Tuesday 3rd February marks the debut of ALTER, a new club night concept which focuses on ‘programming parties of immersive, modern electronic music, with bold bookings which reflect that ethos.’ This ‘ethos’ is certainly fulfilled by the promise of their first event, which features Johannes Auvinen, better known as neo-acid master, Tin Man.
Acid House is a sub genre credited with influencing countless artists and genres residing under the vast umbrella that is electronic music. Its distinguished squelching bass provided originally by Roland TB-303s resonates across the Acid House of the 80s and 90s and has since gone on to be reproduced, tweaked and revived in more recent acid-influenced productions. Its pertinence in House, Techno and Ambient music persists through the classic and contemporary, but nowhere is it more successfully represented today than in the releases of Acid Test and subsequent labels, and of Tin Man.
Paying homage to classic Acid House, Tin Man uses original 303 and 707 hardware to create live acid sounds, while at the same time morphing the defining bass into his own ambient and atmospheric Techno. His productions are strong, powerful testimonies to acid sounds. Despite their often upbeat, percussion-driven nature, they somehow manage to retain a soothing, ambient quality; something for which Auvinen has been highly praised. The success of his ‘neo-acid’ releases evoked a revival in the 303, inspiring other electronic artists to follow suit. The Acid Test label, releasing Recondite’s On Acid and Tin Man’s Neo Neo Acid was crucial in the reshaping of Acid House, responding to the sound pioneered by Auvinen through a re-contextualisation of the 303.
2014’s ODE marked a shift in focus from the 303 to strings, synths and dub chords, demonstrating the versatility and variety in Auvinen’s production and reaffirming his position as the master of modern acid. His achievements considered, it is a pleasure to welcome Tin Man to Wire for his Leeds debut and a true rarity to be able to experience a live set from such high calibre talent. Expect suppressed, melancholic Acid Techno with a hard-hitting edge.
Tickets are available at the bargain price of £6 so there’s no excuse to miss this one!
Head here to purchase.
[Harriet Shepherd]