What People & PRESS Are Saying OVER THE YEARS…
“A new project and label named after a character from the HBO show Vinyl has appeared on shelves, and this first cut is prime electro swung and swaggering like it's drunk..”
— RESIDENT ADVISOR
on richie finestra
“Warbly jazz piano, murky vocal chops, and sublte waves of static dot “She,” helping the otherwise jacking track take an intriguing left turn towards the more off-kilter ends of the spectrum between house and techno. Pulled from the Amsterdam-based (though he’s also resided in Istanbul, Rotterdam, and Antwerp) producer Philogresz‘s upcoming The Lost Movie LP, “She” is a fine example of the sort of dusty compositions the artist plans to present on his upcoming debut full-length. Said to (somehow) feature the producer’s own Dubgray Dust alter-ego, the tune is driven by uneasy layers of rattling percussion and a particularly squirmy bassline, all of which helps land “She” intriguingly left of center. Set to appear on Philogresz’s appropriately named PHIL label, The Lost Movie LP will see an official release on September 1..”
— xlr8r
on Philogresz
“Sludgy but seductive slo-mo techno from the Zwart Goud owner.
Zwart Goud shop and label owner Ilker Soylu returns with a seductively dark EP this month, encompassing electro and slo-mo techno, and B2 "Master Love" is an easy highlight. There's a hint of Belgian new beat to the track's thunderous thud, and the devil's in the details, the way that thwacking snares seem to bounce off the kick drums, a hint of EBM in the quake of the beat. The track is full of arresting creaks and groans in the peripheries, centered around a pitched-down vocal that hypnotically asks, "Why don't you / Why don't you?" It's sinister and sexy, its power only underlined by its slow, almost agonizing tempo..”
— resident advisor
on mastering black
The culmination of several years work and the result of a very wide range of influences and factors Philogresz (A.K.A Ilker Soylu) has delivered an album that is nothing less than accomplished and is far more than the sum of its parts. Appropriately titled, the album oozes epic, cinematic appeal from start to finish and when listened to in sequence pulls the listener along on a varied and deeply moving journey that contains more than its fair share of emotional ‘highs and lows’.
Its almost impossible to pigeon-hole any of the individual tracks, let alone the LP, within any single genre – the influences are that wide ranging, lush pianos combined with Detroit techno-esque synth flourishes and pads are in the mix with sitars and more ‘eastern’ sounding vibes. In places soulful lyrics and vocal accompaniments are contrasted with pure melancholia delivering something unquantifiable and yet thoroughly engaging. For me the most exciting music has always existed in that unquantifiable ‘grey’ area – between the styles. So, if you’re looking for any straight up genre stereotypes, you’re looking in the wrong place with this album.
-TIMELINE MUSIC
on THE LOST MOVIE (debut album by Philogresz)
