Phtalo by PHTALO

Phtalo is the fifth studio album from Danish electronic composer and producer Heidi Mortenson, but it’s also the first studio album from an entirely new artistic iteration: Phtalo. Pronounced ‘thalo,’ the moniker and new record are an introduction and celebration of a nonbinary existence via the kinetic sounds of ‘90s house and electronic music. This is made riotously clear in the throbbing, strobe-lit festivities of lead single “We Have A Body,” which calls upon queer, trans, and disabled folks to empower their bodies.

“Early house lyrics contained uplifting messages that spoke specifically to those considered outsiders,” says Phtalo. “The house music scene was one of the most integrated and progressive places where minority groups could meet and dance together in a safe environment. My lyrics want the same empowerment in a modern context.”

Phtalo combines these messages with interpretations of the club music Phtalo experienced as young individual when living in Barcelona in the 1990s. Drum machines pulse, thump and boom, while analog synths glow and swell over bold basslines that make you want to move. All throughout, Phtalo’s vocals—clear and uncompromising or chopped and pitched—call out mantras, choruses, and slogans to produce an explicit, lyrical vibe to boost the playful aesthetics.

Take the lesbian tomboy anthem “Normcore” where Phtalo calls out, “Top me good and I return the favor” or the swinging rhythm of “Maybe It’s You”, where Phtalo lists different identities and moods before their laptop's voice nudges the listener “Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s you”. As the track ends, it leads you out of the club and into the morning sunrise, with sighing waves in the background. “Emotions Are My Power” celebrates feelings as guiding lights, subverting the cold stoicism of capitalism, recognizing the so-called ‘soft values’ as powerful. The record continues with “I Like Older Women” which celebrates women of age and experience. The album seeks to uphold the power of the individual to define themselves and their existence, free from social constraints.

The record was written, produced, mixed, and mastered by Phtalo during the pandemic lockdown. “I really needed to get out of my head, out of virtual communities and into being physical and feeling my body, being present with music in an actual room.”

The process resulted in a record committed to connection and liberation in a world that is constantly threatening both. The album Phtalo is an act of joy and love.

Electronic non-binary composer and producer. Long solo career via Heidi Mortenson with 8 LPs. My own imprint Wired. Have remixed for Laurie Anderson, Austra, Else Marie Pade. 7 Gaffa Award noms for solo releases. My music Featured on The L Word.

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Baldur Mortenson
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