One of the longest serving and most innovative artists on Phantasy, the music of Ghost Culture continues to evolve. Since releasing his debut, self-titled album in 2015, one which laid an esoteric foundation of influences between forward-thinking club sounds and classic songwriting, Ghost Culture has continued to push his creative boundaries, tweaking and adjusting his contemporary vision of electronic music
His most recent transmission for the label is Meltwater/Blue Ice, a digital double-side of futurist electro, one that neatly swap’s the genre’s vintage paranoia for measured euphoria, blending entrancing melodies with powerful sub-weight. Across the release, each oscillation and kick exhibits Ghost Culture’s unique nous for flawless composition, landing somewhere between melancholy and euphoria, strobe light and sunrise.
It’s the most ambitious in a series of already hugely satisfying singles over the past few years, all of which have earned play from a diverse range of DJs including Gerd Janson, Laurent Garnier and Roman Flugel, with the influential German producer choosing to include ‘Perseus’ on his acclaimed ‘Fabric 95’ mix.
That particular track was a highlight from 2017’s ‘Nucleus’ EP, which saw Ghost Culture redirect his typical machine funk into more frenetic, glitchy directions. Offering his own progressive interpretation of the forward-thinking heritage of IDM, Resident Advisor celebrated “gorgeous, warped nostalgia” layered within the producer’s most complex and accomplished work so far.
Bookending this EP were the singles ‘Safe/Multiply’ and ‘Axom’, the latter featuring an outstanding Legowelt remix, both of which cemented Ghost Culture’s status as a master craftsman of acid-tinged, outsider dance music, each widely played release brimming with refreshing and subtlety but enough insistent power to move any self-respecting dancefloor.
Nearly five years since it’s release, and Ghost Culture’s debut LP still proves to be a hugely satisfying and charismatic trip. Celebrated as Critic’s Choice in The Guardian Guide, it earned similar plaudits from outlets including The Observer, The Times, Mixmag and The Quietus, who hailed it as “one of the best and most confident debuts in years.”
Building on the promise of his early club singles such as ‘Red Smoke’ and ‘Mouth’, the album built on Ghost Culture’s masterful use of electronics to portray a beguiling musical landscape, one equally inspired by Arthur Russell and Elliot Smith as much as LFO or Aphex Twin.
Alongside his solo releases, Ghost Culture continues to have a wider impact on the culture of UK electronic music, owing to his ongoing production work with artists such as Daniel Avery and Kelly Lee Owens.
DJ Support - Andrew Weatherall, Marcel Dettmann, Joshua James, Opuswerk, Laurent Garnier, Maceo Plex,
Media Support - MagazineSixty, The Waveform Transmitter, Different Grooves, Clubbing Spain
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