The Phantom – Piano Moods

Label: Your Mama’s Friend

Piano house is certainly in vogue at the moment, but who can blame the DJs? Powerful house beats are brought to a new level by the dual emotive possibilities of a piano sample; which can be flexibly used to inspire melancholy or ecstasy in the space of a single track. Here Warsaw-based Phantom, aka Bartosz Kruczynski, offers one of the more tasteful recent interpretations of the genre by implementing classic tropes without ever venturing into the dangerous territory of revivalism.

These slow house burners come in a selection of moods, kicking off with the lazy groove of opener Piano Moods. An upbeat take on the classic 4am tune, here a punchy 4/4 is supplemented by warm synthwork and a brass stab that offsets the hazy vocal work perfectly. It’s catchy and offers a blissed-out atmosphere for the floor, but the best from The Phantom is yet to come. It arrives in the form of superb final tune Vogue Dub, which easily justifies the EP’s title with a stunning piano riff that’s sure to get the dancefloor's attention. A swung-out beat pattern and a classic handclap underpin that infectious piano loop which morphs midway through into an utterly euphoric fluttering melody. It all serves to remind the listener of just why piano house was so popular in its time, and will without fail raise a smile on even the most sour-faced dancers.

Piano Moods / When I Found Out (Medlar Remix) / When I Found Out / When I Found Out (Chaos In The CBD Remix) / Vogue Dub

EP Clips

Second tune When I Found Out turns even more overtly to the past, sampling Jocelyn Brown’s legendary Somebody Else’s Guy alongside a locked piano loop which unravels in the second breakdown into a lush riff that again offers those feelgood vibes in spades. The tune is given two choice remixes, the first by Wolf Music stalwart Medlar, who offers a typically gauzy take on the original with vintage strings accompanying a downbeat, loping groove. Rising New Zealand duo Chaos in the CBD offer a straighter rework of the original, playing with the piano loop and hazy textures to create more of an eyes-down burner. Nothing here breaks any boundaries, but it wasn’t supposed to. The Phantom offers a great selection of piano house tunes including one out-and-out gem. The release shows a talent for bringing old tropes bang up to date,  and it should whet listeners’ appetites for more to come in the future from the promising producer.

7/10