Phara - The Wall [Fuse Imprint]

For the second release on their revamped imprint, Fuse resident, and one of Belgium’s prides, Phara, takes the reins for a deep dive into densely packed percussions and vibrant club soundscapes. “The Wall” places contemporary dance music under the microscope with a truly vintage touch of spontaneity, merging the confrontational nature of techno with the harmonic genuineness of house. This duality is mirrored in Phara’s own relationship with his home base at Fuse and the complementary contrast between its two rooms.

The EP’s title track serves as a hypnotic intro on the A1, enforcing a bass-heavy groove and a persistently oscillating synth line. A dense and energy-packed production, “The Wall” inspires intrigue throughout its runtime, revealing its true intentions through a capable sound system. Sharing the vinyl’s first side is “Blaes 208,” a name that Fuse-goers will likely recognize, which guides the listener from effect to embrace. With lush keys resonating beyond a comforting drum sequence, suitable for a closed-eye dancefloor experience, Phara’s impactful tendencies meet his affinity for the melodic across six minutes of connection between crowd and selector. Flipping to the B-side, a return to a chilly aesthetic is quickly made apparent through “Hush Now 206.” A hard-hitting, saturated bass competes with an equally effective kick drum, rolling through a storm of metallic hits. Commanding the message of urgency, Phara puts on a spectacle of resonating percussions, defining his space only to cut it short. To close with a lasting impression, the producer silences the acoustics of his work by sharpened sound design across playful snares, a duality reminiscent of Detroit electro’s dynamism. “Motion Steps,” referring to the stairs ascending from Fuse’s main room to its more alternative counterpart, captures the atmosphere of the almost gleaming music one would expect to hear there; a place where Phara and many others have been known to explore the extremities of their music. It quickly introduces melodic elements to recontextualize an otherwise pressing composition, and after three chapters of considerable heft, concludes his record with an infectious groove that showcases his technical prowess.