Artist: Phil K
Title: Balance 004
Label: EQ Grey
By: Simon Jones | 29 October 2002
Tracklist:

• Disk 1
• Disk 2

1. Un:Plug Feat Mutabaruka - Time Unlimited (Ortus Airgap mix)
2. Luke Chable - After The Storm
3. Medway / Sean Cusick - The Fiscal EP (Columns Of Clouds)
4. Spoon Wizard - Me and Spoonice (Blue Effect Mix)
5. DJ Abstract - East Coast vs West Coast EP (Identity Crisis)
6. Habersham & Numinous - Mister Cool (Habersham's House Of Nu Interpretations Dub)
7. Interloper - Bitch Slapper
8. Scrambler - Free
9. Smart n Pocket - KickFlip Manual
10. Luke Chable - Sealer's Cove (Midnight In Cyberphunk Mix)
11. Brothers Of Dub - After Time (EK Mix)
12. GT - Love Song (This Is Not A ...) (Dark Alley Heavy Mental Breaks Mix)
13. Prince Quick Mix - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Phil K Vs Nubreed Pass)

1. Wyatt Earp & DJ Foxx – Soul Penetration (Original Penetration)
2. Sphere & Dave Preston – Bubblegum
3. Paul Jays – Spiritual Battery (Extended Lithium Mix)
4. J & S Productions – Sunrise
5. Nathan Hawks – Les Zoulous
6. Nathan Drew Larsen & Mazi Feat Alexander East – Give Chase (Original Mix)
7. Satoshi Fume – Protlex (Dub-Beatlex)
8. Sarah Jane Morris – Ever Gonna Make It (Terry Francis Dirtfrog Dub)
9. Chloe – Midnight Travels EP (Another kind of Dream)
10. Lo-Step Feat Lior Attar – The Roots (Dark Alley Grouse House Mix)
11. TribalFusion – Buddha's Groove
12. PQM – The Way (PQM Deephead Dub)
13. Lifestylus Of The Rich and Famous – Spinning (Instrumental)

Phil K "Balance 004"

The Australian music scene has been burdgeoning for many years now, and thanks to acts like Infusion, Highland, and Nu Breed and DJs like Kasey Taylor and Sean Quinn, this ethos has been spread to many corners of the globe. Of course these are just a few of many names. Others would be Andy Page, Luke Chable and Ivan Gough, and Phil K.

Ah yes, Phil K. Here is a man who refuses to stay within the confines of the standard DJ stereo type. A man who will invest countless time and energy into ensuring that his sets will stick in your mind long after you leave the club. If you think that Phil is just another DJ who plays other people's records, think again. Each set of his will see you witness him running sounds through all manner of effects, from simple scratching, to dropping edits, loops and acapellas on the fly into the mix, or crafting live remixes which he has famously done as part of live shows with Nu Breed in the past. You won't see Phil resting, that's for sure, as his hands will be working the decks, the mixers and all manner of equipment to sometimes violent levels. Like his DJing, Phil tests equipment to it's limits, leading some people to dub him the Machine Killer.

EQ has enjoyed success with it's Balance cd series, having showcased mixes from Kasey Taylor and Sean Quinn before heading over to the US and enlisting the help of Bill Hamel to take the series into a wider global audience, so with the pressure gauge firmly turned up, it's quite apt that they look homeward once more and enlist the services of the gauge twister himself, Phil K for the mix.. so let's see what Phil has cooked up in the kitchen for us on Balance 004.

CD1 is the Breaks Mix, a selection of some of the finest tracks that have been mainstays in Phil's box, starting off with the deeply captivating spoken vocal of Un-Plug's 'Time Unlimited' before melting slowing into the melodic breaks of Luke Chable's 'After The Storm', it's simple layered structure ooziing warmth and emotion that is carried thru tracks from Medway & Sean Cusick and Spoon, a detour into the dubby depths of Habersham & Numinous's 'Mister Cool' changing up the moody slightly, teasing us before the string ladden beauty of 'Free' by Scrambler signals a return to home roots, and the filthy underground as we enter 'Sealer's Cove', Luke Chable setting the mark for the likes of EK to shine within before Phil steps in with Ivan and Luke as Dark Alley, turning their own twisted anarchy onto the powerful vocals of GT's 'Love Song' before peace is restored as one final surprise is saved for last as Phil teams up with the boys from Nu Breed for a remix of PQM's 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You', itself a cover version of the Led Zeppelin classic, but you will be amazed at how the filthy rolling bassline and twisted loops fuse with the emotive vocal and guitar riffs. A dramtic, classy way to finish off the disc with stunning results. A stellar mix from start to finish.

CD2 sees Phil embark on a more 'House' tip, piercing synth effects penetrating the soul, just exacty as the name of Wyatt Earp and Dr Foxx's 'Soul Penetration' describes, it's unique arrangement and sounds showcasing good example of what comes over the course of the disc as the built up mood slides hynpnotically along, drawing in influences from various genres of house, thanks to tracks and mixes from Nathan Hawkes, Mazi and Terry Francis, culminating in the tribal percussive workout of Chloe's 'Another Kind Of Dream', taken from the Midnight Dreams EP. Phil and the Dark Alley boys show they can cut it in the house genre as well as the breaks one with a remix of a track from antoher project of Phil and Luke Chable's, Lo-Step, entitled 'Roots' which sets the mood nicely for the dreamy deep house of Prince Quick Mix's 'The Way' to dictate the energy and flow of the mix as it fades to gray...

Phil K. A free radical, a hi-fi bug, a man who can be found in dark alleys, but most of all, an innovator, a trend setter, someone who will do his utmost to entertain, and at the same time strikes fear into the arts of insurance brokers of club equipment everywhere. An earthshattering mix from an earthshattering dj.