Albums
March: 18 albums you need to hear this month
This month's listening sorted
Tin Man 'Dripping Acid' (Global A)
Acid abides. Way beyond retro value, the sound of the TB303 has proved to have enduring value in the timeless interzone of the small hours – and few have proved that recently as well as Tin Man, aka Vienna’s Johannes Auvinen. On this six-vinyl, 17-track selection, he’s created an extended dreamlike experience: all the tracks are themed around different states and behaviours of liquid, and sure enough, the acid sounds flow, drip, ooze and pour through the dark, misty landscape of rhythmic house. All the acid lines unfold in slow and complex melodies, singing as only the 303 can. As you might guess, these are a long way from peak-time smashers. Sometimes they skip along funkily and on other occasions they’re bordering on ambient, but any of these tracks will definitely work magic in dark underground spaces – and as a complete world to inhabit, ‘Dripping Acid’ is a beautifully complete statement. Joe Muggs
8/10
