You don’t have to be an economist, nor Thom Yorke or even Guy Hands to spot it. Open a newspaper, turn on the radio, read a blog: there it is in front of you in numbers and in quotes and in column inches. The music industry is in ‘crisis’, the music industry is in ‘freefall’, the music industry is in ‘turmoil’. Sales are down and piracy is up. These are troubled times.
Sift through the detritus, the revenue models, the Daily Mail freebies and all the rest. The recurrent theme is quantity. Quantity, quantity, quantity. This is a quantity driven industry and always has been.
But what if the emphasis were to shift? A different focus, free of the financial shackles of quantity. Replace ‘quantity’ with ‘quality’ and how does that change things? Surely the words ‘industry’ and ‘art’ are utterly incongruous?
Phantom Channel was conceived and born in January 2008 as an opportunity to explore just that topic, quality. We have no wider reaching agenda beyond presenting music that we love by artists that inspire us. It’s a simple plan, there is no financial agenda binding us to volume orientated decisions, just a desire to be sonically stirred, challenged, excited and stimulated. And how!
Perhaps the most wonderful discovery that’s come about from the birth of Phantom Channel, is just how many breathtaking, exciting and creatively dextrous artists there are out there, operating under the music press radar in studios and bedrooms across the world. It’s thrilling to be able to present these artists under the Phantom Channel banner and we know you’ll be just as thrilled to hear them.'
myspace.com/phantomchannel.
Phantom Channel Compilation part 1 click image to download for free
01. Engine7 - A Few Remaining Moments
02. parhelion - Forgotten outpost
03. El heath - electric storm
04. adam trainer - sedation
05. weird fields - qed
06. lethosomn - engulfed in red clouds
07. brakhage - early morning frost
08. mosca - brand new polaroid
09. svefn - lightness
'New netlabel assembles a collective sonic dream' (Sonic Frontiers)
'Harmonious, full of strange noises and rather warm than digitally cold, Engine7 did an awesome job mixing the nine different artists like it’s one big jam. For customers who also bought Herzog and Muhr. Midnight Ambient, highly recommended' (Sven Swift / 12Rec)
'These tracks (though I must say I experience it as a growing/changing TRACK) take the listener on a journey that is entirely for then to describe. For me it was a journey by boat to a rain washed shore, there to search for mystical horizons, pushed and pulled by passing glitch and melody' (The Indie Dad)
'The debut outing a compilation entitled 'part 1' collects together an array of bubbling under talent from the realms of the IDM, drone and electronica sound cultures' (Losing Today)
'its a new netlabel from great britain, that focuses on the concept of
quality against quantity, and that sees musica as an art, not as an
industry, without any other pretensions that being a space for talented
unknown artists that invest a lot of time on their studios' (BeatsFreePlay)
'This compilation of ambient/electronic music is best classified alongside other masters of the genre Tim Hecker and Eluvium, such is the quality of the material. The whole feel of the compilation is remarkably coherent and unified thanks to intelligent sequencing, segues, and mastering by opening artist Engine 7' (Luna Kafe)
'Came across this netlabel (Phantom Channel) on my journey's today and was very impressed by the quality of the music, super deep and considered drones, digital detritus and dense atmospherics. They have one album at the moment, a compilation made up of nine tracks by different artists. You can download the album from their release page' (Thor @ Lowlife Recordings)
'Phantom Channel's “dark ambient” compilation, the first of an intended two part release. Dramatic sound sculpting of the first order' (Textura)
You guys have done it again. The 2nd compilation is gorgeous. Love the shifting territories covered and the unified nature of the whole thing. More wonderful music uncovered that I now need to explore further.
Big ups to the Phantom Channel team and the artists involved.
Hi Phantom Channel, so happy to download the part II,i'M really proud of you, i knew i could trust you...i just began to listen to all these sounds, to be a part of this experiment is a wonderful present you made to me...send you new impressions soon...the Artwork is really great too...thanks to Liam Frankland...wish you all the best for now and tomorrow...will send you if you want my new tracks at the end of july...just tell me... Christophe/Iconx6
Thanks for the interest. I'm sorry to say that I don't have a mailing list, but I might put one together when I have a website made, which is in the works. I'll keep that in mind, knowing there's at least one person interested. Thanks.
Thanks for the add and the compliment. This seems like quite an interesting label, as well. Very nice tracks in your player; I'll be dowloading that comp. soon.
Thanks! Your label's concept sounds very interesting and refreshing, the way it is put. I'm downloading the compilation right now, sounds promising so far judging by the samples.
More than deserved. Tim and I were only just talking the other day about what a great album it is - from beginning to end. The label and it's artists should be proud. Can't wait to hear what happens next my friends.
Thank You dearly for having me here! Love the sounds I am hearing and am very happy to see a fellow Buffalo artist at work on Phantom Channel. Much talent presented within your roster!
