Headless Horseman is the second release on Phonopsia’s new Horse Category label, releasing on 21 May on transparent, blue, 180 gram vinyl. The music was created entirely in 2006 during a period of intense focus and renewed energy. Headless Horseman gathers four of the five tracks from this period (the fifth track will be released on HC003), which are only now being published for the first time. “Lumina” was the first to emerge, and was the most refined Phonopsia track at the time, balancing minimal elements with melodic depth to create a techno track that works as well at home as on dancefloors.
Having finished “Lumina”, the sister track “Luna” followed in short order. It cast some elements aside, slowed the tempo to a medium house pace, and added a bassline that pulls the track in a different direction, owing a large debt to the Gemini tracks that were a huge influence on Phonopsia’s musical development in the mid-’90s.
The second pair of tracks started with “Jacqued”, unveiling some of the range of the Nord Modular that formed the heart of the Phonopsia palette at the time. The dense beginning makes way for a slower groove that could be house or techno, underpinning a composition that requires the full length of the track to complete its initial pass. Not much later, “Jacqued” was joined by a sibling, “Jacked”, which (as the name suggests) converts the fuller techno of its predecessor to a stripped down Chicago format where space displaces depth. Although the palette of the two tracks shares much in common, most of the sounds on “Jacked” have been reduced to their essence to fit the new style.
With the exception of “Lumina”, no more than a dozen people have heard these tracks until now.
In addition to Bandcamp, vinyl is also available through these shops:
Headless Horseman will also be available on many of the obvious digital channels on the release date. So far it can be found at:
