- Fans of Daniel Stefanik's monolithic Starless (not to mention its companion Starless Reshapes record) have cause for celebration. Stefanik's new long-player (also released by Statik Entertainment) largely sticks to the kind of cosmic, Detroit-fed product he brought to market on those records. I say "largely" because Stefanik wanders from that path quite a bit, forgoing homogeneity to include tracks orbiting on axes rather distant from the lean, brooding techno at the album's gravitational center.
An agile journeyman, Stefanik has already left plenty of evidence of his dexterity in a range of neoclassical styles, and with Reactivity he proves quite comfortable pursuing several disparate sonic directions. The least conspicuous of the album's deviations is "Reactivity 8," a troddin' slow-burner of weathered, rootsy dub. More notable are Stefanik's forays into house territory, "Reactivity 2" and "5" incorporating toms, cowbells and a faint soulfulness reminiscent of a sanded-down Theo Parrish.
The most jarring variation, surely, is "Reactivity 7," an acid burst of metallic, rapid fire percussion that's unlike anything else on the record. All this lends a versatility that keeps the album on its feet for the duration of its 62 minutes. In the main, though, Reactivity is held together by a downbeat backbone that should sit well with anyone with a fondness for Chain Reaction fare (take, for example, the opening and closing cuts, or especially "3").
A stately, almost somber album, Reactivity is choice headphones material, and does come equipped with several fine pulls for more energetic and less solitary enjoyment. It's a record that doesn't clamber for attention, and doesn't seem at pains to forge a bold, singular identity for its creator. But these shouldn't be marks against a listen as consistent, as satisfying, or as cohesive as this one.
Tracklist 01. Reactivity 1
02. Reactivity 2
03. Reactivity 3
04. Reactivity 4
05. Reactivity 5
06. Reactivity 6
07. Reactivity 7
08. Reactivity 8
09. Reactivity 9