Who the PHK is PHNKT? Dance Music Producers, as a breed, often like to be mysterious about their identities, don’t they? This particular one can’t seem to buy a vowel, either. But in fact, this one is not too difficult to track down, once you know who you’re looking for. The DJ/Producer AKA Sam Mason has agreed to give us an insight into his work under the guise of PHNKT.
So, first of all, was it always about dance music? Describing himself as having been a ‘skater kid’, as a student Sam started off at Scarborough’s former Westwood college on their Level 3 course, where he collaborated with a friend on some house tracks, but those collabs didn’t really lead to anything at the time; when Sam returned for the Level 4 course, being in a band took precedence and Sheepskin was born; which, he tells me, was ‘weird, alternative rock; some songs were funk, some were heavy, drop D and such like! It was a real mixture.” (You can still find the remnants of Sheepskin’s socials on Instagram, check it out for some baby-faced bandmates and a slick logo on the t-shirts).
He only ever DJ’d at house parties back then, but Uni departures meant the band naturally split, and whilst at Huddersfield Uni he was doing live mixing and producing. The third year wasn’t enjoyable, not really what he was looking for; and it frustrated him, wanting to focus on popular rather than ‘arty’ music which seemed to be the direction he was being pushed in, so he decided not to finish that course. A tasty sideline in brewing saw Sam as Lead Brewer at Whitby Brewery for several years; and also getting back in touch with the old friend he worked with during his college years, who was now in Bradford; collaborating on tunes again which, this time, really took off. (M.87 is that friend’s music ‘handle’; I don’t learn their full name but do discover they wear a mask when performing; like I said, DJ’s like to be mysterious…)
In more recent years Sam’s ventures have involved starting a family and joining a family venture – he is part of the Cask & Keg team, the bar and venue being owned by his half-brother Dan and Dan’s wife Jody – and Sam now does his own brewing (Wise Owl). The PHNKT train has continued rolling, just that it rolls in between, and around, other commitments.
How does PHNKT himself define his music? “It started off as Dubstep, years ago, making that just for fun; but when we got into that scene in Bradford it was all Bassline; which I’ve been into since I was an early teen. Recently, it’s generally House music.” and he’s currently signed across a few different labels under that house banner. His own taste does span across Dubstep to Metal and much in-between; as a skateboarder in his youth that kind of Slam Dunk / Pop Punk category is very much his thing. “I still dress like a skater,” he laughs.
He’s also worked with Leeds MC Marky B, and a lot of Bradford MCs, such as Chippy, Razza, Fadez et al … the process varies, sometimes they send something and ask him to ‘make it sound like x or y”; other times they’ll book a studio in Bradford and he’ll make a tune, mixing and mastering it all. You can find a number of these tracks on YouTube and Soundcloud. ATMs and KTMs is arguably the biggest hit, racking up over 2.7 million views.
Sam also explains that there was a record label called Collective records that this Bradford collective were releasing on; which later changed name to Self Made records. They occasionally make videos for the tracks too (you can witness the mask-wearing M.87 in these to full effect) and although PHNKT doesn’t tend to get in front of the camera on videos, his arm does, I’m told, make an appearance in one! (Mysterious DJ syndrome strikes again?)
He explains that the Bradford scene is something of “its own thing” with a youngish crowd who have found the music and made it their own; whereas when we discuss how collaborations in dance music can be done quite easily over electronic communication, across international spaces – like the Dutch label he has recently joined, NOXU Deep – he does admit it can make for something of an oversaturated scene. In the main, he feels he’s branched off now and is just working his way through a back catalogue of unreleased stuff, as and when he has some time.
Though that time is used generously, and he’s often found helping other early-stage producers, fans and friends who might turn to him and say, “I want to give it a try”, and they send him stuff which he helps and supports them towards releasing. He just enjoys working with others, he likes the creative process.
As a DJ at events, though, it turns out, PHNKT almost never plays his own songs: “It’s just a thing.” I suggest maybe it’s time he did – so he says he might spin some at the Big Charity Shindig event where he’s DJing after the bands, to close the night.
Amidst the creative opportunities, Sam is loving his role at the Cask & Keg, and a large part of that is the live music and the DJ nights, which the venue has been hosting regularly since they opened in August 2025; and so I venture, would he ever start his own band again?
He thinks he would, in theory; he’d like to be in an outfit that was about creating fun, post-punk mayhem – something our scene certainly knows how to do. He remembers Sheepskin were almost heading that way – he briefly meanders down memory lane to a particularly chaotic indigo alley gig – so who knows, maybe the next time we’re chatting officially with PHNKT it’ll be about a whole new musical mission. Let’s just hope the rest of the band don’t have a vendetta against vowels when they pick a name, eh?
Catch PHNKT next at the Big Charity Shindig, 16th May at the Cask & Keg Scarborough.
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