#PHANTASYMIX
#PHANTASYMIX 44: Dar Disku
Literally translating into ‘the home of disco’, the name Dar Disku has come to mean something increasingly recognised as very special indeed on the European club scene. Consisting of Mazen AlMaskati and Vish Matre, who grew up less than a mile apart in Bahrain, the pair founded the label and collective in 2019 with the intention of building a musical bridge between the UK and their home country. Championing the sounds of the Middle East, Asia and beyond, the diasporic sounds uncovered by Dar Disku emerge in glorious dancefloor technicolor, encompassing in their words, “all things high energy, new beat,... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 43: Jay Carder
There are numerous sides to Jay Carder that demonstrate a DJ, promoter and radio host truly at ease with their own taste. With years at London’s Soho Radio under her belt, as well as leading London’s 4tothefloor collective, co-running the bubbling Erbium Records and Voyage Events, a Birmingham-based club night that focuses on curating unique extended sets and B2Bs, her role as a resident DJ has seen her perform alongside the likes of Shanti Celeste and HAAi x Daniel Avery. Describing her selections as a “concoction of heavier, leftfield bass and lighter, psychedelic techno”, this... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 42: Nikki Nair
Few artists have made as much of an underground impact in 2021 as Nikki Nair, and deservedly so. Now based in Atlanta, Nair has tapped into the legacy of Midwestern rave in the United States of America and applied a fresh spin, somehow connecting the dots and dancefloors of his Tennessee upbringing and the bass-pleasures of the UK. Wildly prolific and technically brilliant, Nair has released transatlantically on labels such as Scuffed and Banoffee Pies, landing unexpectedly on Dirtybird with a four-track EP ‘More Is Different’, that included ‘Socket’, perhaps the weirdest dance floor... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 41: W.H. Lung
W.H. Lung are a Manchester-based band who have just released their follow-up album, Vanities, a much-anticipated sophomore LP following their first, Incidental Music, which finished first in the 2019 end-of-year charts at their hometown musical store, Piccadilly Records. A far-from-difficult second abum, Vanities furthers the incessant grooves and avant-pop songwriting of their debut into “a bold electronic leap forward into the dance music they love.”As such, we’re delighted to welcome the band’s own Tom Sharkett to the latest edition of #PHANTASYMIX, contributing some of the music that continues to inspire the band, firm favourites... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 40: Nadia Struiwigh
Nadia Struiwigh has been releasing her emotive, patient electronic music for nearly a decade, including albums for IDM institutions such as CPU, split-twelves with synth legends such as Legowelt and most recently, Pax Aurora, her latest and sublime release on the brilliantly curated Nous K’lear Audio.Pax Aurora is also the name of Struiwigh’s recently announced new community-focused support platform, the natural culmination of an inspiring and open-minded online presence. Far from mystifying the process of electronic music, Struiwigh consistently lifts up the digital velvet rope for new producers, and having moved to Australia before... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 39: Ambient Babestation Meltdown
Ambient Babestation Meltdown, otherwise known as Rachael Williams, is a true character. Her sets gravitate towards records old and new that pulse with energy, irony and intelligence, a sort of thinking-person’s party DJ, yet far less annoying than that might sound. As one half of DiASKi, alongside Joe Brooke-Smith, she produces sci-fi tinted trippers that will soon emerge on a debut record from DBA, and recently provided some different dystopian flavours to the newly maskless masses at Gala Festival. Williams is also booker at Rye Wax, the Peckham party spot and record store, which... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 38: Ricardo Baez
As the founder of Florence’s esteemed party and label, Tropical Animals, Ricardo Baez is surely one of the most seasoned and versatile DJs in Italy. Each week, for ten years solid, Tropical Animals has welcomed some of the world’s finest and rising DJs to it’s rave catacombs on the fringes of the city’s integral student, music and art scenes. Few parties evolve and persist as long as Tropical Animals, and Baez’s sense and integrity as both a DJ and booker are central to its success.Having spent years artfully warming up for or cooling down from sets courtesy of DJs including... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 37: Bakongo
Having already released on underground labels such as Livity Sound and Trule, Bakongo has made a serious impact over the past year or two, capturing the ears of dancers and collectors even without the benefit of a sub-heavy dancefloor to showcase his productions, which blend elements of “techno, garage, dub and broken beats’, spun and reinterpreted with understanding and imagination. Inevitably, U.K. Funky is the other key influence on Bakongo’s sound, given that Bakongo is the not-so-secret, more recent alias of Wayne Goodlitt, who has been doing serious damage across the genre under the alias of... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 36: Lupini
Lupini has slowly, quietly established herself as a pivotal figure in Liverpool’s alternative music scene. Recently introduced to a wider audience via her recent NTS residency (already a firm favourite at Phantasy HQ), she’s known in Merseyside as a DJ, promoter, radio station manager and all-round enthusiast of no small repute. As is obvious, Lupini’s life revolves around music, and in turn, music revolves around her. As well as founding femme-centric rave Athe, Lupini is station manager at the city’s Melodic Distraction, home to no less than 150 individual shows, Lupini soaks up more music than... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 35: Kasper Marott
Kasper Marott has been fascinated with dance music since his teenage years in the Danish countryside, programming music since the age of ten and dreaming of big, bouncing dancefloors. Far removed from the Deadmau5 copycat tunes he made on Fruity Loops throughout his teens, Marott saw his dream come true some years later, when he became one of a number of DJs spearheading the so-called ‘fast techno’ scene emerging from Copenhagen a few years ago. Blending the smoldering embers of unashamedly emotional trance aesthetic with the scale of BPM associated with main-room Berghain, Marott’s... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 34: Sepehr
Born in the San-Francisco bay area and now based in New York, Sepehr has proven to be one of the most exciting talents to emerge from a refreshed vision of electronic music across the United States. With releases on a number of international labels, he’s now launching his own, ‘Shaytoon’, which was also the title of his recent debut LP on Dark Entries. Promising to “focus on broadcasting the sounds of the Iranian/Middle Eastern underground”, it debuted in late 2020 with Sepehr’s own Crown Jewel EP, a distinctive introductory mix of acid techno and EBM shot through with real personality... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 33: Yr Lovely Dead Moon
Yr Lovely Dead Moon does not do things as one might expect. The performance and production project of Rachel Margetts travelled alongside it’s creator to far flung corners of Europe, from the North-East of England to the DIY art scene of Armenia, before landing in Berlin, where this engrossing and occasionally head-spinning contribution to #PHANTASYMIX was recorded.The debut, self-titled Yr Lovely Dead Moon LP was released last year on Hot Concept, the label run by Phantasy’s creative lead, John Loveless (who also remixed lead single ‘Physical Corpses’, alongside Gramrcy). YLDM has played... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 32: Josh Caffe
Josh Caffe has long been a vital component of London’s ever-oscillating club scene, a figure whose productions, vocals and charismatic DJ sets are equally entwined to create a knowledgeable and sensual continuation of the roots of house and techno.Truth be told, recent restrictions have not been kind to Caffe’s specific sound; late night, hedonistic, sleazy and understated records mixed with flair and filth, equally reflected throughout his own productions, released on labels such as Crosstown Rebels, BPitch, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, as well as his own Night Sheen imprint and Love Child records.What a... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 31: Lou Hayter
Lou Hayter has been a recognisable face on the London music scene since the mid-noughties, when she rose to prominence as part of the ludicrously stylish Mercury nominated electro-pop band, New Young Pony Club. Since then, she has maintained a presence at the always-evolving intersection between music and fashion, building a reputation as a DJ as comfortable at peak-time in the basement of XOYO as at the launches of some of the world’s most desirable brands (Chanel, Miu Miu, Chloe and Paul Smith all have Hayter on their books).Since departing NYPC at the beginning... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 30: Ady Toledano
Ady Toledano is a humble hero of the Berlin club scene. In better times, he can (and will) be found playing at RIOT, the off-track monthly queer party where he appears alongside Victor Kubin, Mauro Fuela, Borusiade and former #PHANTASYMIX contributor, Charlotte Bendiks. Sonically designed for “eclectic music lovers, non-conformative club kids, tireless dancing cis-ters & non-binary secret agents”, it’s the perfect environment for the tireless Israeli selector to show off his fluid and wide-ranging taste, developed from a background in minimal into full-blown, genre-crossing mastery still not heard enough across the city’s expansive music scene.... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 29: Valesuchi
Valesuchi is much tuned into the necessary physicality and community of dance music, “choosing people’s bodies as a limitless answer.” A fixture across Brazil’s lively club scene, long since proving herself as one of the country’s wiliest and most intuitive selectors, she has shifted fluidly not only between the lively but divergent city scenes of Santiago and Rio De Janeiro, but also maintained a presence on the European club circuit. Of course, much has changed in 2020, but between this contribution to #PHANTASYMIX and a blinding Resident Advisor podcast earlier in 2020, not to mention... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 28: ELLES
Some time earlier in 2020, ELLES recorded a mix for Dummy Magazine, which she described as “a living room rave with a bit of staring out the window, dreaming about hugging your friends again.” Locked down in London, with Autumn on the horizon, and a queasy feeling of uncertainty still rules the dance music community, and surely every other beyond.ELLES may be a relative newcomer on the London scene, but her sound and discography already makes an impression. This is a run that continues on her contribution to #PHANTASYMIX, undoubtedly one of our most inventive... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 27: Stranded
Born in Nashville and long since based in Atlanta, Stranded occupies the position of a genuine musical outlier. “Alienation, romantic rendezvous, 9 to 5 unease, and an apprehension of the future”, are just a few of the topics at the forefront of the recent, self-released ‘Long Dusk’ EP, as well as a previous release on Optimo Music in 2019, ‘Celine’s Dilemma’.Inspired by a lifelong fascination with dance-music centered cities such as Detroit, Berlin and Manchester, Stranded’s own music sits at odds with the soundtrack of Atlanta, where a sprawling scene is traditionally dominated by hip-hop... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 26: J. Wiltshire
Based in Berlin, J. Wiltshire has been active since 2016, producing a string of sometimes complex, always charismatic and memorable club records that incorporate elements of acid, IDM, techno and electro. These occasional transmissions have appeared on labels such as Hypercolour and his own, memorably titled Super Hexagon Records.For his debut LP released earlier this month, Wiltshire returned to MUSAR Recordings to deliver Resa, “a pure listening experience of ambient soundscapes and forward-thinking sci-fi cuts”, which develops over eleven tracks available on cassette as well as digitally. An evocative soundtrack to an imagined, melancholy... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 25: Toshiki Ohta
Born in Japan and raised in the USA, Toshiki Ohta spent his childhood on the move. Arriving in the UK in the late eighties, Toshiki quickly found his tribe amid the heights of UK rave culture, falling deeply for breakbeat rave, jungle and techno.Almost permanently locked to pirate radio stations like Touchdown and Kool FM, a fake NUS card took the 16 year old Toshiki into a hedonistic, progressive world of raves, seduced by the sounds of early jungle at nights like AWOL and World Dance to techno from Laurent Garnier, Billy Nasty and Fabio Paras each playing at the... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 24: Jordan
Jordan has been DJing for a long time. More than half his lifetime, in fact. While most of us were studying for our high school exams, Jordan was zipping across Ireland with a roped-in mate, playing all manner of rowdy clubs, often lacking the ID requirements that would typically get him bounced from the door. What’s more, he wasn’t a national sensation with a hit single, he just fucking loved it. Eventually, Jordan walked a Radio 1 competition that saw him play in front of a home crowd of 10000 people in his home city of Belfast. He was sixteen... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 23: BLD
Baldo Gallego lives an exciting dual life on the Barcelona club scene. As Baldo, he has chalked up a plethora of releases over the last decade, while steadily building his profile as one of the city’s most versatile residents, at ease soundtracking the enormous halls of the city’s vast Razzmatazz club, alongside some of the world’s biggest and best-loved DJs.In recent years, he has also spent more and more of his creative time investing in his BLD alias. Only self-releasing, with no support from a major label and previously sometimes only available on vinyl, his tracks as BLD have caused... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 22: The Golden Filter
Formed in New York in 2008, and now based in London, The Golden Filter have existed on the undulating musical fringes of electro, disco and post-punk for over a decade. Consisting of the creative and romantic partnership of Penelope Trapps and Stephen Hindman, the past few years have been the band enjoy their widest success yet. Releasing not only on their own 4gn3s imprint, but Optimo Music and Dischi Autumno, they built on a trilogy of much-loved releases for The Vinyl Factory to produce singles and releases that have been played by DJs including Ben UFO, Jennifer Cardini and Ame. Their... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 21: Pris
Pris has been present and correct on the techno scene since 2013, initially making an impact on Resin and later releasing across tastemaking, singular labels such as Avian and Semantica. Pris’s music has always had a vulnerable quality weaved into powerful, dynamic tracks that became favourites amongst many of the vanguard of the scene and on vast, demanding sound systems. This unusual, sometimes wistful quality has evolved into an exciting new form through the medium of his new label, Empathy Corp, a striking mixed-media project founded alongside creative partner, Deejay Astral. The latest release from Pris himself, 'Sulphur City', has.. [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 20: Sally C
Born in Belfast, with a DJing career forged in Dundee and now to be found regularly raiding record shops across Berlin, Sally C has quickly become among the most instantaneously popular and in-demand DJs out of the UK in some time. An already blazingly knowledgeable selector leading the charge of a newer generation of DJs connected to a timeless pulse of party music, Sally C’s sets seamlessly blend inventive contemporary rave and techno with the warm, wild heart of nineties house.Her contribution to the ongoing #PHANTASYMIX series is no exception, featuring records from a diverse range of artists and eras, repping Schacke,... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 19: Body Horror [Bleaching Agent x The Niallist]
The past few years have seen a new-wave of exciting and daring parties re energise the Manchester scene, many taking place at the now notorious White Hotel and often within a daring continuum of queer and alternative rave culture. Alongside the likes of Kiss Me Again, High Hoops and the timeless Homoelectric, Body Horror has made sheer impact with occasional but unforgettable transmissions of filth and fury from an uncompromising collective. Lead by resident DJs Bleaching Agent and The Niallist, two veterans of the UK noise and techno scene who will doubtlessly be familiar to panel-beating enthusiasts world over, Body Horror... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 18: Timothy Clerkin
Timothy Clerkin has long been part of a bubbling, burgeoning acid house underground in the UK. In his previous partnership, Eskimo Twins, he became known as one of the best resident DJs in the UK, skilfully warming up for some of the biggest DJs in the world with charismatic house and tempo of the sort that never felt the need to burst the BPM barrier. Then, under the name Heretic, he specialised in perfectly measured druggy ‘chug’ that stood out from the pack.More recently, Clerkin has been operating under his given name. And although his trademarks are still much the... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 17: Cardopusher
Born in Venezuela and long-since based in Barcelona, Cardopusher has established himself as one of the most consistent and versatile heads in the city’s bubbling underground, with a sound that has travelled far-and-wide to labels such as Hyperdub, Boys Noize, Super Rhythm Trax and more recently, Dark Entries. On the ‘Muscle Memory’ EP for that label, released towards the end of 2018, Cardopusher delivered six hugely playable dancefloor workouts, coloured with personality and peppered with moments of almost cartoonish EBM absurdity, while never losing sight of their perfectly executed rhythm. While well-schooled in the history of the outsider strains... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 16: Charlotte Bendiks
Slowly, surely and charismatically, Charlotte Bendiks has become one of dance music’s most exciting and offbeat new figures. The Norwegian DJ and producer has already released on Comeme and Hivern Discs, and garnered a reputation for her unpredictable sets that explore the more unexpected ends of house and electronic music in general... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 15: Dark Circles
Dark Circles have only been releasing music over the past few years, each time with infrequency but serious impact, and always on their own, specially tailored imprint, DC Trax. They also nailed a weird and wonderful remix of Phantasy’s own Future Four (a creative partnership between Erol Alkan and The Emperor Machine founder, Andy Meecham), which has become a go-to selection for the likes of Gerd Janson... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 14: Justin Cudmore
In a scene dominated by diggers, dealers and the self-indulgently eclectic, it can be inspiring to come across an artist who above all, just wants to make it bang. Justin Cudmore has been immersed in music since his early teens, making an impact in both Chicago, where he studied and progressed to work for the sadly defunct, once influential dance music site, Little White Earbuds, to his current tenure in New York, where he’s a regular at rave institution The Bunker, and further afield across the USA’s rapidly expanding, socially vital queer party scene.Cudmore is flawless when it comes to... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 13: Andrew Thomson
With an incredibly keen curatorial ear and an enviable address book of some of the most genuinely cool characters in contemporary dance music, Huntleys & Palmers founder Andrew Thomson has spent the last ten years evolving into of the most quietly vital practitioners of UK club culture. As a label head, a party promoter and a musical consultant, it’s no surprise that he’s also a fantastic and truly versatile DJ, as is almost immediately evident in this live mix, recorded in anticipation of an eight-hour set at renowned underground Georgia club, Bassiani. Since founding Huntleys and Palmers in 2008, Thomson has... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 12: Ozel AB
Having forged deserved relationships with two of the most celebrated labels in contemporary electronic music, Lobster Theremin and Workshop, Ozel AB is already a recognisable moniker on a house and techno scene that’s busier and faster evolving than ever. More recently, he contributed a forceful and atmospheric remix - his first ever to be officially released - of James Welsh’s ‘Thread’. The record is out now, also featuring remixes from FC Kahuna and Radio Slave. Ozel AB, also known as Luke Palmer, is also the latest contributor to the Phantasy mix series. The depth and feeling in his releases... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 11: C.A.R.
C.A.R. is the personal project of London’s Chloe Raunet, a French singer-songwriter specialising in "glimmering electronics and post-punk angles", and ‘PINNED’, released on Ransom Note Records, marks her second full-length LP, having also collaborated with Ivan Smagghe, Maceo Plex and Red Axes. In common with these collaborators, the music of C.A.R. thrives on the offbeat edges of the dancefloor, where an insistent angular groove meets frosty lyricism, and bittersweet sentiment. ‘PINNED’ was recorded alongside Steve Osborne, who has previously worked with pop luminaries Simple Minds, New Order and Happy Mondays. His restrained mix captures this very particular energy perfectly, with traces of the finest... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 10: Lemmy Ashton
Nationally beloved club brand BuggedOut! may have been present on the scene for nearly twenty-five years now, but it’s most recent history has had much to do with it’s booker, resident DJ and all-round jack of all trades, Lemmy Ashton. From their sorely missed January weekender, to a string of all-night club events, Ashton has been key to keeping things future-thinking yet always fun... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 09: Henry Fry
Henry Fry has long been a fixture on the London electronic and alternative music scenes, having been associated with parties like Trash spin-off Durrr, as well as Snap, Crackle & Pop, and more recently, co-founding Let’s Go Swimming, the record label and party at which Fry is resident. These special London soirees have featured guest appearances from independently minded DJs and producers, including, but not limited to Beatrice Dillon, Jon Rust, Jayda G, and fpr the upcoming December edition, mysterious German breakbeat enthusiast, Skee Mask... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 08: Ricardo Tobar
Chile's Ricardo Tobar reignites the #PHANTASYMIX series with an hour of unique, psychedelia infused selections. Scroll down for some thoughts from Ricardo about the track selections, music that's been inspiring him lately and his recent release on MUSAR... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 07: Nathan Gregory Wilkins (Cowboy Rhythmbox)
A crash course for the ravers from Cowboy Rhythmbox's Nathan Gregory Wilkins... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 06: James Welsh (aka Kamera)
Debuting on Phantasy under 'Kamera' back in 2015 with a remix of Erol Alkan’s shimmering single 'Sub Conscious', Kamera has since returned to release his 'Arc' EP & 'Ventoux' EP, with follow-up remix 12"s featuring George FitzGerald, Throwing Snow, Yaleesa Hall and Truncate... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 05: Yaleesa Hall
Welcoming Yaleesa Hall to our #PHANTASYMIX series in support of his remix for Kamera's 'Consignia' [PH49RMX1] which is out now on Phantasy and can be bought here... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 04: Shock Machine
Shock Machine aka James Righton announced the existence of his first ever solo project, Shock Machine, with news of a debut EP ‘Open Up The Sky’ (out now on Marathon Artists) and a beautiful, eponymous introductory track, ‘Shock Machine’... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 03: Shan
I wanted to make a mix that reflects what I would play out in a club. There are some new and old tracks, some unreleased ones and a few edits. Usually I select a couple of tracks and then try to get them in an order that makes sense to me. I start slow, have the tension rise and then take some steam out and try to find a good end... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 02: Ghost Culture
Here's a new exclusive mix from Ghost Culture for our #PHANTASYMIX series - every month we'll have something special from our artists, for your ears... [Read More]
#PHANTASYMIX 01: Kamera
Exclusive Kamera mix for Phantasy as part of the #phantasymix series... [Read More]