Genius Of Time – Drifting Back review

A lot of house music comes through these doors – rarely though does anything reach out, slap you in the face and grab your attention as much as this 12″ from young Swedes Genius Of Time. After two auspicious releases on the Swedish label Aniara Recordings, the production duo have made the step up to Clone’s Royal Oak series, previously graced by the likes of Space Dimension Controller, Reggie Dokes, Marco Bernardi and Gerd. Taking this esteemed company into account, we don’t take it lightly when we say this record is as good as anything we’ve heard on Royal Oak, with A Side offering “Drifting Back” a jazzy delight imbued with softly pumping chords and twinkling piano lines, making for a jam that wouldn’t seem out of place in the KDJ back cat.

It’s the two flipside offerings, however, that really capture your attention. “Houston We Have A Problem” is one of those tracks you know is going to be a killer within the first four bars, with an insistent beat soon complemented by two female vocal samples played off each other to enchanting effect. A thumping house kick then enters the fray, before congas and a languid funk bassline join in the on the fun. It’s page one, chapter one of the ‘how to make a house track’ handbook – but rarely is it done this well – and the calming synths that undulate gently as the track progresses lend “Houston We Have A Problem” a reassuringly snug and cosy feeling.

The shares the B Side with “Juxtapose”, which could almost pass for David Kennedy in Maurice Donovan house mode such is the nature of the tough, raw drum programming that underpins the track, although the soaring strings give it a nice classicist bent. With some intriguing projects on the horizon, including a remix of the unholy Amsterdam trio of Tom Trago, Young Marco and Awanto 3’s new material, 2011 promises much for this duo.

Aaron Coultate