LABEL SPOTLIGHT: Episode 1 - Phantom Lure

Welcome to our new column, Label Spotlight! Every month we’ll select a label that recently pressed at dunk!pressing and sit down for a chat. Join us on this music and vinyl exploration!

Join us every month as we explore the beautiful world of vinyl with some of the coolest labels in our plant.

As an independent pressing plant, we have the pleasure of working with many independent labels and artists. We’ve been so impressed with the quality of the music that comes out of our machines that we wanted to promote some of it through our website.

The first label in our series is a very local one. Based and fully operated in Belgium since 2020 Phantom Lure was originally founded to promote underground and DIY artists in the most obscure realms of metal and synth music. Masterminded by the enigmatic, Figaro, Phantom Lure has quickly grown into a household name in these genres and was recently featured on magazines such as Dazed and Invisible Oranges. The key to the label’s success lies in the uncanny combination of styles on its roster, and a sprawling catalogue spanning from black metal to dungeon and comfy synth titles. The other key to the label’s success? Why, vinyl of course!

ALL-splatter rainbow variant specifically designed for a recent production.

Figaro: "Without dunk!pressing I can honestly say the label would not have been where it is today. It is thanks to the consistent quality and close relationship I have with the people at dunk! that I have been able to build a great reputation for the label. Pressing records may look simple, but it is a rather extensive process; my relationship with the pressing plant's staff has been incredibly beneficial to my navigating this surprisingly vast world! I would even stop by the pressing plant on a regular basis to fine-tune the smaller details like vinyl colours and packaging instructions!". Phantom Lure brings a wide selection of releases that range from obscure synthesizer music - mostly in the realm of "dungeon synth" and "comfy synth" — to “raw” and “psychedelic” experimental black metal; genres that are mostly unknown to the wider public but that have a cult following in their own respective circles. Prominent artists such as Old Nick, Spider God, Medwegya, and Tiny Mouse all released music on Phantom Lure.

Some of the most recent additions to the label’s catalogue.

Phantom Lure runs soley through their own webstore and trades/wholesales with a few selected stores and distros worldwide. "The label initially started to give comfy synth a platform on vinyl and cassette, but it has become much more than that. Over the last few years I have gotten so much awesome demos and established new friendships with artists in the scene, built my store and my own distribution network and often help out other labels with pressing and distribution through dunk! Staff knows me, they know what I like, it’s really easy to work with them!”. I guess the luxury to have a pressing plant in such close range is that it has given me the push I needed to get the label where I want it to be. And this has really benefited the cause as well! At first I would work on 1 to 2 releases per month, but now I simply submit my releases and everything seems on auto-pilot! Parts start arriving quicker and often I get the records months ahead of the release. This has really helped with setting up a release calendar with huge promotional benefits! I can get my loyal customers hyped up months in advance, it’s so cool, everyone is super stoked about it!”.

Phantom Lure has been pressing with dunk!pressing since 2020 and count 30+ titles to date.

Phantom Lure now releases records steadily, with a surprise drop each month. "I tend not to work with pre-orders. I announce the titles and vinyl variants a week before they go online and drop them the next weekend. I have a good following of over 4000 subscribers on my social network. I mainly use Instagram to announce a release date and sometimes even a certain hour when they go online. People are smitten for some of the gorgeous variants I produce in collaboration with dunk and very often some variant sell out in just a few hours!" Phantom Lure promises a COMFY EASTER with its April batch. Scheduled for the 2nd week of April, it will include the latest, jazz-inspired Tiny Mouse album “Escaping The Cat'“ plus a collection of Victorian Specter EP's, bundled together in a double album. If you don’t want to miss out on some of these limited and exclusive releases, folllow the label on Instagram account and watch out for when the records become available

Tiny Mouse - Escaping the Cat is slated for release next month.

Links:
www.phantomlure.com