When tech-house was still just embryo, Ian Pooley had already matured it. With his first album, THE TIMES, Pooley delivered on all the promise in his 12"s. The title track is a deep techno dub, with influences from the Chain Reaction camp. But "Chord Memory" is the stand-out here -- hard-thumping and still musical enough to rock the discotheque. "Plunk 'n Clong" is exactly what you'd expect, and "Plunk 'n Bang" follows along the same lines, though more aggressively. "2.15," despite its short length, delivers a peppy little tune, and "Roots" keeps the vibe while going more of a beatless route. If there's a complaint, I'd say that much of the source synth sounds are too similar which homogenizes the album a bit too much, but it's carefully spaced as to not grow overly tiresome. "Further" creates a more spacious feel with its reverb, and both "De La Trip" and "Pure Phase" are sparkling excursions into outer space, vibes that will be reprised on his next album. "Distance" gets things kicking again, and puts Pooley definitely at the front of the pack.