Variant is the solo project of Stephen Hitchell, best known as one half of the influential duo Echospace (alongside Rod Modell of DeepChord). Their 2007 album The Coldest Season on Modern Love became a landmark in ambient techno, earning “Album of the Year” accolades from over 40 publications and a spot on Resident Advisor’s “Best Albums of the Decade.”

While Echospace has explored many sonic identities—cv313, Intrusion, Phase90—Variant is Hitchell’s most introspective and expansive outlet. Here, he works with long-form ambient dub and analog-driven ambient techno, evoking celestial imagery through sound: comets, stars, the aurora borealis. Each release is an immersion in atmosphere—ranging from meditative field recordings to textural synth loops and hypnotic drones.

Recent works like Element Five and The Setting Sun represent some of his most emotionally resonant material to date, blending modular synthesis, reel-to-reel tape techniques, and live instrumentation. These are cinematic soundscapes for deep listening—hovering between the cosmic and the personal, the spiritual and the sonic. For fans of Tim Hecker, Basic Channel, Oren Ambarchi, and dream states alike.