and Then Nothing” is one of the standouts, the unhurried opposite of the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The Green Kingdom’s “Unspoken” extends the flow, with reverberant guitar; it’s clear that the label has paid attention to sequencing, as befits a milestone release. It’s not until the fifth track that the album reaches what one might call “pure” ambience, although that tag is nebulous. read more

2022-12 | Rockerilla’s review of ‘What Remains’
Quale il suono che la contemplazione porta con sé, che sostanza e andamento potrà mai avere? Una risposta al quesito può darcela il sound artist e producer berlinese Sven Laux, da oltre un decennio presente nei nostringen ascolti con lavori licenziati da label quali Dronarivm, Ambientologist e Whitelabrecs, che pubblica questo prezioso manuale contemplativo capace di rapire l’ascolto con sette composizioni magistralmente intessute di movenze classiche che si adagiano sopra soffici trame di fine elettronica. Nulla qui è immobile, il movimento regola ogni singola nota, al pari del nostro sguardo che incessante scruta l’infinito nell’attimo dell’ESTATICO RAPIMENTO.

2022-03 | Ambient Blog’s review of ‘The Unavoidable Death of Loneliness’
Sven Laux and Logic Moon (Tobias Lorsbach) have both earned their marks in (ambient) music, but this release on Ambientologist (“dedicated to the psychological capabilities of music”) is their first collaboration. Their music sounds as if they have worked together for many years: the two artists complement each other perfectly – merging post-classical arrangements and ambient soundscapes into adventurous cinematic compositions. read more

2022-02 | Revista Marvin’s review of ‘The Unavoidable Death of Loneliness’
El ambient tomado como un asunto serio y canónico, una forma de trascender musical y psicológicamente, es todo un reto compositivo. El último trabajo de Sven Laux junto a Logic Moon, su colaboración, tiene esos objetivos. The Unavoidable Death of Loneliness es un disco de ambient neo clásico donde la presencia del piano de Laux marca unas obras de trascendencia emocional. El disco, el primer Lp entre estos dos artistas, habla “de la soledad en un nivel más familiar y fundamental: el de la pérdida inesperada”. read more

2022-02 | Fox Digitalis’ review of ‘The Unavoidable Death of Loneliness’
Buried in our introspective gaze, the sea carries us to a place where our memories can finally rest. Sven Laux & Logic Moon paint melancholic soundscapes that tease a hopeful world beyond the pale, but each string arrangement, guitar missive, and electronic passage doesn’t let that warm glow get too bright. The world can be an ugly place, but if we listen closely a severed beauty will reveal itself. This is a dense album that demands close attention. read more

2022-02 | Headphone Commute’s review of ‘The Unavoidable Death of Loneliness’
So “can you die of loneliness?” or can that loneliness expire on its own, if not experienced through human nature for some time? And this inevitable fate of the detachment through this time is what achieves a sign of hope. This is the light that shines through the murkiness of layered sounds, through ebbing waves of texture and through space. A wonderful collaboration of two talented artists that seems to mislead into thinking it was born of a single mind. read more

2022-01 | Stationary Travels’ review of ‘The Unavoidable Death of Loneliness’
Together they have created an expressionist journey that flows river-like over the course of eight meticulously detailed and sumptuously layered tracks that ruminate on the range of emotions rooted in a shared experience we have all come to know too well, including the composers – despair, anguish, confusion and exhilaration. It is a river in constant flux and movement as melodic piano and guitar lines tug against tenebrous strings and pulsing rhythms while old amplifiers, radios and tape recorders are deployed to add an element of human connection and warmth. The music winds its way through some dark places, but as the title suggests there is always a glimmer of hope on the horizon that the loneliness will end before it ends us. read more

2022-01 | Gezeitenstrom’s review of ‘The Unavoidable Death of Loneliness’
Stilistisch mag das Album zwar im Genre des Ambient angesiedelt sein, verzweigt sich dennoch mit seiner multilateralen Ebenen und Komplexität in Musikbereiche der Neoklassik und der experimentellen Musik. Wie man vom Album-Titel durchaus ableiten kann, definiert das Werk Licht und Schatten, sehr gefühlvoll und empathisch sind die Stücke arrangiert. Dieser Aspekt der Vielschichtigkeit ist sicher auch ein Teil vom Erfolg der beiden Komponisten, ein anderer Teil lässt sich auf die feinfühligen und emotionalen Akzente in den Klangstrukturen zurückführen. Melancholische und romantische Kaskaden, aufgeteilt in helle und dunkle Gegebenheiten. Die elektronischen Texturen malen darüber hinaus ein traumhaftes Bild von eingängigen Klanglandschaften und bilden den Schwerpunkt um das stimmige Klanggerüst. Die bildgewaltige Vorstellungskraft, was diese Musik im Hörer assoziiert, bleibt dabei jeden selbst überlassen. read more

2022-01 | Tome To The Weather Machine’s review of ‘Pain, Struggle, Relief’
In this collaboration between German artists Sven Laux and Logic Moon we hear a collaborative track that slowly becomes more than the sum of it’s parts, but rather a fluid and cohesive track that pulls together elements of ambient, drone and post-rock and neo-classical music with stunning results. The two artists layer forlorn guitars, strings and deep sub-bass lines atop a central drone that is palpable in it’s loneliness and drenched in human emotion. Loneliness seems to be a central feature here. The title of the album that this single is from is called The Death of Loneliness. Loneliness is referenced not as an end state here but a transitory moment that we all must pass through. Lovely work here.

2021-06 | Rockerilla’s review of ‘Scattered Fragments of Separation (The Complete Story)’
Molte sono le produzioni recenti che mostrano le cicatrici di un periodo non ancora finito, una greve mancanza di ossigeno dedicata all’isolamento dagli altri e per certi versi, anche da noi stessi. Molti i musicisti che hanno voluto mettersi alla prova proprio nel periodo più duro del lockdown, isolandosi nei propri studi, allontanandosi dalle proprie famiglie, attratti dal richiamo al silenzio che li aiutasse a creare un nuovo linguaggio musicale, ancora più intimo, nudo e sincero. Sven Laux è uno di questi, capace di produrre un intenso doppio album raccogliendo i propri frammenti sparsi di INTENSA SEPARAZIONE.

2020-07 | Gezeitenstrom’s review of ‘Scattered Fragments of Separation’
Scattered Fragments of Separation von Sven Laux ist Licht und Schatten eben, so wie manche Menschen diese seit vielen Jahren in sich tragen. Es segelt in bekannte Gewässer von gefühlsbetonten, neoklassischem Ambient, exakt so, wie man es eben auch schätzt und liebt. Die Kompositionen sind recht detailliert und vielschichtig, vermissen wird man auf dem Album nichts. Sven Laux stellt mit dem Album im Projekt der „Home Diaries“ eine weitere Bereicherung dar. read more

2020-06 | Drifting, Almost Falling’s review of ‘Scattered Fragments of Separation’
A full-length release comprising nine tracks and fifty minutes in length, “Scattered Fragments of Separation” easily showcases why Laux is being noted as someone whose releases are worth investigating. The tracks, titled “Fragment 1” through to “Fragment 9” blur the lines between Modern Classical and Ambient (with some retro-sounding synth-action) and are anchored by a stillness and slightly cold melancholic sound. The end result is another release which to fully immerse yourself into. read more

2020-06 | Lost Tribe Sounds’ review of ‘Scattered Fragments of Separation’
Magnificent! Sven Laux continues to spoil his listeners even in the lowliest of times. This should honestly end up in a lot more collections before all is said and done, it is a far too fearless and well-composed album to be overlooked.

2020-06 | Andrew Sherwell’s review of ‘Scattered Fragments of Separation’
Listen to this album. Really listen. In fact, close your eyes and surrender to it. Allow it to take control. When it’s over, when it lets you go, you will be tired and emotional but also uplifted. Sven Laux is not only a technically gifted musician but also a magician. And this album is the proof.

2020-01 | Ambient Blog’s review of ‘Until We Fall’
Until We Fall is one of those limited releases on the Fluid Audio label in a very special handmade package, the kind that sells out immediately on pre-order… So never mind about that, let’s just focus on the digital download (which has the same music after all, just not the package). read more

2020-01 | Drifting, Almost Falling’s review of ‘ODD’
With the press releases alluding to the speed of life and the times when things are calm, he has demonstrated this in the album by varying the pieces in both musical styles and in intensity. What the album highlights is the way Laux utilises his current modes of expressing himself without ignoring his musical heritage. By doing this it allows Laux the flexibility and musical know-how to consistently create engaging pieces resulting in one of the most direct releases on the label. read more

2020-01 | Gezeitenstrom’s review of ‘Until We Fall’
Ohne langatmig und eintönig zu werden, gelingt es beide Komponisten mit ihrem aktuellen Album einen cineastischen Hörgenuss zu kreieren. Daher wird es sicherlich sehr viele Möglichkeiten geben, auf dieses Album zurückzugreifen, wenn gewisse Stunden bei einem Glas Rotwein oder Kerzenschein es einfordern. Mag es alleine sein oder in würdiger Zweisamkeit. Diese Musik hat ihren eigenen Charme und berauschende Magie, um eine gefühllose Welt in eine Oase des Friedens und Nachdenken zu verwandeln. Was in dieser Jahreszeit nur noch fehlt, ist der Schnee, der im akustischen Einklang langsam und beschaulich zu Boden fällt. Empfehlenswert. read more

2019-12 | Stationary Travels’ review of ‘Until We Fall’
The penultimate release of 2019 on Fluid Audio brings together two artists who have much in common. They each manage labels, make solo records, and collaborate frequently with others. But what brought them together was the discovery last year that their partners were each expecting the birth of their first child – Sven in July and Harry in September. Described as a ‘restful sonic story to play to their babies as an audiobook without words’, Until We Fall  is a beautiful ambient lullaby for adults as well as children, deftly weaving in sounds extracted from their home environments in urban Berlin and rural Lincolnshire with reassuring waves of soothing drones and distant melodies just beyond the edge of sleep. read more

2019-12 | Irregular Crates’ review of ‘The Writings’
Another entry for Dronarivm and a record collaboration between my good friend and collaborator Sven Laux alongside Daniela Orvin. The duo met over several studio sessions and this is their output, a cinematic epic that includes icy cold dramatics, slow and brooding soundscapes, warm and charming ambience and fuzzy orchestration. Check out ‘A Moment Of Silence’ in particular and be prepared to be amazed. What’s particularly impressive here, is just how effortlessly the two styles of these artists combine. read more

2019-12 | ambientmusicguide.com’s review of ‘The Writings’
The Writings is very cinematic at times with piano figures set against hovering strings in a way that echoes Thomas Newman. At other times it deftly mixes tonality, abstraction and noise, like the hisses, crackles and droning cellos and organ of “Fading Lights.” The gorgeous “Same Situation Different Perspectives” is openly loving, an evolving drone of orchestral strings and synths that steadily expands and embraces you like the sunrise. read more

2019-08 | Indie Rock Mag’s review of ‘ODD’
Remarqué dans nos pages par le biais du beau Paper Streets défendu il y a deux ans par le label russe Dronarivm et qui faisait la part belle aux cordes post-classiques minimales et atmosphériques sur fond de textures vaporeuses raccord avec la montagne embrumée de sa pochette, Sven Laux met en avant ici un néo-classique plus saillant dont le lyrisme toujours relativement nébuleux (cf. l’atmosphère bucolique et à demi-ensommeillée du craquelant ODD IV aux cascades de piano manipulées) se pare ici et là de chœurs féminins irréels (ODD II) et s’autorise par moments de vrais élans orchestraux (ODD III, ODD VI), au risque d’en faire parfois un peu trop des deux côtés (ODD V, bien sauvé toutefois par son beatmaking renouant avec l’IDM des débuts). read more

2019-08 | Headphone Commute’s review of ‘ODD’
There is a cinematic tendency to the emotive passages numerically titled “ODD I” through “ODD VII”, consistently blending elements of orchestral progressions into ambience and drone. Mayhaps an acronym or just a cryptic title, the concept of the album pulls away from words and focuses instead on tender music. The atmospheres are poignant with a story that we wish so much to learn, but while we spend the time with all its photographic beauty, we accidentally unearth a story of our own. And that’s the power of a gift unknown we simply know in sound as ‘music’. read more

2019-06 | Rockerilla’s review of ‘The Writings’
Qualsiasi cosa è sospesa, levita sinuosa sopra il loro interloquire, rende leggero anche il nostro passo mentre li seguiamo non visti attraverso i territori del suono che maestoso avvolge questo intenso racconto intessuto con le più raffinate vibrazioni che la dottrina ambient sa donare. AFFINITA’ ELETTIVE. read more

2019-06 | Ambient Blog’s review of ‘ODD’
This way, the music is not strictly ‘modern classical’ but crosses over into more electronic realms of sounds, deepening its impact. The birth of his daughter and his new studio obviously inspired Sven Laux. I bet there will be more where this came from… read more

2019-06 | Ambient Blog’s review of ‘The Writings’
The album contains five tracks where they perform together, and is completed by two ‘solo tracks’ each. As a result, ‘piano isn’t everywhere on this album, nor are Sven’s ‘Hollywood strings’. Both are present, along with many many more wonderful elements.’ Elements perfectly matching and complementing each other, together delivering a beautifully balanced atmospheric album. read more

2019-06 | Star’s End Radio’s review of ‘The Writings’
It is in the clouds just below consciousness that The Writings will be truly known. Harmonies play and progress, but sometimes become lost – floating to the forefront over and over again. Long unhurried chords emerge out of a soft aura of reverberation, as the music is performed in measured motion – a limitation that does not prevent Laux and Orvin from capturing many moods. In their brief spell, compositions reveal a withdrawn melancholy. While some pieces drag themselves down to a near standstill, others float along surrounded by thick silence – their sonorities given time to reverberate within the listener. Inside its nearly stationary atmosphere this album unfolds. read more

2019-06 | Gezeitenstrom’s review of ‘ODD’
Stilistisch verschachtelt der Komponist viele Elemente aus den Musikbereichen von Ambient und Neoklassik auf eine sehr homogene Weise. Hinzu kommen Klangblüten aus dem Bereich von Drone und experimentelle Elektronik. In dem gesamten Klanggerüst ist immer ein roter Faden an melancholischen Spitzen verwoben, der durchaus direkt aus der Seele des Komponisten kommt. Instrumentalisiert ist ODD in genretypischer Umgebung, Klavier und Streich-Arrangements werden mit elektronischen Dimensionen in Einklang gebracht. Das Ganze besitzt hin und wieder ein leicht, orchestralen Touch, sanfter und fragiler Gesang beschert den Hörer in einigen Stücken dann die gewollten Schübe an Gänsehaut. read more

2019-06 | musicwontsaveyou.com’s review of ‘ODD’
“ODD” è il primo album creato dall’artista tedesco nel suo nuovo studio ed è anche il primo dopo la nascita di sua figlia, che deve in qualche misura aver influenzato la ricerca da parte sua di un linguaggio sonoro estremamente pacato, costituito dalla graduale evoluzione di timbriche digitali, ma non per questo privo di dinamiche compositive. read more

2019-05 | Łabandzi Śpiew’s review of ‘The Writings’
Bardzo ciekawy jest tutaj koncept budowy płyty – połowę utworów stworzył albo Laux albo Orvin, więc technicznie byłby to split, natomiast druga połowa to już wspólne dzieło. Zresztą muzycy podkreślają, że podczas pracy nad albumem zostali przyjaciółmi dopełniającymi nawzajem swoje talenty, a The Writings stała się meta-płytą której tematem jest właśnie kolaboracja. read more

2019-04 | SoWhat’s review of ‘The Writings’
Un incrocio a partire dal quale è lentamente emersa una vicinanza di approccio e sensibilità gradualmente sfociata nella realizzazione di un comune tragitto che vede alternarsi e intrecciarsi la peculiare cifra stilistica di entrambi, un torrente che scorre placido affiancando e combinando le ariose e a tratti granulose frequenze di Laux con le tessiture immaginifiche di piano ed elettronica della Orvin. read more

2019-04 | Toneshift’s review of ‘The Writings’
The expert balance between the piano keys and the electronic/programming doesn’t get much more elevated than this. When the two artists come together on articulate pieces like Same Situation, Different Perspectives (Part 1) and the consonant A Moment Of Silence there’s a rhythmic familiarity, it’s as if these two have been working together for decades, but this is their first collaboration, and hopefully not their last. read more

2019-04 | Drifting, Almost Falling’s review of ‘The Writings’
As much as both styles compliment each other, they also contrast with each artist giving a flip side to the particular piece of music. While the initial parts are separate, the duo come together in the final stages of the track to meld their parts nicely. read more

2019-04 | musicwontsaveyou.com’s review of ‘The Writings’
La collaborazione tra i due è scaturita dunque quale naturale conseguenza, adesso presentati sotto forma di un vero e proprio dialogo artistico, rispettando l’itinerario creativo lungo il quale si è sviluppata; come le tappe di un’ideale corrispondenza, i brani di “The Writings” mostrano le “voci” dei due in maniera individuale e congiunta, evidenziandone così i caratteri specifici e i frutti della loro combinazione. read more

2019-04 | Kevin Press’ (themoderns.blog) review of ‘The Writings’
It would be an overstatement to say that this kind of mixture of new classical and ambient compositional styles represents the future of classical music. There’s too much history there, and too much depth of variety in the tradition for its focus to narrow that entirely. But as long as artists make records as compelling as this one, it is safe to say that The Writings is a fine example of what some of the best new classical made in the years ahead will sound like. read more

2019-04 | Irregular Crates’ review of ‘The Writings’
Then, it all goes momentarily John Carpenter and it’s a nice shift. Really nice. Quite a complex moment of off-script associations. We are now in Nordic crime territory.
The Writings track sees the pair explore planetary surfaces (and interior alignments) in an expedition Shackleton would be proud of. It’s pretty much a strings and delicate piano call-and-response here, but it brings back earlier refrains, echoing the start of the CD. read more

2019-04 | Gezeitenstrom’s review of ‘The Writings’
Auch wenn die Beiden ihren Wurzeln in den Musikbereichen letztendlich treu geblieben sind, so ist die Vielschichtigkeit und Komplexität des Albums exorbitant hoch. Der Grundton ist ein verträumtes, leicht lakonisches Klanggerüst, das mit viel Emotionalität aufgewertet wird. The Writings ist so ein Album, welches sich ausschließlich eignet, wenn in hektischen Zeiten ein Ruhepol von Nöten ist. Die Musik ist ruhig und gedankenverloren, mit leichter Melancholie durchzogen. read more

2019-01 | Drifting, Almost Falling’s review of ‘Sleeplaboratory1.0’
Sven Laux as is becoming a habit, contributes a stunning piece of orchestral drone with “Sleep in C Minor” that comes in waves of sound marrying the deeper bassier sounds and the high strings nicely, while Natse (a name I am unfamiliar with) offers an Ambient/New Age/Electronic Field Recording piece called “Wandering Spirits” that counters quite relaxing drones and ambience with a variety of field recordings that at times jar against each other. read more

2018-10 | Drifting, Almost Falling’s review of ‘Schachmatt’
As the album is never explicitly steadfast to one particular genre, it results in a listen that is as exploratory as it is an intense journey. The original edition of 50 copies has sold out, but it is still available digitally or through the “Whitelabrecs box set 21-40”. read more

2018-09 | Irregular Crates’ review of ‘You’ll Be Fine.’
This is an elegant and mature record with some large, rich moments and not without experimentation – but the experiments don’t feel tacked on here, they unfold gently into a well-crafted mix and a very focused CD with beautiful photography. read more

2018-09 | Insight Music’s review of ‘You’ll Be Fine.’
You’ll certainly discover an array of captivating, and at times hypnotising compositions throughout the album. As I’m listening through the album now, I can hear the droning ambience combined with delicate piano notes and atmospheric sound design, together creating this angelic but slightly haunting emotion. read more

2018-09 | Drifting, Almost Falling’s review of ‘Mirage (Reworks)’
“Mirage (Sven Laux Rework)” gritty granular sound and metallic screeching drones are joined by a fairly ominous bass tone that carries weight as it rumbles across. If Spheruleus had some dark ambient inclinations, Sven Laux heightens them for his rework. The music has a very cinematic feel in the suspense /horror genres which is best demonstrated in the middle of the piece when chaotic screeching vision and undetermined bangs and clangs sound like feverish metal cups being drawn back and forth across metal jail cell doors. This deeply unsettling section lasts for around two minutes and it keeps raising and heightening the tension before subtly bringing it back from the precipice. Laux has definitely gone to affect the human psyche with his particular reworking – disturbing and sonically brilliant. read more

2018-06 | Stationary Travels’ feature of ‘Schachmatt’
Referencing masters of the game on each of his track titles, he creates a series of lush cinematic drones infused with dramatic classical elements by way of swelling strings and surging melodies This is meditative music that keeps the mind fully engaged. read more

2018-06 | Ambient Blog’s review of ‘Schachmatt’
Each track bears the name of a different chess player (Fisher, Spasski, Karpow, etc.): the inspiration for this album came from watching a movie about chess (it remains unknown which movie exactly), where each player had a different strategy. This is reflected in the tracks, “each one playing out along a different path, each with its own characteristics or game plan, if you will”. This does not mean that the tracks are completely different. On the contrary – they are a perfect match together. read more

2018-06 | Igloo Magazine’s review of ‘Schachmatt’
Sven Laux’s album Schachmatt develops an immersive cinematic flavor where droning flux are sustained by emotional sound motives and by injection of sharp melodious lines. The expressive potential is also beautifully served by acoustic motives and stringed timbres. Kinetic post-techno pulses sometimes come to the fore. All in all an evocative and transporting album that will ravish fans of instrumental pop music with a post-classical tendency and abstracted electronic moves: Christoph Berg, Aaron Martin, Machinefabriek, Offthesky but also fans of impressionistic soundtrack music by Max Richter et al. read more

2018-05 | musicwontsaveyou.com’s review of ‘Schachmatt’
Il nuovo “Schachmatt” ne costituisce naturale prosecuzione, sotto forma di sette lunghe stanze sonore ispirate dal gioco degli scacchi, del quale rispecchiano in tutto e per tutto l’andamento lento e riflessivo.
Tali caratteri sono applicati dall’artista svedese a prolungati piani sequenza incentrati su minute risonanze armoniche, definite dalle vibrazioni degli archi e appena amplificate in una chiave atmosferica cerebralmente emozionale. read more

2018-04 | Coffee and Flapjack’s feature of ‘Schachmatt’
Schachmatt is a German term which apparently means something that ends or is finalised as in the last move in chess; checkmate. Again, it’s a melancholy feast of quality listening and the cats and I love it. read more

2018-04 | Indie Rock Mag’s review of ‘Paper Streets’
Lent mais riche en détails, Paper Streets est un disque triste, dont les références évoquées sur le premier titre sont finalement un trompe-l’œil évident. Tout compte fait, Sven Laux semble aimer les contre-pieds et si la délicatesse est toujours de mise, c’est davantage vers le néoclassique cher à Nils Frahm que du côté de l’IDM de Boards of Canada qu’il s’oriente, doucement mais sûrement, au fur et à mesure que progresse ce disque génialement plombé. read more

2018-02 | Drifting, Almost Falling’s review of ‘Paper Streets’
“Paper Streets” starts with clashing field recordings before the music goes large-scale with the piano, violin and cello all coming together to create a vast layered sound reminiscent of an orchestra and sounding like something out of a Hollywood movie. There is a strong filmic quality that inspires scenes of an important part of a movie such as a setting sealing intro or an action transition setting. The way the instruments fuse and flow together is instrumental in the feeling you get from the track. The repetition also helps build the mood and maintain the intensity. read more

2017-12 | Stationary Travels’ review of ‘Paper Streets’
A paper street is a road or street that appears on maps but does not exist in reality. Here veteran German musician, DJ, & producer Sven Laux takes us on an organic neoclassical journey into imagined wide-screen landscapes awash in swells of violin, cello & piano. Bursting with cinematic flourish, but with a restrained minimalist core serving as the ballast that keeps it grounded. read more

2017-12 | Chain D.L.K.’s review of ‘Paper Streets’
“The Lost Violin” returns to a sound framework based on strings and a certain quietness or stasis and introduces “I Wish I Could Sleep” the closing track of this release which uses found sounds as a rhythmic background to the development of the string musical cell.
This album takes his strong point of his position in the evolution of a genre, so it’s not that kind of innovative release which displaces the listener but it’s something that cradles him into familiar places. Fans of ambient and modern classical will truly enjoy this release. read more

2017-11 | Ambient Blog’s review of ‘Paper Streets’
The ‘organic, neo-classical journey heard through a cinematic lens’ presents a large-scale symphonic sound that, on close listening, seems to be performed by an artificial orchestra. Which is no surprise of course, since Laux has created electronic music since 1998 ‘after discovering a talent for meticulously sampling and looping audio.’
The string arrangements seem to reach you from within a dream – that alienated feeling even strengthened by the subtle sound details in which the virtual orchestra is embedded.
‘The artist’s work bares a sense of detachment & reflection that usually occurs with the passing of time.’
In this I feel this music is related to that of Field Rotation, Bersarin Quartett and maybe A Winged Victory For The Sullen. It’ll definitely appeal to the same audience. But in fact Sven Laux does not need comparisons like that at all: he claims his very own spot – one that will become a reference point for others probably soon. read more

2017-11 | Irregular Crates’ review of ‘Paper Streets’
Paper Streets is an undeniably an album about weather, shafts of light – and possibly being underwater [at least in this listener’s lug-holes]. It’s a widescreen affair that would soundtrack the current flagship UK natural history programme Blue Planet II, with it’s Hans Zimmer echoes. That might be a lazy reference, but looking at Sven’s website (always nice when an artist has more than a Bandcamp) he describes himself as a composer, sound designer, musician, DJ and film addict. He lives in Berlin. Of course he does. But any way, it’s clear that he’s an audio visual gun for hire. read more

2017-11 | Igloo Magazine’s review of ‘Paper Streets’
Long chordal moves, impressionistic soundscapes fluctuate in a vast ocean of tone colors and patterns. Detached acoustic notes, fragmented melodies open on a profound meditative estate where blurred memories meet a feeling of loss or desolation.
Paper Streets is not so much an isolationist ambient work because the soundscapes are built via majestic arching textures, repetition and melody. If you are into modern classical music and spacious, beatless cinematic ambient, this album is for you. Recommended for fans of Arvo Part, Hilmar Hilmarsson, Loscil, Deaf Center et al. read more

2017-11 | Vital Weekly’s review of ‘Paper Streets’
Music that sounds like the fading of day light, but no doubt that is an image that just came up as I was watching outside for a bit while contemplating the meditative nature of the music. The titles of Laux’s pieces aren’t always the most optimistic ones, to say the least; ‘I Wish I Could Sleep’, ‘From Sadness To You’, ‘The Lost Violin’ or ‘Are You Still With Me?’ but throughout I would think this music is sad and melancholic, yet not necessarily without a shred of light; it is just not easy to see, I guess. Laux is one man that sounds like a chamber orchestra; long live technology I guess and he does a great job. read more

2017-11 | Kevin Press’ (themoderns.blog) review of ‘Paper Streets’
A beautiful new recording from Germany’s Sven Laux makes clear there are other ways to build texture into electronic music. Laux adds violin, cello, piano and gentle noise elements that turn what would otherwise be a rather dated-sounding album into a genuinely magnificent collection of eight new works. read more

2017-10 | Ryan Keane’s (losttribesound.com) review of ‘Paper Streets’
Sven Laux new album ‘Paper Streets’ is like witnessing the inner workings of a storm cloud. Mammoth swaths of dark strings coax the misty edges of the enveloping gray mass ever outward, tiny electrical charges from within keeping the nimbus formation alive and connected. It’s hard to tell, if giant arrives as friend or foe, simply as a passive grazer on the weary landscape below, or as a threat. Though it’s not all doom, blue skies and hazy golden rays pierce the vaporous monolith occasionally to warm the ground below. Sublime! I could somewhat compare it to Field Rotation, maybe a darker toned Hammock for good measure. Out soon on Dronarivm.

2017-10 | musicwontsaveyou.com’s review of ‘Paper Streets’
Alternando modulazioni evanescenti a loop lievemente pulsanti, quest’ultima costituisce non solo il fondale sul quale Laux si cimenta nella composizione cameristica ma anche il trait d’union con la sua abituale dimensione elettronica. E, un po’ come avviene quando Bvdub si immerge in affini abissi di malinconia, il risultato di “Paper Streets” è un affresco di neoclassicismo ambientale intenso e cinematico. read more

2017-01 | Juno Download’s review of ‘Alliteration’
The dark ambient intro ‘Transmission I’ sees Laux do his best impression of Alva Noto until ‘Parachesis’ introduces a sound more typical of the German producer, with its deep and ethereal sense of groove. The subtle and slow rolling house of ‘Parallelism’ sounds like a Vid record on -8, the gorgeous title track is a certain highlight with its William Basinski style atmospherics reminiscent of his Watermusic II opus. read more

2016-04 | Sound Impression: Sven Laux – ‘Slow Motion Days’ by Stationary Travels
In the bustling European metropolis of Berlin, there are likely very few days that move in slow motion, but as sound designer, producer, and composer Sven Laux proves, that does not preclude one from achieving such a state of mind and, if you give him 40 minutes of your time, he will slow you down as well with the lush and melancholic soundscapes on his latest album Slow Motion Days now available on the Barcelona-based Seven Villas Voyage imprint. read more

2016-02 | ‘Slow Motion Days’ featured on xlr8r.com
At the end of this month, Berlin-based artist Sven Laux will kick off Pablo Bolivar’s new label, Seven Villas Voyage, with Slow Motion Days, his upcoming LP. The six-track album is a gorgeous ambient excursion centered around a field in winter and, like its wintery subject, the LP peacefully floats from a foggy, atmospheric opening to more emotive instrumentals and melancholic soundscapes. read more

2013-12 | createdigitalmusic.com’s review of ‘We Were Here’
Dewtone was incredibly prolific in 2013. It showed an amazing sweet spot between ambient, techno, glitch, and downtempo, revealing that emotional chillout music is alive and well. Picking one release was tough with offerings from Purl and Deflektion, nikosf., AM.Light, Alveol, Ali Khan and new favorite Bjorn Rohde, but We Were Here from Sven Laux (Germany) took the cake. read more

2013-10 | exclaim.ca’s review of ‘I Have Found A Place For Us To Stay’
Six years into his career, Sven Laux has hit his stride. For the Berlin-based composer, it’s been a steady climb. His discography boasts an acclaimed LP on NYC’s Microcosm Music, but it’s his 2011 release for Unfoundsound that marked a compelling evolution in his craft. Laux’s meticulous rhythmic habits began providing a base for a warmer, more emotive output and he’s been channelling that energy ever since. On Laux’s latest record, we’re treated to what feels like the summit of his recent efforts on Archipel and Dewtone, with his beat-focused past finding a harmonious co-existence with his newly found ambient voice. read more

2012-10 | Textura’s review of ‘And Then We Were Surrounded’
Laux’s And Then We Were Surrounded (issued by the Vancouver-based Dewtone imprint) locates a middle ground so precisely between ambient and techno that it neither leans more in one direction than the other. As he has done on previous releases for Microcosm, Archipel, Villar Village, and others, the Berlin-based Laux here transmutes instrument sounds, foundsounds, and field recordings into multi-layered set-pieces that are anything but minimal. read more

2011-03 | Textura’s review of ‘Homesickness or Nostalgia’
Microcosm is, without a doubt, the perfect label home for Sven Laux’s first full-length Homesickness or Nostalgia. With its nine quirky tracks animated by jaunty rhythms and adorned with oddball samples and found sounds, the digital-only set possesses all of the earmarks of the New York-based imprint’s style. Prior to the album, Laux issued several EPs and remixes, so it’s not all that surprising to discover that the album’s material is polished, even if the tracks’ skeletal techno and house rhythms are relentlessly beseiged by a never-ending stream of sound fragments. read more

2011-02 | Boomkat’s review of ‘Homesickness or Nostalgia’
‘Homesickness or Nostalgia’, the debut album from Sven Laux is no exception to this rule, and while the beats are prominent and pronounced throughout, the melodic content is more comparable with Shuttle 358 or even Tim Hecker (under his Jetone moniker). Just flip over to ‘Jackson’s Modern Bakery Coffee Shop’ and you’ll hear what I mean, while the pulse and urgency of minimal techno is present there is an emotional core that defies the initial sound and buzz. read more

2011-02 | infernaltechno.com’s review of ‘Homesickness or Nostalgia’
Homesickness or Nostalgia might be Berlin-based Sven Laux’s first full-length album, but with steady releases on Archipel, Multi-Vitamins, spontanMusik, Tropic, and Leporelo labels, to name a few, Sven has already introduced listeners to his personal world of music. Upon first listening, it is clear to tell that he takes great influence from techno and house music from past and present. However, Sven’s chiseled and refined sound remains refreshingly tight throughout the course of its productions. read more

2011-02 | cyclicdefrost.com’s review of ‘Homesickness or Nostalgia’
With a title straight out of the hauntological handbook one might have expected Sven Laux’s Homesickness or Nostalgia to be an exercise in Burial-esque crackle and sadness, but the nostalgia seems to point closer, back a mere ten years or so, to the height of glitchy microhouse. Since then CPUs have gotten bigger, enabling Laux to stuff his tracks with greater amounts of digital fizz and clamour, but these nine tracks remain lithe and limber, like the Perlon of yore. read more

2009-07/08 | Beat Remix-Contest ‘Hoy & Monk EP’
Sven Laux ist seit Jahren ein fester Bestandteil der Netaudio-Welt und begeistert mit einem kreativexperimentellen Minimal Techno, dessen Charme man sich kaum entziehen kann. Für den Remix-Wettbewerb der Beat stellt er das Titelstück seiner aktuellen EP „Hoy & Monk“ bereit. read more

2009-01 | Beat Interview ‘Sich von der Maus entfernen’
Die Frage nach seiner Lieblingsmusik haben wir Sven Laux zwar nicht gestellt, doch rotieren in seinem Player gerade Oasis und Coldplay einträchtig neben dem hypnotischen House von Pheek und den kühlen Knisterklängen von Vladislav Delay. read more

2007-10 | tokafi.com’s review of ‘The Stories of Kwiggle EP’
Sven Laux is back with already his fifth EP this year: “The Stories of Kwiggle” is out on Meerestief, a label, radio show and magazine with some of the highest quality packaging-standards when it comes to their physical releases and the demand of going far beyond the superficial with everything they do in general. As such, Laux should feel perfectly at home here. Not sure whether Kwiggle is a reference to the relatively rare computer virus, but just like this digital worm slows down the system until it is working at full capacity while being barely able to move, Sven has silenced the pulse of his tracks to a gentle heartbeat and brought the subtle crispbread structures, which previously underpinned his music like an insect hum, to the fore. read more

2007-08 | tokafi.com’s review of ‘Languish EP’
Sven Laux has been a regular guest on these pages and he is bound to remain so for quite some time. Not so much because of his unfettered productivity (McDonalds keeps churning out the greasy stuff as well, after all), but mainly because few other contemporary producers have understood the principle of the EP as well as him. Laux approaches his releases from a sound-conceptual and structural perspective, filling in the music as he goes along. This ensures that all tracks are interrelated, mutually complementing each other and continually defining and deepening a particular mood. „Languish“ is the most recent addition to his discography and already his sixth publication this year (!). Again, Sven finds the hidden gap between abstraction and physicality, between soundscapes and chilled-out club-tracks. Sluggishly, even spartanically, the beats roll forward, developping on a microperceptional basis. read more

2007-07 | tokafi.com’s review of ‘Coco EP’
07.07.07 is not only a good day for weddings, it is also an excellent date for great new music, and for everyone, who wanted to hear more of Sven Laux after his darkly alluring “Boutique” contribution to Tropic’s first label sampler. Already back then, the trademarks of his style were clearly contoured: A knack for prominent atmospherics, a subtle integration of harmonies and the attachment of slight, but unsettling irregularities in his 4/4-propelled grooves. What has changed on his latest “Coco” EP, however, is the general mood: A freshly shimmering fruit on the cover and some decidedly laid-back, sun-drenched beats on the inside. Laux is obviously enjyoing the summer and his urge to share that sensation has resulted in five minimal and yet constantly evolving tracks. read more