Fantasm

Fantasm is one of the quickest rises in recent hard techno, a producer who went from his first releases to major festival stages in barely more than a year. Born in Los Angeles and now based in Lyon, France, he brings an American sensibility to a scene centred on Europe.

A fast start

Fantasm, the American producer Kenzo Meservey, only began releasing music in 2023, opening with tracks like ‘Godzilla’ and ‘I Watched My Own Funeral’. The response was immediate: by early 2024 he was making his debut at Verknipt, one of the hard techno world’s key promoters. Few artists have compressed the climb from bedroom to mainstage into so short a span.

Industrial by instinct

His sound leans hard into the industrial end of techno: relentless kicks, distorted synth work and a dark, cinematic atmosphere that suits the scene’s warehouse roots. Tracks like ‘BABY BOY’, ‘SCANDAL ANTHEM’ and ‘Buttercup With An Axe’ show a producer comfortable being both brutal and playful, sharing the fast lane with peers like Holy Priest and Schrotthagen.

One to watch

As hard techno keeps growing, Fantasm is one of the names carrying it forward, and his cross-continental base gives him a foot in both the American and European scenes. He releases quickly, which is exactly what a live-updating page is built for: HDRR tracks each new Fantasm drop the day it lands.

Every new Fantasm release lands on the Hard Techno Release Radar the day it hits Spotify. The full tracked catalogue is listed above.