Features House

Fantastic Voyage: A Menagerie of Friendship, Fun & Good Music [Label Feature]

May 11, 2021May 12, 2021 by MP3 MAG STAFF No Comments

Most dance music aspires to be played on large festival speakers or vibrate throughout a packed club, but sometimes you just need tunes for hanging with your friends at home. Born out of this laidback ethos and an intent to share music with those closest to you, indie label Fantastic Voyage has become a harbinger and champion of alternative electronic music.

Led by enigmatic frontman, label head and Dirtybird alumni, Justin Jay, ‘FV’ has provided a consistent output of dance-centric disco and funk music that implements rock band themes. While house music and a live band don’t seemingly go hand in hand, Fantastic Voyage has made it work with charm. For our May Label Feature, we look into how Fantastic Voyage is expanding the possibilities of electronic genres and palettes today.

Where It Began

The idea of Fantastic Voyage was first conceived by Justin Jay and Josh Taylor, both of whom were attending college at the University of Southern California. Taylor was playing in an indie band at the time, while Jay was already releasing with Dirtybird. Collaborating with Taylor’s drummer and eventual FV bandmate, Benny Bridges, they began working together to create instrumental house, techno and indie records. The trio would implement this ‘live’ approach during Justin’s DJ sets, before eventually going on to tour and play as Justin Jay & Friends and later, Justin Jay’s Fantastic Voyage.

At full force, the group offers a tech-house producer, ukulele player, a drummer, guitarist, and on occasion, a trumpeter, saxophonist, and bassist. In 2016, they made their official debut and announced the birth of the label with their first project, Fantastic Voyage Pt. 1.

All About the Music

While Justin Jay and others in the group have released with more mainstream labels, Fantastic Voyage strives to offer a platform and releases for up-and-coming producers and fledging electronic sounds.

The label has hosted releases from established acts like Ardalan and Kill Frenzy, while putting on artists like, Henry Was, PVLMS, and Choopsie, who released her debut EP, Amboy, this past February. The label frequently drops sample packs and bootlegs, part of their full catalogue offered on FV’s Bandcamp.

Top Releases

Stream Fantastic Voyage’s full catalog here.

Most Recent Release

Realizing the Limits – PVLMS May 5

The label’s most recent release came on MAY 3 from electronic duo, PVLMS. Realizing the Limits is a thought-provoking EP that offers a surreal production style. The diverse collection of tracks surfs various genres, taking a limitless approach to creativity.