Nepol Records
Collective Consciousness formed in mid-1995, when two St. Louis electronic lifers joined forces: dysphonix (Daniel Sterkin), fresh off his live-techno debut at the legendary club Fallout, and DJ Phoenix (Chuck Witthaus), a purveyor of the Midwest rave scene since its birth. The chemistry was immediate — by December 17 of that same year, the duo had pressed their first record: “Nexus/Mirage,” a two-track breakbeat 12″ on clear vinyl for Silver Seven Records — copies of which sold across the United States and Europe.
Six years later, the duo inaugurated a new chapter of St. Louis dance music history: their Collective Consciousness Remix of Bio Genesis’ “Thoughts of the Future” filled the B-side of NR 001 — the very first release on Nepol Records, the label Phoenix co-founded. The remix traveled: it was played by high-profile DJs including Chris Fortier — at the Bedrock party during WMC 2002 — plus D:Fuse, Spesh, Liam Kennedy, Troy Roberts and Sean Carnahan; St. Louis’ own Insidious Music hailed it as a “killer breakbeat/trance remix.” The name on that flip side wasn’t just a credit; it was a statement that the collective ran through everything the label would become.
Daniel passed away in 2023, and his memory is honored here. In 2020 the duo’s debut was remastered and released digitally — so “Nexus” and “Mirage,” two transmissions from the summer the collective consciousness first connected, still play on.