Phonica Records

It goes without saying that Toby Tobias has been a long standing figure in the London scene. You may recognise him for his seminal house cuts on labels like Rekids , ESP Institute, Delusions of Grandeur, International Feel, Odori and Quintessentials to name a few. You can also catch him spinning records around London, most noticeably House Of St. Barnabas in Soho where we host a party with him monthly. For his Phonica mix Toby brings us on a masterclass through various styles of deep house, breaks, euphoric breakdowns, melodic percussions and acid basslines. Almost like a segment from a night out this is a little taste of one of his long all night sets in a dark London club.

With a strong discography from the likes of Workshop, Third Ear and Lobster Theremin, Luke Palmer aka Ozel AB has been turning heads in the realms of leftfield house and techno since 2014. Now putting out the first offering on his own self-titled label in May we are delighted to premiere one of these four new tracks from the man himself. Series Parallel is 5mins and 25 seconds of raw bleep styled techno that brings you back to a 90's warehouse with a fitting subtle cut up vocal throughout and an addictive bassline to match. An essential listen coming into the long weekend. Ozel AB's "OZ001" drops early May.

Alongside co-founding One Records, Subb-an has been producing killer dancefloor groovers for years, releasing on some of the best club focused labels around. Releases on Eastenderz, Pleasure Zone, Fuse and Crosstown Rebels have made him a name synomous with deep and minimal grooves of all shapes and sizes. Recent collaborations with Thoma Bulwer on Constant Black and Seven Hills, as well as working with our shop's own Luther Vine for a release on his 2020 Vision sublabel Fragments of Reality, have been glued to our turntables since they dropped, so when a chance came to highlight his skills on the decks we were over the moon!

This mix opens with lush and deep tracks, slowly building in atmosphere and energy as the mix pulses and grows into a unique blend of Minimal Tech House with shades of proggy euphoria and throbbing basslines.

VINYL: https://www.phonicarecords.com/product/eli-escobar-find-a-way-ep-pre-order-phonica-records/178923

New York House and Disco legend Eli Escobar has been releasing music for over 20 years under various aliases as well as running incredible parties and his own label Night People. We’ve been huge fans of his productions over the years and when a chance to release some of his stellar music on our Phonica main label came about, we were over the moon.

The “Find A Way EP” kicks off with “FindAWay2Day”, combining heavy hitting 808 drum work with deeply satisfying vocal samples, a beyond groovy bassline and 80s Electro-Funk galore. “Something Inside Of Me” leans towards a classic US Deep Garage House blueprint, with sampled chord stabs, mesmerising vocal hooks and MPC style swung drum programming.

Over on the B-Side, jacking House meets Deep Detroit Techno on “Down All Day” with a frenzied, chopped and replayed vocal melody melding with lush and relaxing pads until the piano line enters and pushes the track into pure euphoria. Finally “Daywun” conjures memories of the best funk of the 1980s, propelled by a bass riff that weaves through the drum hits and smacks just right, layering it with chords that feel like driving through California’s highways at midnight and an Electro Hip hop B-Boy style rap sample. The EP is a perfect combination of production highlights from House music’s influences and a modern approach with the freedom of style and genre while never sacrificing quality.

VINYL: https://www.phonicarecords.com/product/eli-escobar-find-a-way-ep-pre-order-phonica-records/178923

New York House and Disco legend Eli Escobar has been releasing music for over 20 years under various aliases as well as running incredible parties and his own label Night People. We’ve been huge fans of his productions over the years and when a chance to release some of his stellar music on our Phonica main label came about, we were over the moon.

The “Find A Way EP” kicks off with “FindAWay2Day”, combining heavy hitting 808 drum work with deeply satisfying vocal samples, a beyond groovy bassline and 80s Electro-Funk galore. “Something Inside Of Me” leans towards a classic US Deep Garage House blueprint, with sampled chord stabs, mesmerising vocal hooks and MPC style swung drum programming.

Over on the B-Side, jacking House meets Deep Detroit Techno on “Down All Day” with a frenzied, chopped and replayed vocal melody melding with lush and relaxing pads until the piano line enters and pushes the track into pure euphoria. Finally “Daywun” conjures memories of the best funk of the 1980s, propelled by a bass riff that weaves through the drum hits and smacks just right, layering it with chords that feel like driving through California’s highways at midnight and an Electro Hip hop B-Boy style rap sample. The EP is a perfect combination of production highlights from House music’s influences and a modern approach with the freedom of style and genre while never sacrificing quality.

Phonica’s very own Sam, otherwise known as Samson A.K, joins us for the 8th edition of the Phonica Friends & Family Mix Series.

For the last 5 years, Sam has been the man behind all of Phonica’s marketing, social media output, events series, and lots more. He has been DJing for more than 20 years, having first started out with a hand-me-down batch of battered trance and progressive house records from his older brother at the age of 13.

Sam is a resident on London-based radio station Balamii, from which he broadcasts a monthly dose of leftfield techno, ambient and experimental goodness. Always aiming to shine a light on some of his favourite artists and producers from around the world, Sam has invited guests such as Salamanda, Flaty, WASWAAS, Tristan Arp, Tarotplane, Koyil and Sebastiano Carghini to join him for a guest mix.

Aside from his solo work, Sam is also one half of production duo Zoo Look, whose music has been released via E-Beamz, Tusk Wax, Lost Palms and more over the past decade or so. Keep your eyes peeled for a future release of theirs on Permanent Vacation too.

For his contribution to our Mix Series, Sam decided to veer away from the softer side of the electronic music spectrum, which he usually showcases on his radio shows, and the result is a full-blown, energetic mix of psychedelic techno, dubby house and gritty post-punk. Enjoy! 🔊🔊

Lorca is up next on Shall Not Fade with his stunning debut LP ‘Saudade’. The album consists of eight melodic tracks with richly-layered soundscapes made up of samples and field recordings taken from his hometown, Brighton. Packed with pulsating jazz rhythms and oozing with groove, our pick for the premiere is the B1 cut ‘Colraine’.

Pre-order your copy from Phonica here: bit.ly/3pzhUwe

Kyoto-born, Berlin-based DJ, producer and artist, Alex Kassian has become a firm favourite of ours over here at Phonica over the past couple of years. His sophisticated, lush and organic sounding productions have been picked up by labels such as Paramida’s Love On The Rocks and Alex Bradley’s Utopia Records in recent years. His most recent release, Leave Your Life, was released in 2021 via Pinchy & Friends, and we can safely say it was one of our most-played, and bestselling, records of the year.

Together with Hiroaki OBA, Alex is also one-half of Opal Sunn, who have been operating their own imprint Planet Sundae since 2017, through which they self-released a number of EPs, catching the attention of and support from dance music luminaries such as Andrew Weatherall and DJ Sprinkles.

Check out the full feature & interview over at offtherecord.net

Japan-born, London-based digger, producer and founder of the phenomenal Time Capsule imprint, Kay Suzuki joins us for the 29th edition of the Off The Record Mix Series. Be sure to check out the full feature and interview over on offtherecord.net 🙌

Creative director and resident DJ of DISCOSÓDOMA in London and POWER DANCE CLUB in Athens, Stathis has been a staple in queer clubbing around Europe with his eclectic selection of leftfield electronic dance music over the past eight years. Stathis’ dynamic music style never disappoints the dancefloors, he can go from techno to disco and all the way back with elements of surprise but always with records that make your body move. In addition, recently he’s been co-curating the experimental, downtempo Moon Gazing mix series alongside Berlin-based DJ Luigi do Venere. Enjoy his psychedelic mix!