Phonica Records

Panorama Bar resident and Love On The Rocks label head Paramida joins us for the 92nd edition of the Phonica Mix Series.

Since moving to Berlin in 2010, Paramida has since become a key figure in the cities ever-expanding electronic music scene. In 2014 she launched her Love On The Rocks label which has seen releases from Massimiliano Pagliara, Telephones, Fantastic Man, Elles, Violet, Alex Kassian and more.

Having spent five years working at Oye Records, Paramida is certainly no stranger to digging. Each of her varied DJ sets brings a new beacon of pleasure and surprise. Blending proto-house to trance, percussive gems with high-energy techno, Italian dream house and irresistible new beat. Sounds that are very much reflected in this here recording. Check out the in-depth interview over on Off The Record. Enjoy!

Full feature coming soon...

Hailing from Aarhus, Denmark, C.K is the main man behind Safe Distribution and its affiliated labels, such as PRS and Help Recordings to name just two. He has been known to release under a variety of different monikers, including the ambient-focused projects 3.11 and 355.11125. C.K is also part of several collectives, namely 2 Bit Crew, Maizena, and the infamous Regelbau crew, alongside Manmade Deejay, DJ Sports, Central, and more. A keen digger, C.K has a never-ending desire to find new music (and old) for his DJ sets. Whether performing solo or back-to-back, C.K is known to represent the relaxed but recognisable sound of all the labels and artists surrounding the Safe crew – usually with a nod a bit more towards the euphoric soundscapes of Dream House, with bouncy basslines and luscious melodies. These key themes also run through the core of his spectacular two-hour-long recording. Head on over to offtherecord.net to check it out, alongside a rare in-depth interview. Enjoy! 🙌 bit.ly/PHONICAMIX91

A Londoner through and through, Arthur Smith, more commonly known as Artwork, is a man who has been a key part of some of the capital’s pivotal music scenes in the last two decades. After a time producing techno under his Grain alias in the 90s, fore-fronting dubstep with Big Apple Records in the early noughties and forming Magnetic Man alongside Skream and Benga in 2007 – Artwork is now busy injecting his character into various parties, festivals and clubs around the globe.

As a longtime friend of the shop, we reached out to Arthur to see if he would be up for contributing a mix to close out 2021. For the occasion, Arthur went above and beyond and the result is a whopping one hour and forty-minute long recording packed with all kinds of rare disco, funk, boogie and house treasures.

Head on over to offtherecord.net to check out the in-depth interview where we discussed his new life in NYC, his past projects; Grain and Magnetic Man, his future plans, and much more. Enjoy!

Some of you may have seen Daire, aka DC FSLMAN, pottering around in our Soho store in recent months. Prior to that, you may have also seen him working behind the counter at Dublin’s legendary All City Records. This lovable Irishman is one of our newest team members (welcome, Daire!) and is also the main man behind the excellent First Second Label.

Stretching back as far as 2012, First Second Label has played host to a vast array of talent, such as Ellll, Minimal Violence, Sputnik One, Orlando, and G.E.O Corp to name a few. The label’s most recent release, Step Mode, comes from Dublin-based Glimmerman – be sure to check that out here. Daire is keeping his cards close to his chest for now, but we are told there are some tip-top releases on the horizon which we are already looking forward to checking out.

Daire’s mix is short but very, very sweet. It’s slow, always staying under the 100bpm mark, with all kinds of double-time, bass music, and sludge metal influences thrown in along the way. There’s a full tracklist on offtherecord.net. Enjoy!

London-based independent record label Kalita is known for specialising in unearthing and re-releasing great music that deserves to be heard by all. They focus mainly on soul, disco, and West African sounds from around the world that they love and believe others will love as well. Kalita Records prides itself on two things: the quality of its musical output, and its focus on the musicians behind each release. Alongside a beautifully presented outer sleeve, their releases are often accompanied by liner notes, photographs and interviews with the artists, thus creating a far more interesting package all around.

Some of our personal highlights from the label’s impressive back catalogue include ‘If You Need Me, Call Me’ by Emerson, ‘Looking Up: The Complete Works’ by Carrie Cleveland, and ‘Getting Next To You’ by Randolph Baker to name just three.

We got in touch with Kalita’s founder, Chris Webb, to see if he would be interested in putting together a mix for our Off The Record series - one that showcases the overall “sound of Kalita”. Check out the full feature & interview - bit.ly/3cmWY4H

Belgian producer Gratts, an active DJ for more than 20 years, teams up with pioneering Chicago vocalist Robert Owens on this new house anthem for our times. Hope is built into the very fibre of ‘Brighter Future’, from its optimistic synths to the sprightly Roland drum patterns, with Owens’ lilting affirmations soaring above. On the flip, Jorge Caiado’s remix and the New Vision Dub bring the track to the late night dancefloor, recalling the 90s heyday of Murk, Cajmere and Mood II Swing.

Grab your copy here: bit.ly/2YWxKHd

Milan-based, Chilean-born DJ, producer, and keen digger, Paula Tape joins us for the 89th edition of the Phonica Mix Series.

Although Paula started her musical career out as a drummer in various metal and indie bands, she is best known now for her distinct brand of breezy yet energetic dance music and her musical creations have been picked up by such labels as SOBO and Alzaya Records, as well as her forthcoming Astroturismo EP on Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section International.

Paula is also an active member of the Tempo Dischi crew – a label on a mission to discover and repress Italian gems from the lost era, such as Alexander Robotnick’s Computer Sourire and Contact Music’s Keep On Dance to name but two.

Check out Paula’s interview over on offtherecord.net

Baltimore-based ambient and new-school Kosmische guitar musician PJ Dorsey, better known as Tarotplane, joins us for the 26th edition of the Off The Record Mix Series. If you’re not yet familiar with his music be sure to check out his phenomenal albums ‘Horizontology’ on 12th Isle and ‘358 Oblique’ on Lullabies For Insomniacs to name just two.

His recording below features gems from O Yuki Conjugate, Iury Lech, Michael Banabila, Cabaret Du Ciel, Suzanne Kraft, and many more. Check out PJ's in-depth interview over on offtherecord.net - Enjoy!

Full feature coming soon...