Mantha EP -DJ Phlowgod (Echovolt Records)

Title: Mantha EP

Artist: DJ Phlowgod

Label: Echovolt

Cat Number: EvR018

Genre: House

A1: Downtown

A2: Black Roses

A3: Cursed Fate

B1 MAS
B2: Anthem

B3: Three

DJ Phlowgod turns in a very well-rounded EP for Ilias Pitsios’ Echovolt. Six tracks which, although purporting to have “that modern touch”, according to Rush Hour, come cloaked in enough analogue grime and lo-fi grit to give MGUN a run for his money.

The general tone here is one of stripped-back, deep house melancholia; ‘Cursed Fate’ rocks the boat a little with its confrontational abrasiveness, and ‘Downtown’ is more strident than what remains, but generally it’s a tale of crisp beats shrouded in the fog of friction. I like everything here, but favour the more atmospheric. So ‘Anthem’ is my fave, followed by ‘MAS’, and the gnarly bass-led ‘Black Roses’.