Released on San Francisco’s Particles imprint (which is owned by Proton Radio founder Jay Epoch) the Phantasma EP comprises two original cuts from Polish producer Tuxedo, plus remixes by Funk D’Void and Kobana.
Aptly-titled opening track “Motion Blur” combines chilled “organic” house sounds and terrace vibes with a slightly proggy feel (in a good way), unfolding slowly and effortlessly, like a flower blooming on a time-lapse film.
Title track “Phantasma” goes farther into Euro-centric progressive house territory, with ringing percussive synths and layered chords building up toward a melodic crescendo which never quite arrives. So far so good, but onto the reason I felt moved to review this one…
Enter veteran Glaswegian producer Funk D’Void to steal the show. Sounding more like the more refined “Francois Dubois” alias he adopted on several releases in the last decade, D’Void’s touch on “Phantasma” is light and deceptively simple, building up a mesmerising arrangement behind just one single electric piano chord, which before you even notice has imperceptibly morphed into a soaring melodic techno affair.
Finally, Kobana turns in a more compact, twisted take on “Phantasma,” deftly filtering a simple synth motif over heavyweight late-night drum patterns. Overall this is a very good EP indeed, but Funk D’Void’s mercurial production magic elevates it above the clouds into rarefied air.
Tuxedo: Phantasma (Particles / Digital)
1. Tuxedo: Motion Blur (original mix) (07:28)
2. Tuxedo: Phantasma (original mix) (07:25)
3. Tuxedo: Phantasma (Funk D’Void remix) (06:36)
4. Tuxedo: Phantasma (Kobana remix) (04:23)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo.
This was originally published in #Expansion: 5 Mag Issue #198 with Louie Vega, Brian Jackson, Beretta Music and more. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for as little as $1 per issue.
