Present is the third album by German techno duo Sun Electric, released in November 1996 by Belgian label Apollo Records.
Sun Electric, consisting of Mac Loderbauer and Tom Thiel, formed in Berlin at the advice of their manager Thomas Fehlmann,[1] and were considered pioneers of ambient house upon their emergence in 1990, drawing praise from fellow producers Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty of The Orb.
[6] Fragmented and melancholic in style, the record also features hints of jungle and serial music,[6] and is more beat-oriented than the more relaxed 30.7.94, with most tracks eschewing the trance-style rhythms of Kitchen and Aaah!
[7] Regardless of the jungle influences, few of the album's rhythms are reducible to drum and bass, with subtler beat layering and "rhythmic eruptions" comparable to experimental ambient techno acts like Tournesol and The Black Dog.
[7] Gert van Veen of de Volkskrant wrote that with the album, the duo "leaves its own mark in ambient and dance."
"[2] In 2015, Pitchfork included "Stimpak" in the list "Emotional Intelligence: A Guide to Melodic IDM", with writer Philip Sherburne saying that by the mid-1990s, Sun Electric had become "masters of elastic rhythms and silvery leads."