MIHAI POL — Phantom EP

Mihai Pol – Phantom EP Mihai Pol returns to Griffith for the label’s second release with Phantom EP, a four-track 12-inch that stays firmly within the Romanian producer’s refined minimal-house and tech-house vocabulary. Released as GRF002, the record follows Mihai Pol’s Nineteen EP on Griffith and focuses on patient grooves, restrained rhythmic detail and the kind of subtle tension that rewards a close listen on the dancefloor. The title track, Phantom, is the record’s most anticipated cut. The track had remained in Mihai Pol’s repertoire for an extended period before finally being committed to vinyl, and it was already being played in his sets and at Sunwaves ahead of release. Its foundation is a deep, minimalistic groove, with tightly programmed drums and a mysterious vocal sample adding character without disturbing the track’s stripped-back architecture. We Almost moves into a more fluid and atmospheric space. The groove remains precise, but the track allows more room for subtle changes in texture and mood. Among the four productions, it provides the most spacious counterpoint to the more rhythmically focused material, while maintaining the understated dancefloor functionality that defines the EP as a whole. Griffith itself identifies We Almost as its favourite track on the record. Stepback returns to the EP’s hypnotic centre. Its appeal comes from repetition and micro-detail rather than dramatic arrangement changes, placing the emphasis on groove and gradual development. The track reflects Mihai Pol’s ability to make minimal house feel active and physical without overcrowding the mix. Solo Locales completes the B-side with another exercise in restrained club music. Rather than functioning as an afterthought, it rounds out the record by maintaining the same deep rhythmic language while giving the EP a cohesive closing statement. All four tracks had been tested on festival floors before reaching vinyl, underlining the record’s practical DJ orientation. Phantom EP is also significant within the development of Griffith. Mihai Pol delivered the label’s debut release, Nineteen EP, in 2025, and GRF002 continues that relationship with another carefully selected four-track record. The first Griffith release was likewise built around Mihai Pol’s characteristic combination of hypnotic grooves, organic movement and deep atmosphere. For DJs, the strength of GRF002 lies in its consistency. There is no unnecessary stylistic detour: Phantom, We Almost, Stepback and Solo Locales all operate within a closely related minimal-house framework, making the EP particularly useful for longer blends and deeper sections of a set. The record sits naturally between minimal house, deep house and tech house while retaining enough individual character for each track to stand on its own. Phantom EP is ultimately a focused example of Mihai Pol’s approach to underground house music: precise but never sterile, hypnotic without becoming static, and built around grooves that reveal more detail the longer they are allowed to run. As Griffith’s GRF002, it strengthens the label’s emerging identity while giving collectors a concise four-track snapshot of one of Romania’s established minimal-house producers.