Terri Walker’s seductive vocals melt into a swooping violin riff, tickled from underneath by a running bass line. Divine and refined, the introduction is suddenly sliced by a drumbeat that makes the track run. ‘Light in the Dark’ was the first track to be released as a single from Spectrasoul’s new album, available to buy from 23rd June, 2012. The track list is more vocal-dominated than Spectrasoul’s previous material. However, Walker’s vocals are beguiling but not overpowering in ‘Light in the Dark’. They sit well with funky synth and jazzy bass, making the song exquisitely three dimensional.

Album previews announced a noticeably more eclectic range of styles than we are used to from the duo; Spectrasoul have largely strayed from their signature 170 BPM and experimented with a mix of garage, deep house and dubstep tempos. ‘Away With Me’ pulses in with a conventional 4/4 house beat, enveloped by Tamara Blessa’s almost a capella vocal line. Venturing into house territory is blasphemy to some hardcore drum and bass fans, but we take our hat off to Spectrasoul for taking the risk. The boys qualify their move away from drum and bass saying, “We were adamant that we should push ourselves to try new things and explore new territory.” The track is minimal and echoing synths give a haunting edge to Blessa’s driving lyrics, ‘Everything, Everything, Everything.’ The staccato melody should in theory collide messily with the repetitive house beat, but it instead slots in with charming cohesion. The magic of it: Spectrasoul has crossed genres but stuck to their notorious technique of seamlessly marrying the soulful to the grimy, the light to the dark. It will be interesting to see how the different genres in the album influence Spectrasoul’s sets.

Nevertheless, fans pining after scatty hi-hats and raw tribal bass lines from the days of Alibi, The Four Points and Lost Disciple shouldn’t be disappointed. ‘Memento,’ ‘In For a Penny’ and ‘Sometimes We Lie’ are pure, wholesome liquid drum and bass. All three tracks truly ooze serenity, and jazzy melodies fly on the wings of the light syncopated treble. Indeed, the sound isn’t as edgy as most of Spectrasoul’s previous material and the vocal samples give birth to a catchy and, dare we say it, ‘poppy,’ verse-chorus-verse layout. However, the production is far more subdued than mainstream pop. The boys have said the structure was intentional, as “drum and bass really lends itself to that format.”

It’s fair to say that a mixed-style album guided by vocals rather than melodies was not what a lot of us expected. Having said that, what Spectrasoul lose in grit they certainly make up for in eclecticism. What’s more, such experimentation has given us a 13 long track list whereby each tune has its own identity, whilst still fitting into the dark minimal and soulful liquid mould that earned Spectrasoul their reputation. ‘Delay No More’ is a dazzling cross-genre soundscape, and six years down the line it is worth the wait.

‘Delay No More’ is released on 23 June. There will also be a digital deluxe edition available featuring extra tracks and remixes by Calibre and Kito.