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 hardocre 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 Invisbl Skratch Pickl 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.