Altered Zones

Magnetic Eyes was an astonishingly futuristic electronic soul LP recorded by Jeff Phelps in his bedroom in 1985. It was privately pressed onto only 1000 gorgeous pieces of wax, and has become the stuff of legend amongst vinyl collectors, soul traders, and anyone who digs the home-recording narrative. When we finally got to indulge in its cordial entirety, it was not hard to see why people like Dam Funk and Nite Jewel wanted to parent its offspring. What beautiful children they grew up to be.

In "On the Corner", Jeff uses the same sub-zero tools and techniques as his cold-waver contemporaries (Roland SH-101s and Korg Poly 800s, early Boss drum machines, Radio Shack stereo mics) and vests them with a warm incisiveness, creating an infinitely enveloping noir-soul memory. This one reaches into our fragile auras in a way that nothing else has before. Trust us, Magnetic Eyes is the craft of love, pure and simple. (Via 20 Jazz Funk Greats)

MP3: Jeff Phelps: "On The Corner"

Magnetic Eyes LP re-issue is out now via tomlab