Phoelix • "Pat Priest"
Phoelix is an artist that was covered as part of our ongoing Instrumental Insight column. Although the series highlights producers, Phoelix is also a vocalist, one half of the group MDMC. That being said, he might be best known for staying behind the boards as a producer for artists like Saba and Noname. This time around, however, he stays on the solo tip, avoiding vocals as he unleashes a monster of an instrumental known as “Pat Priest”. At six minutes in length, the song can only be described as an experience, one both cinematic and surreal. This is a nice change of pace from his previous work, which I would describe as dark R&B, but with “Pat Priest”, we get a sound comparable to Blockhead or even Wax Tailor. Painting a movie with noises instead of scenes. Visiting the circus instead of the club. After only three listens, I honestly don't even know how to describe this contained chaos. Embrace the layers and lose your mind for six hallucinatory minutes.