Stephen Hummel has evolved into an artist that consistently defies expectations. By creating music that ignores genre labels and focuses on emotional weight, Hummel has managed to avoid the pitfalls of trendiness and style-over-substance. Under the subtractiveLAD moniker, Hummel creates epic instrumental statements that reach deep into the listener's psyche. With classical training as both an instrumentalist and vocalist, Hummel began his musical career in the world of improvisational performance, developing a reputation for never performing the same show twice. In the early- 2000s, Hummel also began developing software synthesizers under the mentorship of synth-legend/guru, John Bowen. The subtractiveLAD project was born out of late-night experiments in Hummel's ever growing studio of custom software creations and hardware investments. After releasing seven diverse and critically acclaimed subtractiveLAD albums for n5MD, Hummel has struck out on his own, pushing the subtractiveLAD sound into new territory. With a steady stream of work and an approach that looks to always push his own boundaries, Hummel will continue to keep listeners guessing what direction he will explore next. In 2020, Stephen Hummel also began releasing music that falls outside the scope of subtractiveLAD.