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This record contains six tracks by Freephilipp and Robin — two Bremen-based musicians who meet where the void of digital subculture and experimental electronic music opens up. Freephilipp contributes four glitch-driven pieces that move between IDM-tinged ambient, electro, atmospheric broken beats and junglish fragments. Random Chords Memory is one of the reasons this release needed to be carried out into the nexus: it stands on its own, just like the rest of the EP, yet it may be the signature track of Freephilipp’s nocturnal enthusiasm — mixing between night shifts and sharing production skills with the people around him. Robin (zckr rec / ph17) completes the EP on the flipside. Tau-37 and Omega5, named after two star systems, invite you onto a dub-soaked, drifting flight. The Basic Channel- esque impact of Tau-37 rounds out the journey in combination with Omega5, whose drone-laden soundscape slowly opens and dissolves. This music was never meant to be produced for an audience. It is a document of what it sounds like when you say goodbye to the outer world and begin building landscapes in another.
Phantasy transports back to 1982 for a faithful reissue of the highly sought after ‘Fools Are Friendly’ from Xclusiv, carefully re-mastered from the original tapes.
The alias of sisters Karen and Maxine Berlinski, Xclusiv emerged inconspicuously from the London borough of Croydon with a sophisticated vision of cosmic disco pop, linking the suburbs with Soho’s neon-tinted nightlife. Decades later, and in close collaboration with the sisters, this highly sought-after record arrives lovingly reissued by Phantasy in its original, sensuous form.
Originally self-released on Le Maitre Music, a record label spun-off from their family-run fireworks and pyrotechnics company, ‘Fools Are Friendly’ has the irresistible sense of a radio hit that never was. A brilliant DIY reflection of the disco and soul that dominated the charts of the time, its glossy, primitive electronics echo the synth experiments of Giorgio Moroder or Didier Marouani, pioneers that were transforming pop music.
The extended mix provides an overture to the sisters’ twinned vocals, unfolding with delectable disco drama. In contrast, the Instrumental Mix lets the record’s blend of elements truly breathe, a synthesised version of Xclusiv’s irresistible vocal hook holding court between timeless arpeggios and subtle modulation.
Sally C steps up to inject CC:DISCO!’s sensual anthem ‘Chez Moi (feat. Confidence Man)’ with an inimitable streak of pumping house flavour. Originally released on Phantasy as CC’s debut single in the summer of 2024, the scene-setting Irish DJ and producer’s remix ticks like a Balearic bomb, riding waves of rushing chords and shuffling drums, built for the biggest sound systems.
After years of demand, Spray takes two wildly alternate approaches to ‘Chez Moi’, pressed to wax for the first time. His euphoric ‘Club Spriitzz’ mix fizzes toward the undistilled euphoria already beloved to festival crowds worldwide. In contrast, a swampier ‘Witching Hour’ cut recalls the experimental acid of early Hardfloor or Plastikman, for a heavyweight treat.
UK-based DJ and producer Wallace debuts on Phantasy Sound with an irresistible double A-side single, ‘Cravings (ft. Love Letters) / Concourse.’ Bubbling with sensuality and euphoria, both tracks reinforce Wallace’s burgeoning reputation as one of electronic music’s most impressive new voices, a crowning moment on Erol Alkan’s long-running label following a stellar run of singles for imprints including Cooking With Palms Trax, Rhythm Section, and Moxie's much-loved On Loop.
Led by a longing, inquisitive performance from vocalist and underground house music luminary, Love Letters, ‘Cravings’ builds from a simple throbbing bass line to an eruption of lyrical and musical joy. Exploring onset desire – risk, uncertainty, and ultimately, reward – Wallace’s deep and celebratory arrangement interweaves with Love Letters’ queer perspective to deliver universal satisfaction.
While ‘Cravings’ looks inward to find release, ‘Concourse’ goes for the jugular with a darker, more epic sensibility than Wallace has previously indulged. His flawless production touch seamlessly gifts magic to a widescreen techno epic that might not sound out of place on the terrace at Circoloco or else a field near early-nineties Frankfurt, repeatedly working his acid-oriented machines into a lather and conjuring cosmic drama from eerie, choral voices beneath a powerful groove.
Visionary producer and one half of pioneering electronic duo The Chemical Brothers, Tom Rowlands returns to Phantasy with ‘We Are Nothing / All Night’, the first solo dancefloor material since his last appearance on Erol Alkan’s storied London label in 2013 with ‘Through Me / Nothing But Pleasure’.
Once again, Rowlands delivers a double A-side single in order to commit two progressive new productions to wax. Heavily road-tested across the world in Chemical Brothers DJ sets, the sprawling arrangement of ‘We Are Nothing’ trips through a decades-long obsession and subversion of house music and psychedelia alike. Imaginatively sampling Canadian outsider artist Bill Bissett, Rowlands uses the poet’s existential phrasing as the foundation for a rising slalom of acid catharsis, peppered with snatches of soul, analogue freakouts, and all-encompassing groove.
‘All Night’, meanwhile, finds a different, perhaps unexpected rhythm. Here, Rowlands’ unmatched studio instincts deviate in a different direction entirely, employing a searing tempo to embrace the analogue experimentation at the heart of his work, as well as an appreciation for electronic music’s willingness to barrel ever-forward; the result is a worthy head spinner from both label and artist alike.
Tom Rowlands will play a rare solo DJ set at Glastonbury's Stonebridge Bar on Friday 27th June, as part of Bugged Out's 30th Anniversary celebrations.
Shining lights in London’s queer electronic underground, prolific duo FAFF make their debut on Phantasy with the ‘A Few Good Days’ EP, featuring three tracks reverberating the smudged euphoria of the capital’s rave scene, both past and present. Drawing equally on peak-time club catharsis and the emotive experimentation of golden-era IDM and electro, these recordings meld the pair’s diverse DJ sets and ambient live work, which has captivated festivals including Draimollen, Field Maneuvers, and Body Movements.
The title track, ‘A Few Good Days, ’ melds hypnotic percussion, snatches of vocal euphoria, and a stuttering break for instant post-rave afterglow. Its wandering but compelling arrangement subtly invokes and updates the pioneering aesthetic of One Dove, Sabres of Paradise, or even William Orbit. The tempo tilts skywards for ‘Tracy’s Night Out’, a peak-time display of FAFF’s studio prowess that fuses choral techno drama with a shamelessly bouncing bassline designed to tear up any respectable sound system. Emerging from the sweat and strobes for a wide-eyed stroll home, ‘Tracy’s Daydream’ wishes away the EP with delicate, textural delight, floating gently on pure analogue reverie.
Visionary producer and one half of pioneering electronic duo The Chemical Brothers, Tom Rowlands returns to Phantasy with ‘We Are Nothing / All Night’, the first solo dancefloor material since his last appearance on Erol Alkan’s storied London label in 2013 with ‘Through Me / Nothing But Pleasure’.
Once again, Rowlands delivers a double A-side single in order to commit two progressive new productions to wax. Heavily road-tested across the world in Chemical Brothers DJ sets, the sprawling arrangement of ‘We Are Nothing’ trips through a decades-long obsession and subversion of house music and psychedelia alike. Imaginatively sampling Canadian outsider artist Bill Bissett, Rowlands uses the poet’s existential phrasing as the foundation for a rising slalom of acid catharsis, peppered with snatches of soul, analogue freakouts, and all-encompassing groove.
‘All Night’, meanwhile, finds a different, perhaps unexpected rhythm. Here, Rowlands’ unmatched studio instincts deviate in a different direction entirely, employing a searing tempo to embrace the analogue experimentation at the heart of his work, as well as an appreciation for electronic music’s willingness to barrel ever-forward; the result is a worthy head spinner from both label and artist alike.
Tom Rowlands will play a rare solo DJ set at Glastonbury's Stonebridge Bar on Friday 27th June, as part of Bugged Out's 30th Anniversary celebrations.
One of electronic music’s most prolific and beloved figures, Roman Flügel checks in to Phantasy for his debut single on Erol Alkan’s equally storied London label, presenting ‘Hotel Karthago / Energies’, two contrasting dancefloor tracks that capture distinct shades of Flügel’s boundless creativity.
Arranged with energy front and centre, ‘Hotel Karthago’ promises to be an essential addition to Flügel’s peerless back catalogue of club classics. Bolting with the requisite tempo of contemporary dance floors, and accelerated by a joyous piano line, this particular property balances the elegance of vintage house with analogue machines operating at their most energetic.
In keen contrast. ‘Energies’ expertly pours a measure of melancholy, teasing out a twinkling melody that recalls the warmth and wistful moods of his classic LPs such as Fatty Folders and Happiness Is Happening. Illuminating and then unravelling with ease, ‘Energies’ concludes in underscoring the Frankfurt-to-Berlin producer’s skill as a composer, as well as a trusted rave alchemist.
Prolific powers in rave and counterculture, Luca Lozano and Mr. Ho debut on Phantasy with the deliciously gnarly ‘WREKONS’ EP. Already locked in close collaboration at their own Klasse Wrecks label, this temporary migration to Erol Alkan's peerless London imprint with four outsider-electro variations that sit comfortably amongst the more bombastic moments in Phantasy's history.
‘Reach Out and Touch’ sets the tone, bursting sound systems wide open with an introduction that takes Lozano and Ho out of the basement and into the widest festival fields, overdriven with sheer energy and a flawless arrangement that sets up all manner of musical twists until the final chord. ‘Psycho Rasp’ expands from a simple cowbell beat to a circuit-frying melody, a machine rush that isn’t afraid to strip back to bare essentials for a devilishly simple, extremely effective breakdown.
On the flip, ‘WREKONS' pushes things further still, particularly on the lubricious ‘Grease Beat’, an unrelenting symphony of rubber-faced bass, crashing cymbals and demented drums, ideally composed to pair daring DJs with submissive dancers. ‘Tin Can Hustler’ closes off the EP with the duo’s leftfield take on jackin’ house, its dense groove bubbling up from underneath the strangest analogue signals.
The title and sleeve artwork for 'WREKONS' makes reference to the PERKONS HD01, a drum machine made by Latvian wizards Erica Synths, and one that was used heavily throughout the two-day session in which these tracks were recorded
Gramrcy and John Loveless return to Phantasy with a double-A single, ‘Lucid / Feel So’. Three years on from their festival-rupturing hit ‘Highdive’, which found regular rotation in the sets of 2ManyDJs, Peggy Gou and Daniel Avery alongside soundtracking shows for Moschino and Hugo Boss, two new tracks expand the sound of the Berlin pair’s studio partnership.
‘Lucid’ features a unique vocal turn from Tony Morris, a former teacher, taxi driver and contemporary cult figure in Glasgow’s underground scene. Having begun DIY production only in his late sixties, he has since released on the city’s peerless Optimo Music and has been profiled by the BBC and NPR, alternately described by The Scottish Herald as “Scotland’s most unlikely pop sensation” and by himself as “a deviant cabaret artist”.
Morris’s hypnotic repetitions prove to be an earworming anchor for Gramrcy and Loveless’s pressure-cooker arrangement, a bubbling concoction that represents their most formative influences, combining the sheer bassweight of FWD-era UK dance with the ISDN-line scramble of the most out-there electroclash. Rich in rhythm and textural weirdness, ‘Lucid’ captures the sound of a deeply satisfying intersection of rave outsiders.
Eschewing the dreamy psychedelia of its counterpart, ‘Feel So’ instead tips the scales back toward the outright ecstatic. The influence of esoteric disco and post-punk percussion rides on a throbbing bassline that builds toward supreme dancefloor release, paying tribute to a legacy of hi-NRG, spanning Chicago to Rimini.
Gramrcy & John Loveless - ‘Lucid / Feel So’ will be available to download & stream on October the 10th via Phantasy There will also be a limited-edition run of just 200 hand-stamped 12” vinyl records, including the instrumental cut of ‘Lucid’, available to pre-order from Bandcamp and the Phantasy store.
Following a sold-out UK tour, Factory Floor return to Phantasy with a new single, ‘Tell Me’.
As propulsive and direct as anything the cult UK electronic group has ever released, ‘Tell Me’ continues to perfect the dynamic in the band’s current lineup of Gabe Gurnsey, Nik Colk Void, and Joe Ward, with additional drum tracking by Stephen Morris of New Order. Situated between the sonic promise of enduring indie culture, yet naturally imbued with the band’s relentless forward-thinking ethos. Throughout, Colk Void’s inquisitive vocal guides the listener through an elastic square-wave bass groove that forms the rhythmic backbone to Tell Me, before Gurnsey and Ward's frenetic drumming breakdown rains with pure abandon, exemplifying the band’s personal alchemy between genre, scenes, human, and machine.
‘Tell Me’ arrives digitally and on limited 12” vinyl, housed in a riso-print sleeve, backed with an extended mix for dance floor play. There will also be a limited Rough Trade exclusive vinyl edition featuring an alternate sleeve.
Phantasy are delighted to introduce Greek duo Boys' Shorts for their debut EP on the label, ‘Athena’. The project of music obsessives Vangelis and Tareq, the Boys’ Shorts sound has helped redefine timeless strains of disco, house and Italo for Europe’s queer club underground, with similar charisma spilling into their collaborative productions on labels including Live at Robert Johnson, Permanent Vacation and Polari.
Boys' Shorts appearance on Phantasy is coupled with their most ambitious and fulfilling songwriting to date. Featuring a rare vocal performance from beloved selector and cosmic disco expert Budino, appearing alongside Elisa Paradiso, the instantaneous lead cut ‘Summer’s Here and Summer’s Missing’ recounts a sun-drenched romance cut short. The duo’s soft, bittersweet synthesis mingles with Budino’s Italian-language lyrics, gently pulsing to find closure, or at least further pleasure, while up late in a Balearic discoteque.
Under those same hot lights, Boys' Shorts go deeper still with the leading oscillations of ‘Stereo on Acid’, in which classic, wobbly-hearted 808 sounds flirt playfully with a bassline that bumps like downtown traffic on a sweltering Athens afternoon. Reflecting the hidden pleasures and true underground culture of the city after nightfall, title track ‘Athena’ is a sensual and sophisticated groove with an epic yet understated touch, that one can imagine soundtracking a future soiree or centuries of ancient history alike.
Phantasy proudly presents a new AA single from Ewan McVicar, ‘Careless Drifter / Basic Foundation’. Undoubtedly one of the most prominent and successful figures in UK dance music in recent years, McVicar’s contribution to Erol Alkan’s long-standing London label is a love letter from his earliest days raving in rural Scotland. Debuted by McVicar at I Love Acid at Corsica Studios, and road tested at his own Handpicked parties, each track is a paean to communal party spirit that has informed his musical philosophy.
Patient but instantly trippy, ‘Careless Drifter’ coaxes dancers into a bottom-heavy bath of bassline and oscillations, revealing an alluring saxophone break that bridges the rawest end of the rave with unexpected opulence.
On the flip side, ‘Basic Foundation’ further strips back this instinct for club composition, dropping the tempo while dazzling with razor-sharp synths. The result is primo acid-house chug, alternating between light and shade, as McVicar’s knack for a melody emerges from his modular experiments.
Harvey McKay delivers a powerful edit of Daniel Avery’s classic Drone Logic, raising the tempo and expanding on the original’s psychedelia with his own distinct aesthetic of soulful, slamming techno. A secret weapon in the DJ sets of both artists in recent months, as well as for Erol Alkan, this much-requested track is now pressed by Phantasy in a run of 500. Noise flies high!
As one of the most prolific and influential producers of the last thirty years, The Hacker’s imprint on electronic music already spans genres, eras and scene revolutions. And still, there’s more. In spirited collaboration with friend and fellow French journeyman Endrik Schroeder, the first release from The Hacker & Endrik Schroeder Project eschews EBM excess or gritty electro. Instead, two introductory tracks slip into the continuum of evergreen underground techno, influenced in equal part by the digital soul of Detroit, and the futurist experimentations of Sheffield.
Quickly escalating from a classic beat to a hoover-rave ascent determined to fill the vacuum of any warehouse, ‘Puissance’ is an unapologetic anthem that doubles as an elegant and impactful introduction to the Hacker & Schroeder partnership. Hypnotising dancers with ever-more forceful acid oscillations, the pair masterfully stave off the pressure with a wide-eyed organ riff, played live and direct from rave heaven.
‘The Voyagers’ contrasts with a cosmic groove, certain to satisfy heads-down bleep purists, while dedicating time and space for the charisma and quirks of this machine-led dance to shine through, including emotional pads and whispering voices, par excellence.
Roman Flügel returns to Phantasy with his second release of 2024 on Erol Alkan’s beloved London label, ‘No Solutions EP’. Following on from ‘Hotel Kathargo / Energies’, which garnered a summer of support from a typically diverse array of DJs including Gerd Janson, Jamie Jones and Saoirse, ‘No Solutions’ expands Flügel’s contributions to Phantasy into a triple track delight, another generous expression of his lifelong immersion in electronic music culture.
Transporting the zeitgeist of future-facing, eighties pop production onto modern dance floors, the title track ‘No Solutions’ is a fizzy, escalating ode to some of Flügel’s very earliest musical influences. Playfully channeling the wide-eyed electronics pioneered by The Human League or Soft Cell, it accelerates into a contemporary funhouse of wild oscillations and dreamy melodies.
‘Sapphire’ shifts this sound palette forward, a steady acid-not-acid bubbler that maintains maximum intrigue and pressure, occasionally breaking through its hazy clouds with pillowy breakdowns and a sense of space-age whimsy. Flügel takes the same palette in a different, more exacting direction on ‘Dragged’, spinning a creeping, Krautrock-esque groove that pays homage to the steady, lifting pulse of German kosmische traditions. Lift off!
One of the longest-serving and most consistently intriguing artists within the fold of Phantasy, U returns to the label with another two-track trip of sonic mystery and erratic magic, ‘Parade/Watchers’.
Presented on limited-pressing 12” vinyl with a sleeve riso printed by U with London's Error Press.
With the texture and earthy promise of a psychedelic mulch, ‘Parade’ presents a glorious timelapse of acid-inflected minimalism. Unfolding defiantly at nearly fifteen minutes, U’s driving but subtle composition transports from guttural, electronic uncertainty to a wide-eyed denouement in one illusionary transition.
With inverse effect but no less power, ‘Watchers’ unexpectedly drops listeners into a rough wash of digital hardcore, spinning it’s initial warehouse chords into a collage of decay and regrowth, a nephilim-scaled journey and arguably U’s most ambitious production to date.
Repress
Needing no introduction, The Chemical Brothers make a very special appearance on Phantasy with a limited-edition vinyl pressing of Erol Alkan’s triumphant remix of ‘Goodbye’, a highlight from their recent, Grammy-nominated album, ‘For That Beautiful Feeling’.
Masterfully bridging soulful vocals and widescreen techno with their typical psychedelic edge, Alkan’s interpretation demonstrates his unique brotherhood with Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Across a near ten-minute journey, Alkan pushes the Brothers’ irresistible synth line further into dissonant analogue bliss, which coupled with celestial breakdowns, already counts as a personal favourite in the London DJ and producer’s diverse, enviable back catalogue of reworks. The other side of the record includes Alkan's previously unreleased instrumental.
Erol Alkan further expands on his production for Duran Duran’s acclaimed 2021 studio album, ‘FUTURE PAST’, with a ceremonious, widescreen rework of the single ‘GIVE IT ALL UP’.
Recorded in London with founding members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor, as well as Blur's Graham Coxon on guitar, ‘GIVE IT ALL UP’ also features contributions from Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo, whose soaring vocals anchor the dramatic progression of Alkan’s sensitive reinterpretation.
Blossoming in unison with Le Bon’s own iconic voice and an insistent bassline that recalls the band’s innovative ‘Night Versions’, Alkan draws closer together Duran Duran’s legendary instinct for both pop music and the dancefloor alike. Expanding on this, the 12” includes a ‘Stripped Vox’ version which appears exclusive to the vinyl edition, arranged by Alkan for his own DJ sets and proven to be a powerful tool at clubs and festivals over the past few months.
Following her 2021 debut, ‘Save My Day’, remixed by DJ Python, PYTKO returns to Phantasy with ‘Silent’, experimental and introspective electronic songwriting this time radically reworked by beloved pop-experimentalist, Bullion.
On ‘Silent’, PYTKO invites listeners to lean in closer than before. Seemingly untangling the frustrations of a faltering love affair, it’s vulnerable lyrics arrive buried beneath a sophisticated arrangement that, with bit-crushed electronics and rumbling bass notes, seems to decay with haunting effect. In contrast, the austere ‘Orchids & Limes’ mines an equally original sound, a striking sort of cyber-balearica sculpted around PYTKO’s intricate guitar work, conjuring an even darker sense of romance.
In radical contrast, Bullion proves a perfect fold to PYTKO’s vision with his positively high-spirited flip of ‘Silent’. The man behind DEEK Recordings and cult hits such as Blue Pedro keeps PYTKO’s perspective front-and-centre, while performing an alchemy of magic and melancholy that results in one the most memorable remixes in Phantasy’s fifteen-year history.
Returning to Phantasy for a triumphant fourth single, ahead of a debut album to be released later in 2023, Josh Caffe dons ‘Meine Lederjeans’ for a gloriously tight squeeze of electro-funk, accompanied by an unapologetically gritty, stroboscopic remix from Caffe’s frequent collaborators, Paranoid London.
Dialing the tempo down from the frenetic club play of previous releases ‘According To Jacqueline’ and ‘Do You Want To Take Me Home?’, ‘Meine Lederjeans’ finds the British-Ugandan DJ and performer melting into a hedonistic slow jam of Prince-indebted grooves driven by drum machines oozing Chicago spirit with additional playing from Alex White of cult groups Fat White Family and Saint Leonard. Celebrating and subverting queer tropes in double measures, ‘Meine Lederjeans’ is an exquisite blend of soul and sexuality.
Paranoid London, the duo of Gerardo Delgagdo and Quinn Whalley (Caffe’s principal studio partner, and producer of ‘Meine Lederjeans’) deliver a characteristically merciless remix of Caffe’s original, looping their vocalist into an acid-soaked stupor. Throbbing, insistent, maximal yet minimal, this is PL in particularly raw form.
Having co-produced Duran Duran’s acclaimed fifteenth studio album, ‘FUTURE PAST’, Erol Alkan returns to recent single ‘ALL OF YOU’ to deliver a very special Extended Rework. Paying tribute to the band’s pioneering ‘Night Version’ remixes that tipped their earliest material towards the dance floor, this grandiose reimagining equally recalls Alkan’s beloved reworks from over the years.
Recorded with founding members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor, ‘All Of You’ also features lead guitar from Graham Coxon and backing vocals by Barli. Blessed with the raw material, Alkan distills each element into a glorious disco odyssey totalling nearly ten minutes, an epic but sensual dance floor trip that already ranks amongst his finest work.
Phantasy is proud to release 'ALL OF YOU (Erol Alkan's Extended Rework)’ (backed with an instrumental version) on a limited run of 12” vinyl.
Incl. Schacke Remix
Having been extensively road-tested this past year by DJs including Daniel Avery, HAAi and Gerd Janson, Highdive arrives with tangible anticipation. The work of less-than-shadowy figures Gramrcy and John Loveless, the pair have passed lockdown and beyond remixing artists such as WH Lung, Discovery Zone and Ghost Culture. Debuting their first original material, closely following Gramrcy’s recent appearance on Loveless’s own Hot Concept imprint, Highdive is a long-anticipated explosion of energy.
Built around a sonic-boom breakdown, glossy rave chords and pounding post-punk drums, Highdive feels immediately at home on Phantasy. Having worked closely alongside founder Erol Alkan in recent years to shape the imprint's diverse output, Loveless' collaboration with the Peach Discs founder nods to the electro landscape of the label's earliest days. Having never left dance floors since, Gramrcy & John Loveless take a golden opportunity to plunge dancers into the sublime and the ridiculous.
While a stripped-down ‘Beats Mix’ sees the pair adopt a less-maximal approach, leave it to Schacke to stretch Highdive into hardcore rave heaven. The already-influential Copenhagen artist underscores his refreshing funk in the ‘fast-techno’ scene through which he has risen, turning the screws and upping the tempo with intense but elastic results.
Incl. Schacke Remix
Having been extensively road-tested this past year by DJs including Daniel Avery, HAAi and Gerd Janson, Highdive arrives with tangible anticipation. The work of less-than-shadowy figures Gramrcy and John Loveless, the pair have passed lockdown and beyond remixing artists such as WH Lung, Discovery Zone and Ghost Culture. Debuting their first original material, closely following Gramrcy’s recent appearance on Loveless’s own Hot Concept imprint, Highdive is a long-anticipated explosion of energy.
Built around a sonic-boom breakdown, glossy rave chords and pounding post-punk drums, Highdive feels immediately at home on Phantasy. Having worked closely alongside founder Erol Alkan in recent years to shape the imprint's diverse output, Loveless' collaboration with the Peach Discs founder nods to the electro landscape of the label's earliest days. Having never left dance floors since, Gramrcy & John Loveless take a golden opportunity to plunge dancers into the sublime and the ridiculous.
While a stripped-down ‘Beats Mix’ sees the pair adopt a less-maximal approach, leave it to Schacke to stretch Highdive into hardcore rave heaven. The already-influential Copenhagen artist underscores his refreshing funk in the ‘fast-techno’ scene through which he has risen, turning the screws and upping the tempo with intense but elastic results.
Introducing Josh Caffe’s second single on Phantasy, ‘Do You Wanna Take Me Home?’ is a sensual yet gritty return, a keen document of just one of the many stories of desire always occurring in the shadows, just beyond the strobes. Produced in collaboration with Quinn Whalley, one half of Paranoid London, ‘Do You Wanna Take Me Home?’ also features a headsy interpretation from Steffi & Virginia, marking their first ever collaborative remix.
Inspired by the rawest shades of early Chicago house music, ‘Do You Wanna Take Me Home?’ finds Caffe in thirsty pursuit of pleasure and recognition, eyes locked on an unidentified but all-too enticing individual in the club. Whereas previous single ‘According To Jacqueline’ turned the heads of dancers with it’s outrageous sexuality, Caffe’s follow-up finds him switched by a different strain of lust, head down in a blend of analogue jack and vocal vulnerability.
Steffi & Virginia have long since established themselves as distinct individual forces in contemporary dance music. Here, reunited in the studio together in the first instance since 2019’s ‘Work A Change’ EP on Ostgut Ton, the duo transplant Caffe’s yearning invitation into a sensuous reverie that touches on the deeper, tripper ends of their house and techno heritage. Driven by creeping organ chords and a powerful shuffling bassline, the result is a sophisticated reimagining primed for the heat of the function.
Clear Vinyl Repress!!!
The landmark hundredth single on Phantasy, Erol Alkan’s ‘Automatic’ accompanied with two remixes that further take the London DJ and producer’s psychedelic club vision in distinct directions. The original 12" pressing, limited to 100 and hand-numbered, sold out in less than an hour.
Palms Trax builds on the sensual reverie of Alkan’s production with an electrifying rework full of touches both French and personal. Throwing out a gloriously chic bassline, the Berlin-based producer sprinkles carefully considered sweeps, stabs and filters on a trip to timeless house euphoria.
Mirroring the first ever artist to release on Phantasy in 2007 where Alkan remixed 'Engine', LA Priest proves a perfect candidate to reconstruct the label’s centenary single, a task he approaches with typically esoteric nous. Coaxing a heavenly aura from the original’s glorious loops, Sam Eastgate’s collection of reengineered and self-made analogue equipment soon progresses to melt Automatic’s rhythm into sticky cosmic bliss.
“Boot licking, piss drinking, finger frigging, tit tweaking, love biting, arse licking, shit stabbing, motherfucking, spunk loving, ball busting, cock sucking, fist fucking, lip smacking, thirst quenching, cool living, ever giving…”
There’s no fairer introduction to ‘Fist’, Joshua James’ latest contribution to Phantasy, than to advise one simply to prepare themselves. Sampling iconic performance artist, club promoter and designer Leigh Bowery, James connects the expert dancefloor pressure he exacts each weekend as one of London’s best-loved club residents with the unapologetic, defiant legacy of a personal hero. None other than Peaches then takes up the remix mantle for ‘Fist’, intertwining the provocations of two radical performers and connecting three generations of underground queer culture in one sonic menage-a-trois, perhaps the straight-up rudest club record in recent memory.
On the original production, James shifts his sound in a heavier direction still since last summer’s euphoric Amber Rush, which was remixed by labelmate and friend Daniel Avery. A bouncing industrial tilt underscores the heavy-duty production, as Bowery, originally recording alongside Richard Torry in their band Minty, espouses a catalogue of sexual acts - some specialist, all sensational - as James pushes dancers further down into the belly of some revolting rave beast.
A multi-faceted match to Bowery themselves, Peaches continues a decades-long journey dedicated to genre and gender deconstruction with her wild and playful take on ‘Fist’. Dripping in cybernetic club juice, Peaches wraps herself around Bowery’s own teaches on the mic, easily matching his demands as she careens towards a system-rattling techno conclusion.
Following on from his 2021 debut on Phantasy, ‘Qué Sientes’ ft. Tee Amara, Cromby returns with another release that’s long been a secret weapon in his high-energy DJ sets everywhere from Berlin to his home city of Belfast, accompanied by an expertly-executed remix from Head High. Once again, Cromby provides one of his own sublime paintings as the artwork for 'Loving'.
Distinctly playable as either high-velocity house or pure rave with a refreshing streak of suspense, ‘Loving’ fires out the gate with inspired wonkiness, tripping on hardcore chords and a vocal sample manipulated to lunacy. Cromby reaffirms his instinctive ability to tip a dancefloor over the edge, planting multiple explosions of serotonin, the sort of drops that might shatter the windows of his beloved Panorama Bar, then confidently returning to a timeless groove.
Given the material, Head High, the alias of René Pawlowitz (AKA, Shed), proves a sublime choice to take on ‘Loving’. Delivering his first remix in a number of years, Pawlowitz induces a different kind of pressure, once again indulging in his lifelong devotion to classic organ chords, timeless breakbeats and the kind of chemically enhanced atmosphere bottled firsthand on the Frankfurt rave scene of the early nineties.
Complimenting the valleys of energy previously sculpted, Cromby winds things tighter on the rolling ‘Acid Trifle’, weaving percussive passages that speak for a reverence to Latin-House rhythms amid an undulating acid journey.
Already iconic in London’s underground queer rave scene, Josh Caffe makes a characteristically upfront and disruptive arrival to Phantasy with his debut single for Erol Alkan’s label, ‘According to Jacqueline’. Produced in collaboration with Quinn of Paranoid London, for whom Caffe has previously provided vocals on club favourites such as ‘Vicious Games’ as well as for their rapturous live sets, ‘According to Jacqueline’ fully centres and cements Caffe’s personal vision of club culture as a raw and demanding force.
Loosely chronicling a hi-NRG pursuit across the club, ‘According to Jacqueline’ follows murmurs on the dancefloor concerning one such individual, a “freaky butch queen on the scene, dancing round like a machine.” Outrageous, confrontational and disappearing further into a space between ecstasy and submission, Caffe’s attitude and sound spans Chicago house, vogue culture and the resurgent spirit of his home city’s current LGBTQI+ landscape.
A complimentary dub provides dancers the opportunity to luxuriate in the sensuality of Caffe’s advances, but no matter what side the needle lands on, Jacqueline’s wicked tongue persists in cheek.
Following recent appearances on Permanent Vacation, Mute and Correspondant, Terr makes a triumphant return to Phantasy with a deeply dreamy new single, ‘Wings of Time’. Marking Terr's third appearance on the label, and her first since 2019, 'Wings of Time' is complimented by a momentous remix from Tornado
Wallace.
‘Wings Of Time’ serves to underscore Daniela Caldellas’ talents as both a producer and performer, a songwriter and a master of dancefloor atmosphere. Terr’s assured vocal performance once again takes front-and-centre, a warm beckoning light through a journey made of shimmering pads, wistful chords and
defined by a powerful sense of groove. An instrumental edition further highlights the arrangement, which resolves with rare, cosmic catharsis.
Tornado Wallace appears to stretch the time Terr sings of on his elastic, tunnelling remix, grinding out every inch of tension and detail from the blueprint, expanding minds and widening eyes in the process. While Terr’s original will likely send dancers to the heavens, Wallace reverses the energy source for an unexpectedly bass-heavy interpretation that generates a different, earthier pleasure.
Incl Daniel Avery Remix
A pivotal figure amid London’s queer club continuum, Joshua James follows up an iconic trilogy of releases on Phantasy with a powerful swerve into pure techno with ‘Amber Rush’, complete with a remix by close friend and Phantasy labelmate, Daniel Avery.
Crackling with energy, its pendulous drums reminiscent of The Chemical Brothers in their Battle Weapon mode, ‘Amber Rush’ matches the thunder-dome ready scope of a big-room anthem with waves of psychedelic texture. The result is guaranteed rapid-fire synapse tickling within even the best (or worst) adjusted of dedicated rave brains.
Avery’s metallic-tinted reimagining subtly shifts the aesthetic of ‘Amber Rush’, gliding out of the strobe and into the fog. Wisely following the course of undulating euphoria mapped out by James, Avery transforms acid tension into graceful heights and somehow deeper plunges, ultimately settling on a killer groove.
Cromby debuts on Phantasy alongside vocalist Tee Amara with a luminous new single, ‘Qué Sientes’. An emergent anthem overflowing with the energy that has come to define the Belfast producer’s ascent as one of the most versatile talents in club culture, ‘Qué Sientes’ is contemporary electro brimming with character, skilfully remixed by Ecuadorian underground favourite, Nicola Cruz.
Raw in dancefloor intent, ‘Qué Sientes’ erupts with no hesitation atop Dance Mania-indebted drums, blending Tee Amara’s Spanish-language vocal performance with a seductive acid squelch. Written and recorded in Berlin during lockdown, ‘Qué Sientes’ is the meeting of two friends and lifelong dancefloor enthusiasts from across the world, fluid rave sensuality rendered ideal for Cromby’s already legendary closing sets at Panorama Bar, or any other high-voltage dancefloor.
Complementing the Latin flavour of Cromby’s original production, French-Ecuadorian cult favourite Nicola Cruz applies his precision percussion and further cosmological atmospheres to ‘Qué Sientes’. Adeeply trippy take, Cruz’s result is late-night house psychedelia rendered both mechanical and mystical.
Fort Romeau provides Phantasy with a none-more-timely rave opus in the form of FWD NRG. Unleashing an unexpected, accelerated side of his immaculate studio experiments, FWD NRG is also remixed with blistering results by AceMo.
Immediately engulfing dancers in breakneck kicks, trancing synths and driven by a vampish melody, FWD NRG’s intent is rich in vintage rave texture, dusty and almost warped. This expertly controlled chaos builds to an epic wormhole of a breakdown, dissolving time and space until dancers find their minds transported to a field near Frankfurt, circa 1994.
FWD NRG could well be the maxim of New York’s AceMo, the prolific New York producer who has earned a deserved reputation as one of electronic music’s most inventive and versatile figures. His monumental ‘N Is For Nrg’ remix locates a menacing undertone in Fort Romeau’s original production, spinning off and hitting even tougher with vast rave stabs and gloriously frenetic arrangements.
‘Silica’ marks the first release of Berlin label Post Hoc, presenting a 4 track debut EP by S.P.T, including a remix by Karl O’Connor aka Regis.
Vocals on ‘Diprivan’ by Lea Maria Fries
MMODEMM teamed up with PH17 for a new release – a split tape with tracks from Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig. Side A by MMODEMM side B by PH17. In order to purchase the digital B-side of this tape, please visit PH17's Bandcamp.
Includes unlimited streaming of MMODEMM I PH17 (Split Tape, A-Side) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Phantasy’s #PH100 retrospective continues with PH45RMX. Denham Audio, perhaps one of the most prolific British production crews emerging in some time, arrive on Phantasy with a breakbeat-heavy and lucid take on James Welsh’s ‘Cold Land’.
Originally released under Welsh’s original alias of Kamera in 2015, ‘Cold Land’ remains one of the underrated gems in the label’s back catalogue. Initially emerging from a shed in rural Mallorca, it’s halcyon poly synths and skittish drums immediately recall the wide-eyed optimism of 90s IDM. Far from mere ‘braindance’, ‘Cold Land’s emotive quality affords it a unique timelessness.
Fresh from releases on Lobster Theremin and E-Beamz, Denham Audio build on their recent reputation for both nuance and impact, comfortably interweaving the dreamy melody of Welsh’s with unapologetic breaks, taking the original’s futurist sonics into the parallel scene of UK hardcore and DnB. For those with a warehouse going spare, the alternate ‘Raw Mix’ hits even harder.
6
B•O•M is the fifth album by freak electronic producer NCHX (NOCHEXXX). A percussive planet of acid-techno, UK bass, house and electro-phonk, hosed down with a chemical wash of post-dubstep and UK bleep contaminants.
Departing with a tube station screech, HUNTING HIDES signals a lone defender’s ride through the underground - trace amounts of musique concrete dart around the tunnel walls, while sub-low cushions the rumble. ENTERCOL is perfect 3am mix fodder; saturation hot-points push beneath a middle eastern theme, whilst SEVENTH GUN TERRITORY is pure rapid-fire bongo bizness - a concrete terrain punctuated with corrugated metal grids and moving shadows: distorted poly-metered brutalism! CYBERTUSH is the perfect OST to a club littered with vape pens, while B-Boi bots flirt with promiscuous A.I.
Arguably the most fierce cut is TEFLONTUAN - an ode to NCHX’s favourite pro Antuan Dixon - the Deathwish skater lands bolts with the illest of steeze. Side-chained 303 squelch rattles alongside x0x sequenced drums as wavetable pads float above kinked rails. A nights gallop over city curbs. The LP signs off with LOCATION SCOUT, a SpaceX sample-return mission heading back to earth with a fistful of deep house red planet crumble.
“A dance floor’s dream and a mixing engineer’s nightmare” - Resident Advisor
