review by Ellen the Felon for MK ULTRA Magazine
Bandcamp: www.mapmusic2.bandcamp.com/album/afterflash-a-remixed-tribute
I am admittedly new to Canadian West Coast Electroniculture, but I can’t think of a more perfect album to start with and lose my “virginity” to. This very recently released album via Map Music on Bandcamp (which debuted on 4/20, how fitting) is a posthumous collaboration of remixed tracks, that takes you on a richly layered journey through a wonderland of dynamic electronica. techno acid, ambient and atmospheric landscapes.
The collaborating artists read like a “Who’s Who” of the Canadian electronic music scene and each track on the album takes you deeper into a magical world of incredible electronic sounds.
One of my favorite tracks called “Asleep/Awake (Vuemorph Collage)”, produced by Dan Handrabur, is described as being “set up more like a collage rather than a remix, the track is evocative of Phil’s love for spacious sound and chromatic melodies, perhaps a soundtrack to lucid dreaming.”.
Another of my favorite tracks is “Dementhol (FaxLtd’s Fingerpie mix)”, originally released on Dementhol in 2013, remixed by Harrison Chase, is described as “An amalgamation of audio machine interfaces and organic neural-circuitry whose origins are uncertain and future is open to question.
Phil’s songs are often densely layered, but in a way that doesn’t sound too cluttered. The various little bits forming a cohesive whole. The many layers of Dementhol made it fun to work on, pulling them apart, and rearranging them in ways to let them shine on their own. While exporting the stems from his original DAW sessions, I got a peek into some of Phil’s process, which inspired me to try some new things in my process.
Phil was an emotionally complex, curious and thoughtful person whose unique spirit shines through his multifaceted musical explorations. I’m deeply grateful to have known him.”.
My absolute favorite track is “Dream Death (Hashmoder remix), which could be straight out of the 80’s, is described in great detail by its producer, “The original version of Dream Death is incredible! How the hell was I going to remix it —so richly perfect, wrapped in Phil’s genius— and not lose the pure essence of the original track’s story, flow, emotions, and feelings? Where do I start?
Many draft remix sessions were scrapped. None of them became faithful to the original. I studied closely Dream Death’s arrangements, and music composition, in order to get clearer direction(s). I needed to produce a remix that must contain my sound-&-style but, yet, remain 100% faithful to the original.
After a painful long time, the end result: a remix with almost an identical structure/arrangement blocks; completely different sounding elements; a middle section breakdown with Phil’s very emotional vocals in solo; layered build-up; and an accentuated drop of Phil’s vocal phrase “turn around” stuttering in a technique from the 1980s — my child/teenhood decade of which I love & cherish. And finally…a remix made with passion, packed with sentimental love and reminiscence of him.”
The Remixers (Worldwide) go on to describe the album as follows, “What Phil created in his time on earth makes our world a better place. He was the kind of person everyone needs to know or at least know about. He was full of unexpected surprises. He held the land speed record for the demolition of food and on tour would go to sleep fully clothed, often with his shoes on.
Phil was everything: a rogue, a maverick, an explorer. He suffered his demons but did so with courage and an unflinching painful honesty. Phil was easy to talk with. He was always engaging, interesting, and interested. He had a mane of dark, dark hair and a smile to melt hearts. His eyes told his entire life story, if one dared to gaze long enough.
Phil loved wholly, without caution, and with the deepest sincerity. His unquenchable curiosity doubled as an altruistic way of disarmament and evoked harmony when met with a different perspective. Phil was relentlessly gentle and understanding even when it was undeserved.
Phil was a veteran psychonaut whose deep inner journeys, life experiences, and struggles imparted him with a degree of insight, wisdom, humility, and humor that is all too rare. His expression of these qualities in his music infused it with a melancholic understanding of the beauty, joy, frailty, tragedy, and absurdity of the human condition.
Phil was a true artist in every fiber of his being. His incredible talent and infectious energy left a lasting impression on the world, and his music will always hold the top spot in our hearts.
Phil continues to inspire us all.”
Another collaborator, Seth Branum, of Bainbridge Island WA, had this to say about how the album came together, “The idea for this project came from having a few remix packs that Phil had given me ages ago for some releases I’d curated, and inspired by Dave King’s (Longwalkshortdock) yearly tribute songs that he’d been posting since Phil’s passing. I had already remixed one of Phil’s songs almost a decade earlier, and had just decided to start on another near the beginning of 2021.
In a conversation later that year with Jaime Dunkle (Love Above Will), I mentioned I was working on another remix. During that conversation, I came upon the idea of putting together a bunch of remixes from Phil’s friends/collaborators as a tribute album, which she enthusiastically encouraged me to do.
After receiving the blessings from Phil’s family to move forward and reaching out to all the potential remixers, the pool of available songs for remixing was soon expanded with the invaluable assistance of Tim Hill (Rim). Not long after that, a couple more artists came on board, including Omar Hashmoder who revealed that he had the files for the last song Phil had been working on right up to the night before he left us. That song, “Dream Death,” is now finally being released, as well as a remix by Omar who also contributed some sounds to the original version.
This project was not without its share of delays and complications, one of which was Bandcamp refusing to give access to Phil’s artist page to his mother so this album could live there with the rest of his discography. Thankfully, Robert Shea’s Map Music has given it a fitting home considering that some of Phil’s earliest solo works originated from that seminal record label.
It has been a profound honor to work with all the artists and fellow lovers of Phil throughout this project. More than anything, I hope this album inspires people to continue exploring Phil’s vast catalog of music in all his solo and collaborative guises.”
Sadly, Phil Western died of fentanyl poisoning in 2019 at the age of 47, but his music lives on through this gorgeous remix album, made with love by Phil’s collaborators and friends. It should also be noted that the majority of proceeds from “Afterflash: A Remixed Tribute Remixed” will be donated to Phil’s daughter Mora.