Like the recent Terrance McDonald release, a very fresh-faced Gene Hunt recorded this music with the late, great Ron Hardy many moons ago. The similarities don't end there: as is the case with the McDonald reissue, Throwback sounds timeless. In fact, played next to many of the modern-day records it inspired, it sounds positively overpowering. It would be easy to debate the reasons for this until the end of time—some suggested starting points could be the use of analogue equipment, recording on the fly and the fact that they were making it up as they went along—but the outcome is all that matters: put simply, the kicks are harder, the snares and drums provide a sense of urgency and euphoria, and the end product bristles with the kind of wide-eyed excitement that is rare in contemporary house.
Of the three tracks, "Throwback" is the most dance floor effective as snares roll in like thunder across 303 lines and building, doubled up drums bring it to an inevitable yet irresistible climax. "US Studio" mines a different path: the rasping snares and thunderous claps are still present, but the duo also squeeze mournful melodies from their machines, sounding like Larry Heard in the process. Finally, "216 & Indiana" makes a return to a rhythm-focused approach, but this time the heavy claps and rolling drums underpin the kind of howling analogue riffs that became the norm for Daniel Bell and Robert Hood productions a few years later.
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Tracklist: Ron Hardy & Gene Hunt - Throwback 87
 A Throwback '87
B1 16 & indiana
B2 US Studio
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