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LP
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BALMAT 014LP
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DOVS are the duo of Vienna's Johannes Auvinen, aka Tin Man, and Mexico City's Gabo Barranco, aka AAAA. Psychic Geography is their second album together, but it differs considerably from both their respective solo work and their 2019 debut LP together, Silent Cities. Where that album's hardware-based acid kept its gaze focused squarely on the dancefloor, Psychic Geography is a strictly ambient affair. The album has its roots in a trio of beatless tracks that peppered Silent Cities; this time, the duo decided to try making an entire album with no drums. Ambiguity and uncertainty are key watchwords for their music, which moves with eerie, liquid grace. Untethered from 4/4 kicks, their music drifts and morphs; familiar acid sequences give way to surprising shifts in tone and mood. And with no drums to distract the ear, the seeming simplicity of their silvery synth lines opens up to reveal remarkable depth and dynamism. Barranco and Auvinen recorded the album together in the studio utilizing machines like the Roland TB-303, Juno G, Prophet 5, Elektron Octatrack MKII, Make Noise DPO and René, Mutable Clouds, Roland SH-101, Behringer TD3, and Sherman Filterbank. Listen on good speakers or headphones, and you can tell: Their gear yields a tonal richness that recalls the ambient and cosmic music of decades earlier. You can practically feel the heat from their circuits warming the air. The meaning behind the name DOVS is as ambiguous as the duo's music. But Psychic Geography needs little explanation. DOVS' album is a collection of mental maps of imaginary places. Set your coordinates for the mirage on the horizon and prepare to dissolve.
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12"
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ACIDTEST 014EP
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On their debut album as DOVS (AT 009LP), Tin Man and AAAA summon the ethereal spirit of acid. Tin Man, AKA Johannes Auvinen, has been studying the emotional potential of the Roland TB-303 for 15 years now, and AAAA (Gabo Barranco), a fixture of the Mexico City underground, might as well be his acolyte. While the coincidental similarities of their studio and live approaches make this collaboration feel natural, even expected, Silent Cities is anything but. Acid Test 14 features remixes from select tracks both Tin Man & AAAA individually as well as label mate John Tejada.
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2LP
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AT 009LP
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On their debut album as DOVS, Tin Man and AAAA summon the ethereal spirit of acid. Tin Man, AKA Johannes Auvinen, has been studying the emotional potential of the Roland TB-303 for 15 years now, and AAAA (Gabo Barranco), a fixture of the Mexico City underground, might as well be his acolyte. While the coincidental similarities of their studio and live approaches make this collaboration feel natural, even expected, Silent Cities is anything but. You'll recognize most of the elements here -- the ubiquitous acid box and hardware drum machines -- yet Auvinen and Barranco arrive in new, mysterious territory this time out. Lush arpeggiation, breakbeats, and atmosphere imbue tracks like "Nostalgic Oblivion" with a widescreen grandeur. "Rene Figures" recalls Specific Momentific-era Cristian Vogel (1996), symphonic, melodic techno with a kick heavy enough for dark, cavernous rooms. Meanwhile, beatless cuts like "Whining Acid" are as intricately crafted as Tin Man's well-loved classical work ("Vienna Blues"). But as a duo, they craft a virtuosic harmonic narrative almost solely with 303s. Tin Man and Donato Dozzy's Nonneo was the first release on Acid Test (2013), setting the tone for the label and unlocking new potential for the genre. DOVS' closer on Silent Cities, "Diazepam Blues", is the label's new melancholic acid anthem and a statement of purpose for Tin Man and AAAA, two hardware masters who have created an album of remarkable emotional depth.
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