Album Review: The Still Point of the Turning World from Paul Edis

Album:  The Still Point of the Turning World
Artist: Paul Edis
Label:  Lateralize Records
Website:  https://www.pauledis.co.uk
https://pauledis.bandcamp.com/album/the-still-point-of-the-turning-world

Audiences are the captivated spectator while listening to pianist Paul Edis perform on his latest release The Still Point of the Turning World.  He plays with such total concentration that listeners feel like an intruder if they interrupt the recital.  His musings and meanderings on the keys are like poetry in motion, one thought leads into another, forming an expedition that consists of capricious turns, leisurely strolls, and meaningful flourishes.  Mixed and produced by Adam Sinclair, the compositions were written by Edis over the course of the 2021, and recorded in a day at Masterchord Studios in London.

The microcosm that Edis creates is an insulated world influenced by the outside world.  The tracks are comprised solely of himself as Edis channels his thoughts into the trajectory and fluctuations of the chord patterns.  Moving in a stream of consciousness, Edis's nimble strokes on the keys produce a meditative mood as his introspection's bend and flex to his will.  His reflections explore human sentiments, giving his music emotional depth and a smoldering crackle.  The tracks move into one another, offering little delineation between them.  The compositions roll along like a single story, experiencing several stages and levels of evolution.

These compositions are a vital part of Edis, manifestations of his expressive leanings and audiences recognize that trait immediately.  Playing what is burrowed inside his mind, Edis acts a conduit, articulating and interpreting to audiences the influences that affect him. In essence, he internalizes the external forces around him.  He is a serious artist indeed, asking audiences to be observers as he shows them what is burrowed inside of him.