- It feels like Etienne has been making music for much longer than his relatively small catalogue suggests. His debut EP, Airmetique, began things in 2015 with techy rollers that had the swing of UK garage. But with skipping claves, claps and disorientating synths, it was his following record for the London-based Undersound Recordings that really launched his minimal sound. V3, Etienne's latest EP, veers in a different direction. In a shift first heard on last year's split EP with TC80, he streamlines some of the elements that characterised Dez, bringing a new dimension to his music.
There has been an increase in minimal producers adopting the liquid waves of the 303, and Etienne is no exception. "V3" guides you through an underwater tunnel where metallic synths and aquatic acid sounds merge with a hefty kick, short claps and clacking hi-hats. The record glides along at a steady pace until "Halycon"'s frantic stomp throws us into a peak-time dance floor, after which "Azur" cools the temperature with glacial pads that signal that the end of the night may be near.
TracklistA1 V3
A2 Hpno
B1 Halycon
B2 Azur