HAUS Psychology

Wyatt D. Stevens had a wildly productive 2020: Recording solo, both as MoMa Ready and Gallery S, and alongside AceMo in the duo AceMoMa, he put out more than a dozen releases, plus tracks on multiple compilations—four volumes of Towhead Recordings’ *New York Dance Music*, three HAUS of ALTR collections—documenting the cutting-edge sound of Black American dance music. To close out the year, he offered one final salvo: *HAUS Psychology*, a showcase of his signature style of house and techno at its most thrilling. All seven tracks are fast and aerodynamic: They ascend quickly, hit cruising speed, and just keep soaring. Stevens’ hardware-centric studio habits give these songs a live-wire sense of spontaneity, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an example of contemporary dance music that sounds fuller than this; his synths and drum machines are as colorful and as richly textured as they come. Though the intensity level is uniformly high, he traverses a variety of moods here. “Always On My Mind” is downcast and contemplative; filtered chords and vocal samples give “Saving Grace” a giddy euphoria; “Tell Me How You Feel” skips and glides with effortless cool. On “Highs & Lows,” he even lets loose with a stream of breakbeats, tearing the roof off before bringing things back down with “A Sense of Longing.” Moving at breakneck speed yet blue and brooding, it’s a perfect example of the complex emotional depths in MoMa Ready’s music.