tin man: arles

Renowned acid cosmologist Johannes Auvinen, best known by his alias Tin Man, leaves the club floor behind for a full-length kosmische excursion on Bureau B. Since his first Tin Man records nearly 20 years ago, Auvinen has impelled acid -- in the grand tradition of Phuture and co. -- into shapes and forms heretofore uncharted. He does it again on his latest, Arles, exploring a new realm of impressionistic beauty where pristine, heartfelt melodies dance delicately atop austere motorik rhythms. It's a trip you'll want to take again and again. "'Cosmic,' as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means 'of or relating to the cosmos, the extraterrestrial vastness,' or 'relating to abstract spiritual or metaphysical ideas.' In that light, the first record by Tin Man, aka Johannes Auvinen, on Bureau B is cosmic indeed -- kosmische, if you will. Auvinen is best known for his manifold expressions of acid, in the house and techno sense, that pull your heartstrings as they move your feet. But on Arles, he leaves his dance floor bonafides behind for an album-length journey through inner and outer space. Although Arles isn't built for the club, it's unmistakably a Tin Man record, through and through. (Fret not: adventurous DJs will find much to work with here, naturally.) Auvinen's tender melodies, coaxed from an array of gear including his signature Roland TB-303, dance delicately atop minimal, propulsive rhythms. The form is different, but the fundament remains the same. In the manner of its namesake city, Arles is a portrait of impressionistic beauty. One might call it a turning point for Auvinen, a new direction, but like Auvinen's best work elsewhere, Arles is disarming in its unveiled simplicity. There is no artifice here; this album has nothing to prove, no need to convince the listener of anything. Its elegance is accessible immediately, its grace given freely. And after the record's done, chances are you'll find yourself dropping the needle right back at the beginning. Each listen reveals a new tenor -- each track becomes a new favorite. It's a trip you'll want to take again and again." --Chris Zaldua