STM 212 - Qual

Qual is the solo project of William Maybelline—one half of the ice-cold duo Lebanon Hanover. Maybelline first stepped into the scene as an individual artist in 2014, declaring his intention to explore the grimmest recesses of synth-based music. His 2015 Sable LP on Avant! Records was unapologetically gothic in both subject matter ("Luxurious Bleedings", "Rip Doth Thy Scarlet Claws") and sound, brutally knocking listeners into a vortex of agonizing self-reflection.

A pivotal moment in his discography was the release of the Cupio Dissolvi EP. On this record, William merged the despairing, freezing properties of ’80s–’90s EBM with the aggressive sensibilities of industrial techno, never diluting the intensity of either. This is not an appealing world. Qual is impossible to listen to half-heartedly—it drags you by the jaw into a dirty alleyway. You can either resist or come along. The choice is yours.

Secret Thirteen Mix 212 serves as a manifesto for lovers of power electronics, EBM, and industrial techno. The selection reads like the genetic code for Maybelline's musical evolution during the Cupio Dissolvi era—less melodic than his earlier work, and significantly more techno-focused.

The narrative begins with masterpieces of Power Electronics—Oil Thief’s Death Sieve, Coil’s Solar Lodge, and the legendary Haus Arafna. The selection then shifts into EBM territory through classics such as X Marks the Pedwalk and DRP, before descending into mutated techno territory. This latter section is perhaps the most significant clue to Qual's direction at the time, featuring heavyweights like Ontal, Ancient Methods, and Mondkopf, before culminating in the hardcore assault of Fifth Era.

The rough texture of the mix finds a visual parallel in Kazuo Nakamura’s painting Inner View #3. The abstract forms leave a sense of cold in the viewer, forming an unrecognizable machine or perhaps a cruel monument resembling a tower of gallows. This chill is exactly what Qual brings in bulk.