Steloken

Here, in the midst of a long tenure as keyboardist for storied Philadelphia rock band The War on Drugs, Robbie Bennett steps out with two 2xLPs that bring his keyboard and synthesizer meditations to life. On Steloken, Bennett welcomes us bit by bit into a world full of warmth, fuzz and space, using piano, MIDI and a polyphonic synthesizer called the Soma Terra, which is built into a stump of wood. Circulation takes the meditations of Steloken one step further, widening the scope of Bennett’s cozy synthesizer compositions like snow come nightfall. With mixing from War on Drugs collaborator Nick Krill and mastering by Quentin Stoltzfus (The Walkmen, Rosali), both albums sound crisp and cozy, and are available in black with a gatefold sleeve.