Teste

Among Canadian figures shaping international techno scenes, Himadri Ghosh ranks with Plastikman for his reach across dancefloors worldwide. Tracks issued under the names Teste and Perceptrons—“The Wipe” and “Visiora,” respectively—echo the austere minimalism that defined Plastikman’s strongest period, yet Ghosh’s classical background, which includes original scores for the National Ballet of Canada, lends his productions an added layer of formal discipline. Born to a pair of genetic engineers, he studied tabla, sitar, and vocal technique and counts several classical Indian musicians among his relatives. Although an early enthusiast of hip-hop, he ultimately gravitated toward minimalist techno and, in 1991, launched Switch Records together with Dave Huren.

The following year the first Teste release by Ghosh and Huren appeared on Probe, the Plus 8 Recordings subsidiary operated by Plastikman. “The Wipe” quickly registered as a major success across North America and Europe, becoming one of Probe’s most prominent singles. Additional Probe releases included the Teste cut “Regions” and “Trajectory Infinite,” credited to Turph. Meanwhile Switch issued well-regarded records by Perceptrons, again involving Huren, and by Plasma Lamp, a collaboration with P. Verma. Major-label offers notwithstanding, Ghosh retained control of both the imprint and its catalog, frequently offering material at no charge through the label’s site. One of his rare ventures into broader circulation was the Koch-distributed anthology Switch Records 1992-1997: The Singles. Switch projects have also paired him with Can Oral and Dr. Walker, and the label issued the Alt.Noise compilation featuring contributions from Merzbow along with Canadian artists PFD and Orphyx.