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LP
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UR 162LP
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Neon orange LP. Edition of 300 copies. Includes download code. Primal Forms, the new album by Phantom Horse, finally arrives. The German duo of Ulf Schütte and Niklas Dommaschk have long established a reputation for expertly crafted, hypnotically slow-burning electronic music, and Primal Forms stands among the epitomes of their discography. The sequencing of Primal Forms cannot be underestimated. It is an album in the classic sense. It demands to be listened to in its entirety, which also points to a closer affinity with Krautrock. Likewise, a touch of dub is perceptible, wafting around the songs, which, as usual, bear clandestine titles. It is not unreasonable to see in these compact compositions a clear statement against multitasking. Phantom Horse are not trumpeters of dystopia. They present themselves resolutely, almost stoically, turned away from the world. This turning away is clearly a statement that can be contemplated in the Mariana Trench as well as in comet belts. In any case, it is best experienced in a space without any human beings. This does not mean that grumpy hermits are tinkering with synths behind closed shutters, armed with wooden walking sticks. This is still open-minded music with a connection to current developments. The approach itself is what is audible, and with it, Phantom Horse proves once again that their main connection to time is timelessness. In an age of all-encompassing distraction on every sensory, thematic, and semantic level, Phantom Horse explores the possibilities of reduction, searching for simplified melodic arcs without resorting to the vocabulary of classical minimalism. The overall impression is more electronic; the slowly shifting, polyrhythmic compositions repeatedly lead to a peculiar danceability. However, these are perhaps the dances of mechanical birds, undeterred by anything. Written and produced in Hamburg, Nijmegen and Ojén by Niklas Dommaschk and Ulf Schütte. Mastering by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll. Artwork by Daniel Castrejón.
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LP
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UR 129LP
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Mehr Null translates to "More Zero". The title of Phantom Horse's third record for Umor Rex could either be seen as a request (to the listener? to the sound engineer?) to expect or to do or to imagine less; or just as the description of a state. The Hamburg/Nijmegen based duo of Ulf Schuette and Niklas Dommaschk is indeed moving nearer to zero: the arrangements are less illuminated; there's a significant nod to JD Emmanuel's working-class vision of minimalism. Hitherto walking in the kraut tradition (but moving away more and more), Phantom Horse heads toward the synth swamps where the old-fashioned shamanic disco is not yet abandoned. From the light green melancholy of "Owl" to the unexpected playfulness of the title track, the duo has obviously worked hard on leaving things out. Still, there's light-footed magic like in "Common Magic", the background music for a comet rain coming into your world. You can find hints to the lower-key film scores by Tangerine Dream, but Phantom Horse's approach fits more into a factory building where sad robots are working their night shifts on a sea horse machine. It's the perfect soundtrack to the non-hungover day after. Pink, transparent vinyl; includes download code; edition of 300.
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LP
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UR 105LP
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2017 release. Music for post-apocalyptic deserts. Experimental synth-sounds with hypnotic percussions -- imagine Moondog performing with John Carpenter and Cabaret Voltaire. Relating to their live appearances, Phantom Horse might be named a lazy combo since they are not to be found on stage all too often. Yet their withdrawn approach fits this album very well; Als Ob is once more a journey through inwardness, a contemplative excursion to the electronic outback, still friendly asking for your attention. There's plenty of things to discover if you listen mindfully; the Phantom Horse rides out where you as a listener like to be lonely. Those ancient synths are still around, playing their melodies as if* there were no time thieves waiting around the corner (*That is what "Als Ob" means). Altogether, the sound has become more electric yet not eclectic, the duo has de-krauted, describing their sound as "more ritual", but of course avoiding any kind of mysticism and fairy-tale dullness. Since 2015's Different Forces (also on Umor Rex), Phantom Horse have fleshed out their friendly stoicism that hauls their experimental synth sounds into the area of songs -- maybe even pop songs that aren't tangible at least. Welcome to the insular state of Phantom Horse.
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