4 out of 5

Label: Fonolith

Produced by: Neil Scrivin

Neil Scrivin’s particular brand of cut-and-paste electro funk under his Phono Ghosts pseudonym is exactly that: particular. While I know / I believe / I assume / I’ve heard other artists function in a similar range as PG – chopped and screwed retro beats and samples – I’ve not found anything as fully formed as this stuff, that’s both complete sensory overload and immediately soothing and moving; and fresh and familiar at the same time. Maybe some Phono releases lean more heavily on one style or another, but almost all of them are essential: there’s not an individual song I’d do without, and when the sequencing / track list is balanced between boppers and ambience, it’s a fantastic experience.

Photons in Fashion is almost there. Its B-side just doesn’t cover as much room as its perfect sister A-side (the title track and followup Observatory of the Soul could be remixes of each other; next track Slip the Shining Cord is a reflection of similar work on the other side), but this is one of those scenarios where some stuff is so good, it can’t help but outshine the rest.

That “stuff” is Neil’s mingling of some Meatbingo, video gamey grime with his breathless electro funk (which is like Windowlicker told through 70s commercials), resulting in absolutely standout bookend jams, with Binary Dynamic’s live drum-sounding focus giving things a direct punch; a little bit of the narrative hauntings of The Night Monitor on the minimalist static of Dramakai; and otherworldly wooze on the psychedelic daydream of Obelisk Phantoms. The B-side kicks off strong, with a “typical” PG head-bobbing nostalgic groove; then, as mentioned, we have some tonal repeats – though these are, on their own, great tunes.

Perhaps splitting the perfection of the A-side across the album would’ve made the whole thing feel perfect, but – hindsight, and/or who knows. What I do know is, despite these slight criticisms, Photons in Fashion is, again, another essential Phono release.