A haunting presence illuminates the main hall of The Hub from the moment Joep Beving and Maarten Vos begin their performance, and halfway through the show Beving picks up a microphone to briefly explain why. Inspired by their tour manager who was succumbing to cancer during a recording session, this duo’s blend of electro-minimalism and classically tinged piano acts like a tributary flowing towards our inevitable passing to the other side. These sparse movements are regularly cloaked in a wistful sadness of slow, sludgy modular synthesis and theremin coldness. But every now and again, as in a moment of clarity, Beving will hit on a melody that captures a pastoral beauty bolstered by the intimate sustained notes of Vos on cello.

There have been plenty of experiments in electronic detachment and analogue warmth since the 21st century dawned, yet few capture the journey through trauma and acceptance in a way that feels entirely relatable, a narrative unspooling until a point of understanding is reached. Each piece is an exploration, a formation of a world that’s self-contained but never hermetically sealed. If such psychogeographic wanders meander from time to time, their waypoints of profundity more than make the trek worthwhile.

Joep Beving & Maarten Vos reviewed at The Hub; main picture: Max Hartmann.