- Alex Kassian's latest EP infuses the pathos of trance and progressive into synth pop song structures.
- The first time I saw Alex Kassian DJ was last summer during the 4 to 8 AM shift at Panorama Bar. As sun was peeking through the shutters, the music he played was melodic and bright, but also surprisingly restrained, falling into a hazy euphoria somewhere between '90s Italian dream house and full-on Goa trance. Kassian brings the same sort of light touch to his production. He's a sucker for a trance synth, sure, but he's influenced as much by early Eye Q and Platipus records as the synth pop, ambient, and video game soundtracks he grew up with in Japan. (Exhibit A here.) This balance creates a delicate tension on his latest EP, Voices, where Kassian takes the emotional building blocks of trance and makes a soundtrack for his own imaginary RPG.
Voices is taken up mainly by three different mixes of the title track, featuring vocalist Thibaut Knapp, and each operates on a totally different level. Kassian eases into the "Jenova Mix" holding the kick drum back until the three-minute mark, instead washing the stereo spectrum in panning string crescendos and gated chord progressions. Outside of an opening set, it's hard to imagine a track this airy and spacious in a club, instead reminding me of Nathan Micay's like-minded soundscapes. Only the drum-heavy "Materia Mix" seems designed for dance floor use, the highs and mids are dialed back as Kassian locks into a tech house groove with even the vocal turning into a percussive accent.
All three versions of "Voices," though, pale in comparison to "Lifestream." Bubbling aquatic arpeggios and lapping hand drums build with wonder before he drops a YMO-style chord progression that's so hi-def it feels tactile. It's a striking and dramatic finish to an EP that shows Kassian's musicality away from the dance floor.
TracklistA1 Voices (Jenova Mix)
A2 Voices (Swarm Mix)
B1 Voices (Materia Mix)
B2 Lifestream