- Acid Test, a sub-label of LA's Absurd Recordings, shows a different side of the 303. With help from Recondite, Donato Dozzy and Tin Man—arguably its flagship artist—it has suppressed acid house's clichéd frenzy into more nuanced melancholy. But after more than ten releases and two near-perfect albums, the sad-acid thing was starting to wear thin. Ode, the latest LP from Tin Man, is the first Acid Test release not to focus so heavily on the 303. Here, those lonely synths are just another part of Tin Man's broader palette, which has grown paler and more steely.
Tin Man, real name Johannes Auvinen, eases us into this change with the fluttering dub chords of "No New Violence" and the techno sheet metal of "Depleted Serotonin." Where before his kick drums functioned mostly as pillars propping up his songs, here the rhythms have a different slant—there's the powerful march of "In Your System," or the stunning "Vertigo," whose swirling strings and synth washes sound like a greyed-out Dusky record.
The CD version of Ode comes with four vocal versions that recall the era of Scared and Vienna Blue. The otherwise bouncy deep house of "What A Shame" suddenly has a heavy-lidded languor, while "Memorophilia" and "No New Violence" have Auvinen mumbling in a barely audible baritone. These extra tunes bridge the gap between the two sides of Tin Man, which have otherwise remained stubbornly separate. More importantly, they make his vocals palatable—no longer quivering in centre stage, his voice sounds right at home lurking in the nether-regions of his instrumentals.
That sense of balance and synthesis makes Ode Auvinen's most well-rounded album, especially if you grab the version with the vocal tracks. It captures the after-the-rave state of mind in a way that's more direct than, say, the aural illusions of Lee Gamble, which explore a similar sound. Ode manages introspection while still holding on to the part of the night that makes your head rush and your heart flutter.
Tracklist01. No New Violence
02. In Your System
03. Depleted Serotonin
04. What A Shame
05. Vertigo
06. Memorphillia
07. Ode