- Much has been made of dance music's transition from the "real" to the "virtual," and of the concomitant shift in our understanding of the DJ/artist distinction. The likes of Hawtin, Sasha and Surgeon have been mining that grey area for years (to varying degrees of success), whilst Joris Voorn's recent Balance mix pretty much epitomised the creative promiscuity afforded by current technology. But relatively little has been explored by way of concrete, commercial output—until now that is.
Released as the first in a series of three concept EPs, Kevin Gorman's Elements Part 1 is practically a call to arms. Comprised of three original tracks alongside all their constituent parts (arranged comprehensively into fourteen tools), it's a bewildering collection of sounds, some interwoven, others bare and isolated. As a reviewer, I'm tempted to narrow my focus simply to three discrete tracks on display, each representing a different shade of deep, club-minded techno somewhere in the vicinity of Audion and Function, the most rewarding of which is the hypnotic, undulating "Cyclic," which seems custom-made for those still going on a Sunday afternoon.
But something bigger is going on here. The fact the one of the pieces is already a finished remix means we're essentially given an opportunity to remix a remix (and so on ad infinitum, should we wish). Or, in the case of the other two tracks, the budding DJ-cum-producer is given the chance to one-up KG himself. Extended further, another, somewhat daunting possibility is the construction of an entire live set, as has recently been done by the man himself for the mnml ssgs blog. I'd suggest that anyone curious heads in that direction: Hearing the master and his tools in full flow is nothing short of inspirational, and evocative of a world of possibilities. A generous offering from a quietly pioneering producer, one has the feeling that this is only the tip of a very large iceberg.
Tracklist A1 Zuni - Hoodwinked (Kevin Gorman Remix1)
A2 Kevin Gorman - Cyclic Beats
B1 Kevin Gorman - Insomnia
B2 Kevin Gorman - Cyclic