A fearless electronic meditation on obsession and excess, HERZOG: A Retrospective finds d’Voxx transforming cinematic intensity into immersive modular soundscapes.
Psychological landscapes in modular form
With HERZOG: A Retrospective, modular synth duo d’Voxx deliver one of their most ambitious statements to date. Released as DiN95 and limited to 333 copies, this is their third outing on the consistently forward thinking DiN imprint, following the acclaimed Télégraphe and 1984. Here, Nino Auricchio and Paul Borg turn their attention to the fevered cinematic worlds forged by Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski between 1972 and 1987. The result is not a set of scores, but something more immersive and interpretive, an album that inhabits psychological terrain rather than illustrating it.
Each of the five tracks corresponds to a Herzog film from that volatile creative partnership. “Eldorado’s Folly” channels Aguirre, the Wrath of God with a sense of creeping obsession. Pulsing modular sequences drift like a raft caught in a slow current, while textural swells hint at both grandeur and collapse. The piece balances tension and inevitability, capturing the delusion of conquest without resorting to bombast.
“Drumhead,” inspired by Woyzeck, shifts the tone toward something more claustrophobic. Rhythmic motifs emerge and fracture, evoking institutional pressure and psychological erosion. The modular systems remain central, but they are used with remarkable restraint. Tones hover and tighten, creating an atmosphere that feels brittle and human.
“Impossible Monolith,” referencing Fitzcarraldo, may be the album’s most audacious moment. A sample of a 1911 opera threads through layers of prog infused synth architecture and subtle field recordings. The track builds with a sense of monumental folly, mirroring Herzog’s tale of dragging a steamship over a mountain. d’Voxx embraces the film’s excess. Instead, they translate its obsessive grandeur into a sonic structure that feels both reverent and slightly unhinged.
Cinema’s extremes rewired in sound ::
On “Phantom,” the duo tap into the ancient weariness of Nosferatu the Vampyre. Long sustained tones stretch across a shadowed landscape, while faint rhythmic pulses flicker like candlelight in a crumbling castle. The mood is patient and melancholic. It invites deep listening, revealing delicate harmonic shifts beneath its austere surface.
Closing track “Blood and Gold” draws from Cobra Verde and unfolds across eleven minutes of slow burn intensity. Elements of techno and rock coalesce into a darker propulsion, reflecting themes of exploitation and moral decay. The piece grows in density without losing clarity, demonstrating the duo’s skill at shaping long form structures that remain dynamic throughout.
What makes HERZOG: A Retrospective so compelling is its refusal to be confined by genre. Modular synthesis is the foundation, yet it often operates in a supporting role, allowing progressive textures, cinematic pacing, and unexpected sonic gestures to take center stage. d’Voxx expand their palette without abandoning their identity, proving once again that DiN remains a home for artists willing to push beyond stylistic boundaries.
For longtime followers, this album will both surprise and satisfy. For newcomers, it offers an evocative entry point into d’Voxx’s evolving sound world. HERZOG: A Retrospective stands as a bold and imaginative tribute to Herzog’s cinematic extremity, translated into richly layered electronic form.
HERZOG: A Retrospective by d’Voxx is available on DiN. [Bandcamp]
