Label Description:

“The Escapist” was Map’s fourth CD release, Phil Western’s solo debut, and a genre-busting mind-bender designed to satisfy people whose musical tastes don’t fit in boxes.

Originally released on Map on CD in April 1998, and available on Phil’s Bandcamp page, we are honoured to have this album back home in the Map catalog, 26 years to the day after its first release. And also kinda cool is the fact that Phil was 26 when he wrote and produced this music.

To thank all of you who already have this in your collection, and to entice those of you wanting to possess it newly, we’ve added two very special bonus tracks that will be gifts for album buyers. From the upcoming special Phil Western tribute compilation I’m including my remix of the Melodium track “California”, the “Pastoral Psychedelicism Remix” (previously unreleased), and Phil’s remix of Cooldown’s “Absolute”, from their Map Music album “Ether”, released in 1999, and lovingly remastered by Martin “7D6” Granger.

The majority of the proceeds go to the fund for Phil’s daughter, Mora Western.