Thursday, April 2, 2009

mnml ssgs mx24: kevin gorman - elements

it is days like today that i feel very fortunate and happy with how mnml ssgs has developed. after a string of killer contributions to the series, kevin gorman then drops this bomb in my inbox. kevin is someone that has been on the ssg radar for a while, both because of his productions and DJ'ing. after listening to this mix, though, i am not sure if there is much point separating the two, as what kevin is effectively doing is disolving the border between producer and DJ. what he has provided is a stunning showcase of his new 'elements' project. 'elements' consists of 4 monthly releases on his mikrowave label - part 1 is out, part 2 hits beatport on 9 april - where all the parts of the music are released alongside the original tracks, along with bonus beats and tools. as kevin explains, 'it is music released as i would want to buy it, loads of things to tweak and layer in ableton live.'

as we all know, there has been an ongoing and rather tiresome debate about vinyl vs digitial DJ'ing. what kevin demonstrates here is a point that pete continually emphasises - it is not software or hardware that really matters, but how it is used. before the advent of ableton we had more than our fair share of shitty vinyl DJs. we still do, only now they are joined by shitty laptop DJs too. but if used carefully, and one does not get seduced by technological fetischism, DJ'ing digitally opens up great space for tremendous creativity and innovation. i think this is what kevin demonstrates with great clarity and virtuosity here.

as for the mix itself: what has attracted me to kevin's DJ'ing is it always has a really sense of dynanism and power. his sounds always have real life, energy and vigor. in the mix kevin has put together for the ssgs you can find these same feelings, but in a very restrained, precise manner. i think the best words i can use to describe this mix come from surgeon's label: dynamic tension. it reminds me a bit of marcel fengler's contribution in the way he expertly keeps control over the tempo and structure: continually building and releasing pressure (the last 10 minutes is particularly mindbending - i can imagine a lot of people suffering from meltdowns hearing this).

the mix is composed almost exclusively of tracks from kevin gorman's 'elements' series, so not too much point hiding the tracklist for this one (if you can't see the picture clearly enough, click here)


mnml ssgs mx24: kevin gorman - elements mix (direct dl)

respect to kevin both for this mix and for seeking to push techno's boundaries. if you want to find out more about the 'elements' project, check his myspace and the site for his label, mikrowave. also, at beatportal there is an interesting writeup about 'elements', and it is also considered here at a cool new blog, 'the oblique angle'.

ok. enjoy. next week is a special live DJ set from XDB (metrolux music).

22 comments:

  1. nothing against this mix...but xdb next week !!!! fuck off can't wait.

    will check this one too :-)

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  2. Great great great respect for Kevin. He is truelly an example for me in the way he uses the technology.
    Thank you ssg guys once again for this more than welcome contribution to the series.
    This gives me lots of inspiration for my next mix!

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  3. You guys nail it again !

    Great respect indeed for Kevin. Really fantastic. Oh the quandary - the Kevin Gorman, Cio, or Delta Funktionen ?!

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  4. Looking forward to this one, downloading now. I'm excited to see how the Elements series develops, and would love to see Kevin live- his sets are always superb.

    Thanks for posting our link!

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  5. Absolutely mind-bending stuff. Not heard a techno mix this good for some time. Dark, hypnotic and always building, with a truly epic finale. Just couldn't help smiling when those alarm bells kicked in at the end. Next level business, Kevin. Big up!

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  6. I am not very much inclined to make preference orderings, and by no means disrespect to those who came before, but from the Silent Servant mix (huuuge!), it's just getting better and better and better. So they still remain in the playlist. but this one?! very serious, the goosebumps serious. and I would extend the last 10 minutes to the last 15' 54''...impressive!

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  7. I've always been a fan of this dark, deep, bass techy sound - this mix is a fantastic example of the sound I'm talking about - cheers guys. Every track on here looks like an essential purchase...

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  8. Really liked the variety in this one, great mix.

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  9. interesting mix, but very digital sounding which is quickly ear tiring (listened with headphones).

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  10. shhiiiiit.... last section of Gorman's mix. Fuck fuck fuck. Is this not exactly what techno should always have been like?

    Deep, subtle, kicking, mind-melting. Holy Fuck.

    Thank you Kevin!

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  12. Wow. And a perfect example of Ableton as enhancement rather than raison d'etre. The only ssgs mix I haven't been gaga for was Eric Cloutiers but even that I'm going to give another listen to. The way this blog has developed, it must've been me..!

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  13. Finally got around to listening to the mix today - Another cracking mix. thanks guys!

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  14. Just listened to this again - for the fourth time - and the similarities between this and Fengler's awesome ssg mix is all there in the power. The sense of seething electrical currents coursing through the sound. Yet no recourse to bombast. And no accessions whatsoever to melody.

    Much like the way Jeff Mills could conjure burgeoning tension by the sheer muscle of track after track of sheet-metal techno, so Gorman piles on the heat and reminds me that music should only ever be utterly uncompromising.

    Apologies for the wordiness of the above but I am pretty fucking excited by this. Many thanks to Kevin Gorman for his genius and the ssgs for helming what's turning into my techno site of choice.

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  15. Wow. I pretty much agree with everyone who said the last section is utterly unreal.

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  16. Ok, I must give this another go and give it the attention it (seems to) deserve. Wasn't really feeling it in the headphone listen first time around... A blast through my Xone 62 and monitors required me thinks :)

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  17. Where has this blog been all my life, ive listened to about 4 of the podcasts: this one, ben klock and one or two others and they have all been savage. I have been stuck in the 2005 richie hawtin style of techno for far too long. Just discovered Berghain about a month or so ago and techno has come alive again. Fcuk Dubstep :)

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  18. this might be my favorite mix in the series. can't say enough, mostly everything techno should be here.

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  19. Awesome, awesome mix. I ended up spending several hours tonight walking around the city (LDN) in the rain, gazing at partially constructed skyscrapers/office blocks whilst listening to this on repeat. It was a killer combination. This is seriously high quality techno.

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  20. sooo excited to have kevin gorman at our space next week!

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