Teste

Himadri Ghosh is that other Canadian techno don (besides Plastikman) to make an impact on the world's dancefloors. His singles "The Wipe" (as Teste) and "Visiora" (as Perceptrons) are certainly related to the cold minimalism of prime Plastikman material, though classical training — he's even composed for the National Ballet of Canada — has imbued his work with a degree of study. The son of two genetic engineers, Ghosh was trained in tabla, sitar and voice (he's also related to several classical Indian musicians). An early hip-hop lover, Himadri nevertheless chose minimalist techno to make an impression, beginning in 1991 with the founding of Switch Records with Dave Huren.

One year later, the debut recording by Himadri and Huren's Teste project surfaced on Probe, the sublabel of Plastikman's own Plus 8 Recordings. "The Wipe" became a huge hit in North America and Europe, easily one of the biggest singles released on Probe. While further singles "Regions" (by Teste) and "Trajectory Infinite" (as Turph) appeared on Probe, the Switch label released excellent singles by his projects Perceptrons (with Huren) and Plasma Lamp (with P. Verma). Despite pressure from major labels to sign him to a contract, Himadri preferred to keep label and recordings to himself (and often releases free material via the label's website). The compilation Switch Records 1992-1997: The Singles has been one of Himadri's few forays into worldwide distribution (courtesy of Koch). He has also collaborated on Switch material with Can Oral and Dr. Walker, and released (through Switch) the Alt.Noise compilation with tracks by Merzbow as well as fellow Canadians PFD and Orphyx.