Daniel Testas – Beyond the Clouds [Movement Recordings]

Tash's Movement Recordings rounds out the month of August by welcoming Daniel Testas to the label for his debut EP. With over three decades of production experience, Dutch producer Daniel Testas has more than carved out a place in electronic music history. From his early beginnings as a progressive house producer, to several side projects writing Drum and Bass, Deep House, Balearic House and more along the way, the Amsterdam resident eventually rediscovered his progressive roots with releases via Deep Down Music, MNL, Outta Limits, The Purr and more. Now, adding Movement Recordings to his resume, Daniel debuts on the label with 'Beyond The Clouds', alongside remixes from Federico Monachesi and Shayan Pasha.

‘Beyond The Clouds’ leads the release off in fine fashion and only furthers Daniel’s knack for crafting emotive progressive house. Strong kick drums and a bed of chunky rhythms provide the anchor for layers of finely tuned percussion and airy vocal fragments. Cruising with an effortless flair, there's a strong sense of flow across the first act, as percolating melodies and poignant chord changes steal the air, not only adding depth and character, but an emotive rise leading into a timely break. Here, dulcet keys and flickering sonics create a sense of anticipation, eventually giving way to a tasteful build and uplifting finale. The equally impressive 'Butterfly’s Ball’ serves as the companion piece and complements its predecessor very well. Geared more towards groovier dancefloor moments, Daniels' tried and tested production chops serve him well here, bursting with colourful qualities and a keen sense of rhythm and groove. Muted piano’s conjure up bucolic imagery across the break, bringing with them a serene state of mind, before getting washed away in a powerful finale complete with commanding chord stabs, dulcet pianos and evolving atmospherics.

Returning to the label for the lone interpretation of ‘Beyond The Clouds’ is Federico Monachesi. With a career that spans the better part of two decades, the Argentinean artist lays claim to releases courtesy of Balkan Connection, Nature, pad records and Soundteller, while also earning the support of Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Eelke Kleijn and Nick Muir. Movement Recordings has also been a landing spot for the Tucaman resident, with his label debut coming in 2017 with a contribution to the 'Closing With' collection, while 2018 found Federico returning as part of the 'GLBLMVMT1 - Exploring Argentina' compilation, before eventually recording his first artist EP ‘Zagros’ for the label in 2022. Now, following an EP for Nature Rec, Federico returns to Movement for his first remix, taking ‘Beyond The Clouds’ into his world of nostalgic progressive house. Landing with a resounding thump, Federico finds success with a robust, dancefloor minded approach. Tough kick drums and shapely grooves marry beautifully with flickering percussion and swing heavy rhythms. The primary theme from the original highlights the journey, flowing through its emotive musical progression for equal amounts of exhilaration and serenity.

The release concludes with Shayan Pasha returning to the label for the lone interpretation of ‘Butterfly’s Ball’. Hailing from Iran, Shayan Pasha first emerged as a DJ in 2010 where he quickly became a fixture of his country's nightlife, performing alongside some of the world's top progressive house talents. A production career would follow shortly thereafter, where early releases via Area Verde, Massive Harmony Records and his own Wander Nation imprint would establish Shayan as a name to watch. 2023 proved to be Shayan's most prolific and successful year to date, notching key projects for Droid9, MNL and Transensations, while also receiving play from progressive house icon Hernan Cattaneo on multiple occasions. Also finding a home on Movement Recordings, Shayan would make his label debut earlier this year with a contribution to the 'Technical Progress, Vol. 14' collection. Now, following a contribution to The Soundgarden’s ‘Summer Collection’ series, Shayan returns to Movement with a groovy rendition of ‘Butterfly’s Ball’. Bringing a progressive state of mind, Shayan reassembles the themes from the original for his own unique and somewhat dubbed out approach. Timely effects, hopeful melodies and balmy atmospheres coax perfectly atop precise kick drums and shapely grooves, for what results in a tasteful and thought provoking rendition to round out the release.

Buy: https://tinyurl.com/mrx2yfsz

Release Date: 30-08-2023

Release Promo: http://releasepromo.com

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