- However you choose to look at it, 2009 has been one hell of a year for techno. Peter Van Hoesen, Mike Dehnert, Luke Slater and the Sandwell Crew have been all been on fire, pitching in with engagingly idiosyncratic restylings of the genre's age-old motifs. Another artist worthy of mention is Kevin Gorman, who, in the space of three EPs and one blinding podcast, has become a major player in the scene. And, in the case of Elements Part 3, provided a fittingly immersive conclusion to his acclaimed series of techno building blocks.
Dubby, big room techno is the name of the game, and both tracks here do the job with aplomb. "Nearly" is pure 5 AM narcosis, paddling along atop bouncy wafts of bass as vast, panoramic waves of static—expanding and contracting like an E trip nearing breaking point—strafe its tough, snare-driven underbelly. The accompanying "Stepper" version trades the original's buoyant 4/4 kick for a rollicking, Detroit-friendly electro break, and makes for a barnstorming peak-time alternative. B-side "Caracole"—again served up in original and Stepper form (this time by way of a displaced kick)—pulls a slightly softer punch, rolling along like a great, undulating ball of cotton candy flecked by sprightly bursts of noise. It's the kind of tensile, sub-aquatic behemoth that—played at a suitable juncture of the morning—will have dancers mesmerised.
TracklistA1 Nearly (Original)
A2 Nearly (Stepper Version)
B1 Caracole (Original)
B2 Caracole (Stepper Version)