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After 2024'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. — (via Juno)

In dance music as in fashion there's a special sort of pleasure to be had as life moves on and neglected bits of this or that bubble up to the surface, recontextualised into a new landscape. Faulkner's quip that the past is never dead, it's not even past is dead on. Some classics never leave the mainstream, others might lay dormant in the greater consciousness, biding their time. If Manuel Gottsching's seminal opening chess gambit (nicely 'referenced' by Alex Kassian last year) is the former, certainly Spooky's Orange Coloured Liquid could be of the latter.

So it's been nice seeing the best bits of 90s progressive house float back up, whether it's an expanded Record Store Day release of Underworld mixes of "Black Sky", the new Tornado Wallace giving 'Northern Exposure' vibes, or Spooky's Orange Coloured Liquid popping up on compilations put out by selectors like Mark Barrott and Young Marco.

Orange Coloured Liquid is to my ears pretty much as perfect piece of music as there ever was--just over five minutes of glistening electronics that wash over you, each crescendo a gentle pull of a warm tide. The 90s penchant for samples coming through with a few tasteful words from a from a hypnotist's tape. Originally appearing on Spooky's 1993 progressive house gesamtkunstwerk Gargantuan, it's a breather set alongside classic prog bangers like "Land of Oz", "Little Bullet", and "Aqualung". It was a beautiful moment in dance music and it's easy to make the case for a revisit from a deft hand--expanding and reinterpreting, as well as bringing the original to a new audience.

Alex Kassian seems to be everywhere right now with loads of gigs and strong releases on Second Circle, Pinchy & Friends, and, er, Test Pressing. Alex plays guitar and piano as well as producing, and his releases have a certain distinctness to them, instantly recognisable regardless of genre. The second in a series of reinterpretations of classic tracks, Kassian's take on Orange Coloured Liquid is a mix of two halves spread over an A-side. Part I layers Duncan Forbes and Charlie May's sonic bubblebath over uptempo breaks and bass, augmenting with trademark Kassian piano vibes and bendy guitar. It really needs to be played loud. I particularly love the way he uses reverb-y piano to foreground the melodic trill bit from the original. Part II drops the percussion, bringing us back into the glorious ambience of the original. The B-side brings a lovely remix from John Beltran in his Placid Angles guise blending parts I & II; looking heavenward with a choral vamp. Finally we get the OG in all its lysergic glory; hearing through new ears after the preceding variations. Cosmic. — (via Label)

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Label: Test Pressing Recordings
Format: Vinyl, 12"
Released: 2025
Genre: Electronic
Style: Balearic, Ambient, Breakbeat, Ambient House

File under:  Electronic // House/Electro/Techno

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