France – October 10, 2025 – Acclaimed French DJ and producer Joachim Pastor, revered for charting his own course, presents his new album, PHANTOMGRID. Spanning 10 tracks, the project unfolds as a both sonic and visual journey, exploring themes of memory, reality and perception, fusing experimental electronic sounds with melodic and drum-and-bass elements and setting the stage for Pastor’s next chapter as an artist.
At its core, PHANTOMGRID questions the world as an unseen grid – an underlying framework humanity can only partially grasp. With the album, Joachim Pastor took a solitary, instinct-driven approach, composing much of the music mentally before bringing it to life in the studio. Inspired by his research into the Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU), the album explores the tension between feeling, knowledge, and the unseen. This research evolved into a study of contrasts – organic versus machine, intuition versus precision, human versus technology – with AI used as a deliberate tool to enhance the product while preserving the music’s raw emotional core.
“I’ve never quite fit within their underground scene, nor the commercial wave of melodic techno that has defined the past decade,” says Joachim Pastor. “Throughout my career, and with PHANTOMGRID specifically, I’ve carved out a distinctive body of work as response to my commitment to stripping music back to its core.”
PHANTOMGRID delivers an atmospheric and cinematic listening experience, featuring tracks like ‘Synthetic Recall’, which marks the closure of the cycle of reflection, before going into the album’s closing track ‘Walk With Me’, hinting at the continuation of Joachim’s story. The lead single ‘Happy Now?’ showcases a warmer, more introspective side of Pastor, highlighting the emotional depth at the heart of his artistry and sharing the artistic vision of 88Birds aka Diana Miro – the sole voice Joachim chose to preserve in its most natural form.
The album’s visual identity, from each single to the final artwork, came together using Pastor’s custom-built Stable Diffusion server. After years of experimenting with AI-generated visuals, he developed a personalized library and interface to suit his creative vision. Each image reflects the album’s internal logic, created with the same mindset of pushing technological boundaries while remaining emotionally grounded. His brand-new live show has evolved in parallel, with Pastor designing custom MIDI controllers and dedicated Ableton plugins to expand his performance capabilities.
Pastor says, “The setup is more hands-on and expressive, functioning like an instrument rather than a traditional computer rig. Though technically demanding, it enables a deeper, more immediate connection between the music and the audience.”
The album will be paired with a documentary offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Pastor’s creative process.
- PHANTOMGRID
- TAKE AWAY THE PAIN
- FIELD OF SNAKES
- CARRY ON
- Happy Now?
- EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM
- NUMBNESS I CANNOT BEAR
- SEEKING SOUL
- SYNTHETIC RECALL
- WALK WITH ME
For release assets, please click here.
For Joachim Pastor’s media kit, please click here.
For more information, please contact Mimi.
A pillar of the French melodic techno scene, Joachim Pastor first emerged as part of the Hungry Music collective alongside NTO and Worakls. Viewing music as timeless and drawing inspiration from artists like Daft Punk, Sonata Arctica, and Jean-Michel Jarre, he developed a fascination for sound textures and the endless possibilities offered by machines. He explores them, shapes them, and deconstructs them.
Over time, Joachim has become a renowned electronic music producer, known for a distinctive artistic signature: classical, orchestral, and cinematic in his harmonic structures, yet sharp and direct in his melodies. A true perfectionist with a keen eye for detail, he crafts his sound through recognizable arpeggios and cultivates a unique style : hypnotic, elegant, and tinged with nostalgia.
In 2020, he signed with electronic music powerhouse Armada Music and released his debut album Greater Message, a project blending pop influences with prominent vocal features.
The following year, Joachim dropped a series of singles and remixes (notably Season, produced by NTO and French79, and reimagined by Joachim along with Joris Delacroix, Romain Garcia, and Stereoclip). That same year, he also composed the original soundtrack for the documentary The Final Season, chronicling the final racing season of world rally champion Sébastien Ogier. Titled The Winning Line, the score captures the emotional whirlwind of an athlete’s ultimate quest ; filled with suspense, doubt, triumph, and fulfillment.
In 2023, Joachim Pastor released Adrenogate, a four-track EP made for festivals. It reveals a darker, more intense side of the artist, a deliberate contrast to the nostalgic and emotive identity he is known for. He followed it up with Blank Page, an intimate track exploring memory and its degeneration.
Today, Joachim opens a bold new chapter: one that delves into the duality between man and machine, challenging the very foundations of existence. With an insatiable mind and an almost obsessive discipline, the artist embarks on a digital journey ; experimenting with artificial intelligence not only to understand and push its limits, but to merge with it completely. A conscious artistic exploration where technology doesn't replace emotion, but elevates it.
He unveils Phantomgrid in early 2025, followed by Take Away the Pain and Field of Snakes, which hint at a more ambitious project: a new album set to be released at the end of the year.
About Armada Music
About Armada Music
Armada Music is the biggest independent dance music label in the world. Founded by Armin van Buuren, Maykel Piron (CEO) and David Lewis, the label manages an ever-growing catalog of over 50,000 tracks built up across twenty-plus years of specialized dance music exploitation.
Representing artists such as Armin van Buuren, ARTY, D.O.D, Eelke Kleijn, Jan Blomqvist, Joris Voorn, KI/KI, Lilly Palmer, Loud Luxury, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, THEMBA and Yulia Niko, Armada Music amasses more than one billion streams per month, airplay on leading radio outlets such as BBC Radio 1 and Sirius XM, and top positions in the world’s most notable charts. Significant label milestones include Armin van Buuren's Grammy nomination for 'This Is What It Feels Like' and two tracks surpassing one billion streams on Spotify: Loud Luxury and Brando’s ‘Body’ and Lost Frequencies’ ‘Are You With Me’.
Across offices in Amsterdam (HQ), New York, London and Laren (NL), Armada Music offers a global appeal to its growing roster. The label has its own club, radio studio and multiple production studios, and hosts various live formats. Producer platform Armada University, which offers educational products and opportunities, shows the label’s sustained effort to nurture the next wave of talent. For more information, visit www.armadamusic.com, @armadamusic on Instagram and @armada on X.