Phantasy Sound Vinyl & CDs

Review: Erol Alkan's faultless Phantasy Sound is one of the most high-quality but musically hard to predict labels out there. British Ugandan DJ Josh Caffe has dropped a few killers here before and has a full length coming later in the year but first is 'Meine Lederjeans'. It's a slow-motion electro-funk cut which vocals that drip with Prince-style sexuality and soul. The Paranoid London remix then does what Paranoid London remixes do - bring the grit, grime and sleaze. It's a raw and frazzled remix with early Chicago acid-house vibes. A superb EP with two very different but equally standout tunes.

Review: A genuinely magical meeting of musical minds, here, as Erol Alkan delivers his interpretations of Chemical Brothers' 'Goodbye', a bleep-speckled slab of soul-seeped electro-breaks first featured on the long-serving duo's 2023 album For That beautiful Feeling. Available in vocal and instrumental mixes, Alkan's revision replaces the pair's electro breaks with a new wave synth-pop-meets-analogue techno groove. Bubbly and melancholic - even more so than the Chems' original version - Alkan's takes also throw in additional lo-fi synth lines, counter melodies and raw, electroclash influenced sounds. It's tasteful and surprisingly poignant whilst still having all the ingredients of a fully fledged peak-time workout.