Subjekt

Subjekt functions as a concealed pseudonym for an experienced house music maker whose career already spanned more than ten years, yet whose identity remained hidden because of legal restrictions. Through this project the producer maps the sonic territory linking dance-floor energy with intimate home listening. The first full-length release, Direction Creation, moved fluidly between straight-ahead house and finely detailed down-tempo pieces, touching on dub-house textures, floating jazz passages, uneven rhythmic patterns, and tech-house propulsion. In the period leading up to the album’s appearance in May 2004, commentators repeatedly declared—whether accurately or not—that dance music had lost its cultural and artistic momentum; within that atmosphere Direction Correction appeared to exemplify the very decline being lamented. Though not devoid of appeal or merit, Direction Creation seldom rose above the level of countless other competent dance releases and lent support to the view that deep obsession, rather than casual interest, tends to produce more distinctive work. The selection of remixers for the album’s single—Charles Webster and Jimpster’s rework of ‘Come On’ together with AtJazz and Gerd’s treatment of ‘Be My Chicago’—hinted obliquely at the originator’s identity, yet Direction Correction lacked sufficient intrigue to prompt serious investigation in the dance press, where no serious speculation about Subjekt’s true name ever surfaced. In keeping with the supposed figure behind the music, Direction Correction remained a largely unremarkable debut.