Romans - Valere Aude

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  • Valere Aude is the kind of record you'd expect Tin Man and Gunnar Haslam to make. It weds the former's wide-ranging acid with the latter's excursive techno into music that does them both justice. They've each explored the album format well enough on their own, but on Valere Aude, they've collaborated to deliver a proper acid freakout from start to finish. Valere Aude has two parts, split by the sprawling ambient piece "Cyrene." "Cirta" eases us into the first half with a gentle pulse and a silvery 303 line that snakes through hazy chords. "Legia," "Aquila" and "Zarai" soon remind us, however, that this is a club record, albeit a pretty eerie one. "Locria" is like an IDM prologue to the lovely, immersive sonic wash that follows. "Dura Agameia" begins Valere Aude's second half with a sense of urgency, though its club sensibility is deeply submerged. The furious, incessant notes on "Markouna" make a more purposeful move towards the dance floor. "Sabratha" makes you wait, but when its waves of arpeggios finally break, it's well worth it. "Oeviodunum" closes the record with pure 303 psychedelia, brushed with something a little breezier. The producers' masks seem to slip a little here—more than on the rest of the album, there's a sense of the two collaborators making themselves heard in the music. It's an interesting diversion for Romans, and might just be the most admirable part of Valere Aude.
  • Tracklist
      01. Cirta 02. Legia 03. Via Agrippa 04. Aquila 05. Zarai 06. Locria 07. Cyrene 08. Dura Agameia 09. Markouna 10. Sitifis 11. Sabratha 12. Oeviodunum
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