The debut release from Third Son’s new Polymath level sees Pete Oak and Einmusik joining him to offer three different musical takes on the theme ‘Genus’.
Not content with huge releases on the likes of Selador, Click Records, Stil Von Talent, Noir Music, and Einmusika, Third Son has decided to lauch his own label, and he’s organising each release around a different theme, asking three producers to create three distinct tracks with the same title. Third Son’s own take on ‘Genus’ comes out swinging, with a heavy off-beat bassline giving the track a low centre of gravity as the percussion and characteristically retro-but-driving synth sounds begin to gradually built, an arp line taking the lead. Some serious bass growls and stronger melodic themes give the middle section of the track the right balance of darkness and light, with some key changes adding some serious drama, while the final act keeps the intensity levels high.
Pete Oak’s ‘Genus’ is initially percussive and techy with tuned metallic motifs, but he soon fires up a more hypnotic sound and a pulsing bassline. The synth spirals into a busy, nervous melody, giving the track and almost psy-trance flavour, and that flavour continues into the first breakdown, which introduces a tense, clipped hook which sounds wicked as the bass powers up again underneath.
My pick of the three, though, comes from Einmusik. That doesn’t exactly come as a surprise to me; he first came to my attention a couple of years ago when I reviewed a show-stealing remix of his on Parquet, and he has made much of my favourite music since then (including the jaw-dropping beautiful ‘System’ and a certain remix for Steyoyoke). Rapid-fire handclaps dominate the opening 30 seconds, before Einmusik teases in a compelling melody, complementing it with lovely warm bass tones, a gorgeous chiming countermelody, and haunting but uplifting pads. In his ‘What’s in Your Box’ last year, King Unique described Einmusik as making ‘tunes to slowly raise everyone’s hands with’, and the main breakdown of ‘Genus’ has another one of those killer hand-raising builds that Einmusik has perfected, leading to a stunning finale.
This is a interesting idea from Third Son, and it’s nice to see someone experimenting a bit with how they approach running a label and putting together releases. But of course, none of that would matter much if the music didn’t deliver – fortunately, all three contributions to this debut release are really worth your time, with Einmusik’s ‘Genus’ particularly appealing to me.
