Phuture 303

Phuture 303 is credited by most as being the originators of acid house music. Back in 1984, members Earl "Spanky" Smith, Herb Jackso, and DJ Pierre put a Roland TB 303 to use and created Acid Tracks and the acid house sound and changed the face of dance music. DJ Pierre left the group shortly after and was replaced by Damon "Professor Traxx" Nelom, and after a rotating cast through the '90s, which included Roy Davis Jr., DJ Skull, Jay Janall and Phill Little, Phuture has returned to the duo format of Spanky and Professor Traxx to deliver their new opus, Survival's Our Mission. It is a dark, brooding and pulsating collection of techno and tribal, overlaid with Spank's trademark vocal samples and acidic bleeps and tweaks. Standouts include the trance-y "Mind Power," the minimal "Tribal Tek" and the epic "Northern Lights." It's nice to hear that the pioneers can still keep up with the current crop of producers and continue to create relevant music.