Test Pressing Recordings Vinyl & CDs

Review: Test Pressing is a legendary and influential blog that documents dance music's most special moments past, present and future, all from a mature and in-the-know perspective. It makes sense that it is now branching out with an all-new label arm, and it makes sense that the first offering is a real doozy. Alex Kassian is the man in control and he serves up a 90s, trance-tinged new age techno adventure with 'Voices' which also comes as a blissed out ambient version, and punchy tribal sweat-athon. 'Lifestream' then douses you in a world of psychedelic and tropical synth laden Balearic brilliance.

Review: After last year's standout 'E2-E4' rework, in-form producer Alex Kassian returns to Test Pressing Records with the next instalment in the series i this time turning his attention to Spooky's 'Orange Coloured Liquid', taken from their 1993 debut album Gargantuam. Alongside acts like Underworld and Leftfield, UK duo Charlie May and Duncan Forbes helped shape the early 90s progressive house sound under their Spooky moniker. Now, decades later, Kassian delivers two versions designed to serve dancefloor and sunset respectively, with the rolling breaks of Part I beautifully complemented by the ambient swells of Part II. John Beltran dons his Placid Angles alias for a sumptuous remix pitched somewhere between the two, while the still-fresh original rounds out an essential EP i no surprise, given the calibre of those involved.

Review: 'E2-E4' is of course a legendary bit of music written by a legendary composer. Here, Alex Kassian serves up his own extension version of it and takes us on a 12-minute electronic trip that will be perfect for the more adventurous DJs and dancers out there - not least in Ibiza this summer. Next to the escapist original is a flipside remix from the one and Mad Professor. He heads out on his own with plenty of mind-melting effects, dubby undercurrents and mesmeric leads that encourage minds to wander. A real pearler for the hotter months and beyond.

Review: Opal Sunn's 'Elastic' lands on Test Pressing Recordings as the first in a trilogy, bringing together Alex Kassian and Hiroaki Oba's knack for genre-blending electronic soundscapes. Known for their captivating live sets, they've crafted an EP that traverses moods and styles. The A-side opens with hypnotic deep trance, layering rich synth textures and rolling grooves. Over on the B-side, things get lush and atmospheric: one track dives into dub influences, saturated with warm basslines and echoing chords, while the final cut drifts into serene, ambient territory. It's an impressive start that shows their mastery of both rhythm and space.

Review: Berlin-based Aussie Tornado Wallace has a long track record of tiptoeing the fine line between perfectly judged dancefloor pleasure and the more musically immersive sounds of Balearica and sun-soaked, sofa-ready deep house. He touches all those bases on 'Bitter Suite', his debut for Apiento's excellent Test Pressing Recordings imprint. In its' full length, near ten minute original mix form (side A), the track joins the dots between psychedelic, lightly acid-clad 1993 progressive house and - via waves of instrumentation and positive melodic motfs - the colourful musical rush of the System 7's most gorgeous early-to-mid-90s productions The latter element comes to the fore on the kaleidoscopic, string-laden and slow building 'Symphony Mix', while the 'Bitter Beats' version is a pounding, sweat-soaked drum track.