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Creative. Absorbing. Totally neoteric. Australian guru Uone has graced us with a modern rarity: a 15-track full-length concept album called the Phantom Whistler that pays homage to the Wild West. It is filled with inspired samples, delicious deep dance rooted in medicine ceremonies and a complete cosmic adventure anchored with a spiritual sensibility. Mixed by Australian engineering legend Danny Bonnici in Dolby Atmos, a revolutionary spatial audio technology for the most immersive sound experience, the Phantom Whistler LP will unfurl itself over the course of three months: a new chapter every 3 weeks. Alongside audio, the album will be accompanied by a collection of music videos and animations created by Australia's leading projection artist Nick Azidis: expect a pastiche filled with mood, atmospheric transformations, nostalgic and abstract forms. This is more than music, it's an artistic manifesto brave enough to buck the trend. Wrap yourself in anticipation and submit to the most audacious release of 2023.
Society is in crisis - and we need guidance. One part medicine man and two parts adventurer, The Phantom Whistler is the Australian mystic and gun-for-hire blazing trails across the untamed Wild West. Sheriffs say he's an odd stick, a high noon drifter folding music into wistful states of consciousness; lawmakers paint him as outright dangerous, a counter-culture iconoclast with a dicey reputation/taste for treasure. He was last seen as one half of The Lone Wranglers, a duo dabbling with psychedelia and deep house rooted in the traditional Way of the Cowboy ('one of the most creative albums of the 2020' — Electronic Groove). Now he rides solo to unleash a modern spaghetti western that dares to ask questions.
Across 15 tracks, you'll find a cinematic saga evolving the supreme tradition of the Great American Frontier. Mind-expanding house and warm electronic ambience transmit with pacifying effect, and The Phantom Whistler juxtaposes moments of solitude and calm with a spiritual groove to preach a righteous truth. It's an organic sound, one leathered in the sun and rinsed in the open plain rivers. Provocative guitars, harmonicas, pensive samples and indiscriminate field recordings are pulled together by the outlaw's call card: a clear, crystallised frequency; a whistle born during cold nights next to warm campfires fuelled by dark prairie coal. Make no mistake: this right here is an aural tonic, a soundtrack to the greatest medicine ceremony ever assembled.
CHAPTER 1
Release date 17.03.2023 (Spotify & Beatport)
Release date 31.03.2023 (Dolby Atmos, worldwide)
The ambient opener' Universal Wisdom' dispatcheslessons amongst a lattice of synths and sounds. 'We are spiritual beings havinga human experience', the sage guru relays, opening the circle in a didacticfashion.
A soft, deep house throb welcomes the listener to 'Project MK Ultra':Digestible melodies swirl around a shiny harmonica, a trademark whistle, and avocal discussing past wrongs done by the powers that be; the massive breakdowna tight allegory for the societal tension looking to break.
'Strike a Match' isseductive, offering sweet leaf etiquette as a big middle finger to stiflingauthority. With guitars dripping in chorus pedals and a fat 4/4 engine, thisone has it all: sex, drugs and rock n roll — Wild West style.
CHAPTER 2
Release date 07.04.2023 (Spotify & Beatport)
Release date 21.04.2023 (Dolby Atmos, worldwide)
Tribal drums tap generously on the title track 'Phantom Whistler', a warm deep house number for days covered indark clouds. With lamenting guitars, trumpets and snapping castanets, it feels Catalan-inspired, a bullfighter reminiscing on a long-lost love and anunforgiving present.
'Lake at Dusk' (one of four interludes on the LP) acts asthe perfect rumination on the prior cut's keening energy. Featuring renowned sound healer Christian Dimarco, it utilises a pan flute and clear brooks to createan organic mindfulness machine aiming to mend.
With the philosophical lines drawn, the BPMs and intent are cranked on 'Thought Control'. The only way tohighlight the incendiary message ('we don't need no thought control') is through confidant guitars and sleazy drums working in tandem with bass so thick it would take 10 lasso ropes to contain its power. This is a cosmically enhanced groove of the highest order.
While seeking adventure in France, the Phantom Whistler crossed paths with a saxophone-playing melomaniac. The result: interlude number three; a gorgeous one-take field recording called 'The Frenchman's Rest', its velvet tones a refuge from the cold urban noise.
CHAPTER 3
Release date 28.04.2023 (Spotify & Beatport)
Release date 12.05.2023 (Dolby Atmos, worldwide)
Just You & Me is dipping in sex and funk, the dulcet tones of Barry White rides the dirtiest rhythm this side of Texas. Fat,hedonistic and incredibly dangerous, this is tantalising tech house.
The synchronicity of life is explored in ‘Faith, Hope & Charity’, a delightfuldancefloor number musing over the magic of the number three.
On ‘A DistantOasis’, a babbling stream and contemplative whistle set the scene for thelonely cello of Australian cellist Wilma - all adding to an atmosphere filled with Northern Exposure energy.
We're almost nearing the end, and if this is a Hero's Journey,' Light Reading 2020'might be its apogee. Featuring the spoken word of fellow Australian guru Heath Myers, it's a doctrine filled with provocative theories, spiritual tenets and generational teachings that glide along a mesmerising 4/4 rhythm — all enhancedby a totally entrancing melody shimmering like the stars it refers to.
CHAPTER 4
Release date 19.05.2023 (Spotify & Beatport)
Release date 02.06.2023 (Dolby Atmos, worldwide)
The original mix of ‘Universal Wisdom' circles back to the start of the journey, its pertinent message wrapped in low-slung throbbing bass, enveloping deep tech beats and shimmering FX.
Taming your surroundings is crucial for any outlaw, and the noble craft of Falconry runs parallel with that ethos. Not just a smooth ode to passion, the gliding guitar and respectful vocal of ‘Karachi Eagles’ pays homage to those who devote their life to passion.
'Irish Campfire' features real-life Irish Whistler champion Joe Moran who plays a pensive piece around a crackling campfire. This is audio whiskey, my friend; a place to replenish and restore, a time to integrate the teachings from before.
As we pack up and throw dirt on the last smouldering coals, we ride one last time with 'Cause My Love', a sweet disco-fied sunrise after a long night learning big lessons. The Motown-inspired energy is filled with gratitude and contentment, acknowledging that, yes, we really are spirits on a human experience.
As the Phantom Whistler rides his trusty stead into a fantastic future, he leaves behind a captivating message: Dull the noise and find sanctuary in yourself. You are an adventurer from a distance dimension gathered here for one special moment before you move on to the next big ticket. To find the treasure within, fuse with your inner beat to synchronise with the universal groove. Travel light, friend.
