[Spectral Sound]

Aside from the inclusion of a few questionable rappers on his Two/Three Dabrye album, Tadd Mullinix tends to keep an studious ear on quality control, embodying the ideal of the music nerd-turned-producer. It seems that because his work culls from such legendary influences (as James T. Cotton: Hardy, Adonis, Mills) there’s very little fluff to be found. Although plenty of schlock is churned out with those same influences, JTC’s On Time succeeds because Mullinix realizes where to draw the line between reverence and progression. There are abundant nods to the past here, but they’re suffused with a muscular futurism, confidently reimagining classic tropes.

For example, the vocal of “On Time” sounds like it might be covering an old Chicago track — it’s extremely faithful to those quintessential gospel & blues-indebted chants, disembodied and propulsive. The track’s body is otherwise predominantly rhythmic, modeled on so many visceral jacking patterns but given a contemporary air of club-wise ferocity that can be difficult to extract from crackly, oddly-pressed 1980s Trax releases. Elsewhere, “Jak Your Own Stars” nicks the melody from E.S.P.’s 1986 track “It’s You,” perhaps to the dismay of those seeking the wholly non-derivative. Nevertheless, it exists in an markedly different realm from the ethereal original. Because Mullinix intersperses it sparingly between acid squelches and crisply jacking percussion, it’s more homage than bite.

“Octopus” pairs a crunchy, twisting arpeggio with an electro rhythm, developing some brittle melodic touches as it grows. It manages to be quite visceral in spite of its brief duration, and again Mullinix adds some clean-cut, techy flair to traditional motifs. Rick Wade provides a rolling deep house take on the title track, retaining bits of the vocal and trading in JTC’s power-jack for a more low-key lope, drenched in organ and twilight strings. It’s a minimal, comfortably swank piece, though a bit too sedate to rank up there with his best work. On the whole, On Time provides a sensible selection of rough-hewn jack tracks. It’s a little low on the jam-out end of things, and occasionally sounds constricted by some unwritten house parameters. This, however, is a minor qualm, and shouldn’t really affect one’s limb-flailing abilities too greatly.