Connan Mockasin Daniel Avery Erol Alkan Ghost Culture Klaxons U
11 min read

Phantasy 100: PH31 – PH40


PH31

The 31st single came from Connan Mockasin, featuring a highlight of Connan’s recently released second album, Caramel. ‘I’m The Man, That Will Find You’ was recorded in a hotel room in Tokyo. On the flip, Connan delivered an unexpected cover of Outkast classic, ‘She Lives In My Lap’ providing his own, esoteric take on the Speakerboxxx/The Love Below standard. Striking photography on the cover was courtesy of Jen Carey.

Pitchfork wrote in 2013: "His tireless search quickly turns into strange obsession: as its guitars quiver around the edge of consciousness, Mockasin blurts "I can wait a long time," in the "Cooper's Dream" cadence, his oozing infatuation taking on an otherworldly bent. Mockasin's fine 2011 effort Forever Dolphin Love seemed caught at the cusp of a dream, but there's something slightly nightmarish about "Find You", like finding out a few minutes too late about all those horse hooves in your dessert."

The lascivious video was directed by Daniel Brereton and starring New York-based model Naomi Shimada, and was shot at a private residence in Rochdale, UK. It was described by Connan as “a very straightforward love story, it is about being all alone, wondering if there is someone out there to find you".

Released 30th Jan 2014, and all copies of the 12" are sold out.






PH32
 
Erol Alkan: "When asked about this EP in the past, I've usually talked about making tracks specifically for my own Dj sets, but in looking back across Phantasy's first 100 single releases, and simultaneously looking back 7 years to these 3 tracks, there is something else I'd like to share.
 
I always struggled with finishing music on my own. I've enjoyed the collaborative process with other Djs and producers as well as helping others make records either through mixing or production, especially bands, something I've been doing for over 15 years. This meant that over those years, I made countless demos, maybe a couple of hundred, which never saw the light of day. Slowly, through discipline and working with a couple of engineers, I found my own way to completing music. Having another set of ears in the room allows you to hear music through them, almost like a filter, and helps your decision making.
 
'A Hold On Love' was born out of another track which had been sitting around for a while, utilizing a single element and bringing it to life in just an afternoon. The title came from the voice sample in the middle, which is me messing around with an AKAI S612 sampler, given to me by a friend who had been using it as a doorstop. It ended up being used on each track on this EP in some way. The sampler spelt the words 'A... Hold... On... Love' out as I triggered different note on the keyboard to play that melody, so that became the title.

But for me, an important part of this song's story lies with it's video. The title inspired a conversation I had with the video's director Daniel Bereton, when we agreed the theme of the video was to document how we sometimes chase pivotal experiences in our lives, and it inevitably never feeling as magical as that first time. A hold on love.
 
As somebody who hates making videos so much that I felt anxious watching the first cut, it was difficult to separate my own emotional link with the music and accept a visual to accompany it, but halfway through, I fell completely in love with it. Thank you Daniel.
 
This video dramatically enhanced the song's emotion. Upon release we were flooded with people sharing stories of similar moments in their lives. It was actually quite overwhelming."

'Illumination' EP was released 2nd December 2013 and we no longer have any copies of the 12" left.






PH32RMX1 + PH32RMX2

Erol Alkan: "I love reworking other peoples music, so when it came around to have the tracks from 'Illumination' remixed, I did my best to match the source tracks with a potential remixer. I asked Tom Trago to remix 'A Hold On Love' as I really liked his productions, and felt he could make something which could retain the meloncoly of the original and bring a different dancefloor dynamic to it. For 'Bang', I asked one of my favourite producers The Emperor Machine as I'd been a fan of his for a long time, and I also asked Beau Wanzer who was making some of the strangest club records of that era, many of which I would play.

The one which still blows my mind in 2020 came from U. His version of 'Check Out Your Mind' is incredible, if you haven't heard it, then please go and listen now."






PH33

Ghost Culture lead us back towards the dancefloor on PH33, which featured both the original and a new dub version of ‘Guidecca’, as well as a new track, ‘Half Open’. Once again demonstrating his canny head for dancefloor dynamics, ‘Half Open’ is a smooth, pristine electro trip through the outermost analogue reaches of the Ghost Culture studio. It was released on 24th February 2014, and pressed onto limited edtion clear vinyl.

It was later accompanied by a wistful sequel, ‘appropriately titled ‘Half Closed’, which was part of a short vinyl run as PHTRX01, alongside a Raudive remix of early Daniel Avery highlight, ‘The Eagle’.

In 2014 Resident Advisor wrote: "On 'Half Open', the instrumental, piques the interest straight away through a bright, acidic lead line and keeps it with an addictive bass groove and pretty keys. Again, it's difficult to believe it's the work of a novice producer. The same can be said of the vocal effort, "Giudecca," whose filtered vocals, spacey synths and rangy bass confer a futurist synth-pop feel. As with Mouth, there's also a dub version of the title track, but in this case it puts an enjoyable new spin on the original rather than overshadowing it. Progress on all fronts, then, from a producer worth keeping an eye on."

The video was directed by Tilly and Bevan, and featured Ghost Culture's self built, sequenced lighting which was later to be used on stage.

For the occasion of PH33RMX, Phantasy invited Gabe Gurnsey to remix 'Guidecca' by Ghost Culture. This glitching, dark reimagining of ‘Guidecca’ channels the best of both acts and arrived on a limited-edition, one-sided 12”.






PH34

The 34th single on Phantasy was Daniel Avery's 'Drone Logic' EP, with a special white-label vinyl edition of both Audion and Matt Walsh’s reinterpretations of 'Drone Logic' album tracks ‘Need Electric’ and ‘Free Floating’.

Operating under his beloved Audion persona, the artist otherwise known as Matthew Dear delivers an audacious reimagining of ‘Need Electric’, detailed with voluminous bass throbs and a serious heads-down, tripped out atmosphere. The darkness of Audion’s remix is subverted by Matt Walsh’s sensational reimagining of ‘Free Floating’. Founder of label Clouded Vision, Walsh remixed run the East London party Movement with Avery, Walsh delivers a spectral and euphoric edit of the original that’s true to the psychedelic form of the original, deeply trippy vision.

The white-label 12" was released 10th March 2014 and sold out a while ago.




PH35
 
Erol Alkan: "Klaxons were one of the first band I produced in the 00s, I think it was around 2005 when the first version of 'Gravity's Rainbow' was released on a 7". We spent 3 days during Summer working on some music which would later be released as b-sides for the 'Myths Of The Near Future' record. 2006 was a hell of a year, whatever memories I have of that era are pretty great...
 
Almost a decade later, we re-grouped for their third album 'Love Frequency', which I produced a couple of tracks for: 'The Dreamers' and 'Rhythm Of Life', which had started as a demo I'd made with Boys Noize a few years before.
 
The bulk of the album was produced by Tom Rowlands from The Chemical Brothers, who had also created an alternative version of the album closer 'Love Frequency'. I'd been playing the remix out for months and asked if Phantasy could release the remix just on vinyl, I made an alternative version ('Mild Pitch Remix') on the flipside as I had been playing Tom's mix far slower."
 
Phantasy released PH35 on the 14th April 2014 on limited edition vinyl, and all copies are sold out.

 

PH36
 
PH36 delivered one of our most opulent remixes from one of the scene's most versatile characters, KiNK, whose uplifting remix of Daniel Avery's 'Drone Logic' album closing act 'Knowing We'll Be Here' quickly became a club and festival favourite for the dreamiest moments. Subtly epic in a different way, the psychedelic sonic brotherhood of Beyond The Wizard Sleeve got together to deliver a dense and unusual retake of 'New Energy'.
 
The remixes were pressed onto 12" vinyl and released 12th June 2014. Copies of the vinyl are sold out.
 
The music video for 'Knowing We'll Be Here' was directed by Joshua Lipworth.

 





PH37

Erol Alkan: "Manic Street Preachers are a band who I can soundly say changed my life. Discovering them at the age of 16 within the pages of the NME was a total game changer, I was captivated by their dedication and energy, and could relate to their sense of escapism. Through their interviews, I found new books to read, music to listen to and also a political code that I was able to carry in myself. This feels like this could be a post itself, but it goes without saying that being able to release their music on my own label was a big moment.

Being asked to remix the Manic's was an honour in it's own right, I agreed immediately. I was then invited to support the band at two of the three night's they performed 'The Holy Bible' (which remains one of my favourite ever albums) at The Roundhouse in 2014, while the other night was helmed by Andrew Weatherall. During those shows, after playing 'The Holy Bible', they would play a second set of songs, and would walk onstage to my rework of 'Europa Geht Durch Mich'. I can't really explain how wonderful this felt.

The back of the sleeve featured an eerily prophetic quote from Anselm Kiefer, 'My memory is my only homeland'."

Sony were kind enough to allow Phantasy to release both remixes on 23rd June 2014 on a limited edition of 300, which sold out in a day. Copies have since been selling for around £80 on Discogs.



PH38

Following on from two singles, ‘Mouth’ and ‘Giudecca', as well as his critically-acclaimed debut LP, ‘Arms’ saw Ghost Culture at his brooding, even malevolent best, fashioning a deeply groovy and somewhat cryptic pop number that creates an atmosphere heavy with tension and mystery. The track was accompanied by a colourful, charmingly animated video from John Christian Ferner Apalnes, one that recalls the early, experimental days of the music video format in its DIY ambition.

On the flip, ‘Understand’ sees Ghost Culture re-establish his dancefloor nous with another analogue and dusty groover. The EP was co-produced and mixed by Erol Alkan across two London studios.

'Arms / Understand' was released on limited edition clear vinyl on 25th August 2014.





PH39

Following up his blistering remix of Erol Alkan’s ‘Check Out Ur Mind’ and his surrealist collaboration with Babe, Terror as BTU, mysterious London producer U made his presence fully felt on Phantasy with his debut EP for the label, ‘Haven In A Heartfelt World’. Across four tracks, U unfurls a dense vision of quality dramatic electronic music; the glitching, organ drone of ‘The Kids Will Take Care Of Themselves’ belying an odd groove, before ‘Monogamy’ and it’s paranoid rendition reminiscent of a haunted fax machine. ‘Shame’ interprets the heavy burden of its title, and ‘Pilgrimage’ attempts to find peace in a melancholy chamber composition, unfolding beautifully over eight-minutes.

This remarkable record arrived with a suitably eye-catching sleeve, designed by Phantasy mainstay, David Rudnick. It was released on 20th October 2014, pressed onto 12" vinyl and housed in an embossed sleeve.

Both music videos for 'Pilgrimage' and 'The Kids Will Take Care Of Themselves' were self-directed by U.








PH40

PH40 took another trip into the world of Drone Logic, with two of the highlights from Daniel Avery’s debut reworked to dazzling effect.
 
First off, Roman Flügel delivered a once inescapable, arguably classic remix of ‘All I Need’ that took many cues from the original’s rolling pleasure down bold wormholes of oscillating electro for ten unpredictable minutes. In contrast, Ricardo Tobar completes a remix swap with Avery’s own take on his own track, ‘Garden’, plotting an intricate and delicate reimagining of 'These Nights Never End' that Resident Advisor clocked as a track that “heads for watching-the-sun-rise territory”.
 
The special remix 12" was released on 24th August 2014, and is now sold out.