Following his magical makeover of Manuel Gottsching, Alex Kassian has reimagined another classic piece of electronica for Test Pressing. This time out he’s chosen Spooky’s Orange Coloured Liquid. The original, which is included in the package, is a a new age-y synthscape of soft strings and chiming arpeggios. Its title taken from a spoken sample, which is very likely describing a batch / brand of LSD. Emotive, surging, rushing, it’s a beatless moment from the duo’s debut progressive house opus, Gargantuan. Released in 1992, on William Orbit’s Guerrilla Records, it’s perhaps no coincidence that Test Pressing founder, Paul Byrne, was working for Orbit back then.
The first of Kassian’s 2 reworks adds chunky, funky drums. Creating something for B-boys on acid to break out the Lino to. Flash a bit of fancy footwork. Throw a few windmills. Aircraft take off, there’s some graceful guitar, and the loved-up vibe is similar to Ultramarine’s Stella, or the blissed-out, Bay Area gear of Young American Primitive. Kassian’s own “ambient” take is sparser than Spooky’s, more laidback, and less “techno”, shaped from 6-string picking, acoustic piano and fretless bass.
John Beltran rounds the record off with a remix, using his Placid Angles alias. Introducing warm, orchestral swells, echoed, ethereal exclamations, and making the mood more introspective with minor chords. The beat now rattles like sped-up go-go, but when it falls away, what’s left is close to classical.
Alex Kassian and Placid Angles’ takes on Spooky’s Orange Coloured Liquid can be ordered directly from Test Pressing.
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Hi Rob. Great release. The ‘orange coloured liquid’ sample comes from a self hypnosis tape called ‘Subliminal Insomnia’ by Barrie Konicov. Fun fact: Barrie also provided the sample for Sisterlove’s ‘The Hypnotist’. He was selling a million tapes a year at one point. He was a libertarian and ended up in prison for not refusing to pay tax : )
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Hi Stuart – I hope you`re well – great to hear from you – that’s the kind of detail / story that I love – and the kind of deep knowledge that I expect from you : ) I mention Konicov in my review of sisterlove – but how did you find out that he`s also on the spooky track? so is the orange coloured liquid another meditative level that you need to travel through – and not a batch of acid? honestly, great to hear from you mate
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To be fair it is a bit trippy – Bazza gets you to imagine your body as a glass container with the orange liquid coming in through your toes…I have a mild obsession with those hypnosis tape tracks, probably since hearing John Peel play ‘Palatial’. They’re kind of funny as they reflect a time when people still thought E was good for you. That and drinking Aqua Libra. Not sure how I managed to track it down, internet sleuthing years ago. Got a rip of the tape from Soulseek.
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