Stasis – Past Movements

Many of the tracks on this release were originally released in small quantities and are very hard-to-find, so this 2cd set finds itself both a welcome primer and near-exhaustive compilation. The differences in style between the "artists" here dizzy: Stasis' Detroit stylings, Phenomyna's near-baroque flourishes and attention to detail, Paul W. Teebrooke's direct percussive workouts. While others may protest the collection as "coffee-table music", the melodic sweep and rhythmic complexity betray the dance roots of the works. Like most timeless dance music, _Past Movements_ has 1 tonearm on the floor and 1 tonearm on the home turntable.

This is not simply Starbucks music, rather deeply felt elegiac wanderings; see "Got The Urge" for a song that operates on multiple levels: the wistful squealing melody indulging in a lonely improvisation on keyboard, the clipped bassline continually retracting the development of the groove, the skiddering beats framing perfectly the tension of the song. Too complex for pop music, too subtle for mere dance, "Got The Urge" eschews the easy and leaves behind only a ghost upon completion.

"Earth Fall" similarly delights. The insistent beats morph into melody, crawling along for 5 minutes until the refrain is unleashed in new tempo, forming a track that works at different speeds, and indeed using those rhythmic changes to alter the emotional pace of the song.

None of these are direct works, and are certainly not accessible in the traditional way dance music is viewed. On first listen they may seem incredibly boring, as melodies and hooks are slight and hidden behind quieted rhythms. Given time and attention, they flower and bear fruit.

A very ordinary, inoffensive but uninspiring collection of coffee-table house and techno, saved by the inclusion of "Point Of No Return" a bona-fide Detroit-style classic.