Phantazmagorea

The Turntablist subgenre of hip-hop, where every sound is created with scratches, juggles, tone play, and other techniques native to the turntable itself as a musical instrument, is not known for turning out cohesive full-length albums. Very few turntable artists have created full-length works that have resonated with audiences outside of the almost monastic world of hardcore scratch DJs and their devoted fans. DJ Q*Bert’s Wave Twisters is perhaps the best known, with an accompanying animated film that has spawned its own wacky world of spinoffs and products. However, there is a case to be made that fellow Invisibl Skratch Pikl D-Styles’ debut Phantazmagorea should also be considered in the top tier of this style of record. D has a macabre and exceedingly dark sense of humor, an ear for simple but memorable bass-heavy beats, and an otherworldly scratch technique. The combination of those elements makes Phantazmagorea a unique and somewhat disturbing listen.