Three years since a debut volume, ‘A Psychedelic Sensibility II: The Remixes’ digs further into the diverse back catalogue of Erol Alkan’s esteemed London label, bringing fresh focus to a collection of transcendent remixes of Phantasy’s key artists, reinterpreted by some of the most iconic and creative names in electronic music.
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Mirroring A Psychedelic Sensibility’s initial 2020 edition, this expansive sequel has been curated and mixed live by John Loveless, the DJ, producer and writer who has been creatively involved with the label since 2014. The Bandcamp exclusive compilation also features an exclusive new remix of PYTKO 'All Pretty Wishes Of Mine' from John Loveless and his regular production partner Gramrcy, their first release on Phantasy since 2022’s rave hit ‘Highdive’, and a euphoric addition to a mix that plots a course through unexpected and esoteric corners of Phantasy’s history as a proudly independent label.
Stream or download PYTKO 'All Pretty Wishes Of Mine' (Gramrcy & John Loveless Remix) here
Polish songwriter and producer PYTKO first appears remixed by Bullion, whose glorious melancholy pop take on ‘Silent’ opens the curtains on a deep, lower tempo chapter that also features I:Cube’s luxurious take on Future Four’s ‘Connection’, long since a gamer’s favourite having featured in Dixon’s radio playlist for Grand Theft Auto. Mano Le Tough ably squeezes wide-eyed wonder from Erol Alkan’s propulsive ‘Spectrum’, while Tornado Wallace turns TERR’s hopeful harmonies into electro ecstasy with his remix of the Brazilian artist’s ‘Wings of Time’.
Loveless’s live mixing then transfers potential dancers from washing in acid to tripping on electro, as Nicola Cruz’s reimagining of Cromby’s ‘Que Sientes’ places collaborator Tee Amara’s voice in a cybernetic, sensual web, blending with the high camp and high tension of Marlene by Joshua James, dubbed out here by Swiss maestro Deetron. A pioneer of minimal techno, Ricardo Villalobos generates rare hypnosis for his bewitching take on Jay Duncan and Ben Vince’s dissonant In Limbo, while Sharif Laffrey indulges nocturnal ravers with a confidently menacing mix of Cowboy Rhythmbox’s ‘6AM Cowboy’.
Steffi & Virginia translate the spirit of a Panorama Bar closing set to their bumping remix of Josh Caffé’s yearning house burner ‘Do You Want To Take Me Home?’, before Erol Alkan returns to the mix with his equally Chicago-tinted version of Chilly Gonzales’s legendary piano rap, ‘Never Stop’. A different kind of jack unfolds as LH, aka Laurel Halo, unspools Wilted Woman’s Lon Lon Night Vision with typical depth and vision.
Signalling an emotive final stretch, Gramrcy & John Loveless return to PYTKO and switch ‘All Pretty Wishes Of Mine’ from outsider oddness to intense pop techno, as the ultra-versatile AceMo twists Fort Romeau’s hymn to hardcore ‘FWD NRG’ into even stranger rave shapes. The first ever remix under his since prolific Special Request moniker, Paul Woolford’s hardcore reimagining of Daniel Avery’s ‘Taste’ remains an analogue wonder electronic, creeping up the tempo before the heavyweight emotional punch of Denham Audio’s ‘Melodic Mix’ of James Welsh’s blistering ‘Cold Land’.
With a second to catch a breath, ‘A Psychedelic Sensibility II: The Remixes’ concludes at the very beginning with Erol Alkan’s own ‘Transonic’ edit of LA Priest’s Engine. Phantasy Sound’s first-ever single in 2007, its celebratory energy and inherently playful nature serve as the perfect ending to a collection reflecting sixteen years of creativity and experimentation in electronic music.
Tracklist:
PYTKO - Silent (Bullion Remix)
Future Four - Connection (I:Cube Remix)
Erol Alkan - Spectrum (Mano Le Tough Remix)
TERR - Wings of Time (Tornado Wallace Remix)
Cromby - Qué Sientes (Nicola Cruz Remix)
Joshua James - Marlene (Deetron Filter Dub)
Jay Duncan ft. Ben Vince - In Limbo (Ricardo Villalobos Remix)
Cowboy Rhythmbox - 6AM Cowboy (Sharif Laffrey Remix)
Josh Caffé - Do You Want To Take Me Home? (Steffi & Virginia Remix)
Chilly Gonzales - Never Stop (Erol Alkan Remix)
Wilted Woman - Lon Lon Night Vision (Laurel Halo Remix)
PYTKO - All Pretty Wishes Of Mine (Gramrcy & John Loveless Remix)
Fort Romeau - FWD NRG (AceMo Remix)
Daniel Avery - Taste (Special Request Remix)
James Welsh - Cold Land (Denham Audio Melodic Mix)
LA Priest - Engine (Erol Alkan’s Transonic Re-Edit)