Phonica Records

Phonica Mix Series 130 welcomes an artist who has defined and defied the rules of drum & bass like no other. dBridge, real name Darren White has been in the game for well over 30 years. Growing up listening to artists like DJ Randall & Grooverider on Rush FM when he was starting out shaped his ear for the sound that he would learn to grow with, love and mutate. With over 100 records released on labels like R&S, Convex, Metalheadz, Nonplus and more that span well into the 90's dBridge has become a pioneer well in his own right. Not only that but his label Exit Records which not too long ago celebrated its 100th release has been a output determined to push the boundaries of experimental bass, D&B and more.

Having usually referred to himself as being producer first, it is not to be mistaken that White is a seasoned pro behind the decks. Having stepped into Worlds of his own playing with some of Drum & Bass' biggest names like Doc Scott & Goldie, the artist has also stepped into lengthy b2b's with Bass artist Youngsta and Techno legend Donato Dozzy (which he will do once more this Summer at Dekmantel).

For this mix dBridge has dedicated it to people around him, a friends and family mix of sorts. With heavy bassy tones from the get go and experimental techno and electro flowing throughout - it showcases the sure diversity of one of the best to do it! We had a brief chat with dBridge about the mix and what he has coming up.

One of our newest members of staff steps up for the latest Phonica Friends and Family mix, but I wouldnt take alot of attention to the word "newest". With residencies in London hotspots like Lion & Lamb and more Patrick Rowe aka Rolo is no stranger to the wheels of steel. With a mix just bashing spot on an hour Patrick takes us down a vortex of experimental industrial sounds and warped euphoric trance fused acid and techno. We had a brief chat with Patrick about the mix and what he has going on!

Phonica reaches out to one of the finest names in Chicago for our 129th mix.

Starting off in the 90's playing from cassette tapes with a group of friends under the moniker ‘Chuck Brothers’ Rahaan started to build an extensive house and disco collection that by 1996 would come to define him as one of Chicago’s stand out house and disco DJs. This would of course secure him with residencies at ‘The Spot’ and one of Chicago’s best clubs ‘Buddha Lounge’. A reputation he would cement with gigs all over the globe in the proceeding years also giving him an audience to his skills in production that have seen him release records with reputable labels like Lumberjacks From Hell, Z Records, Hot Biscuit, BBE and more. For this mix the Chicago legend takes us on a trip with over an hour of deep, soulful and funky disco house. We had a brief chat with Rahaan about the mix and what he has coming up!

The multifaceted talent Michael Diamond steps up for the next edition to our Off The Record mix series with a selection of bass driven leftfield club sounds. Off the back of his excellent EP "Placid Wakefulness" on his own Vasuki Sound imprint, which closed out the artists 2024 to much critical acclaim, we reached out to the South East Londoner for a mix. With a sound that draws elements which would stretch from the likes of Music From Memory all the way to Hessle Audio Michael has deemed himself unique in production but also very much so in his DJ sets. With a massively expansive taste we knew he would be a perfect edition to Off The Record. With a more club focused mix delving into the UK techy and bass vibe it gives us an example of Michael Diamond at peak time. We had a brief chat with Michael about his mix and what he has coming up in 2025!

We are finally walking out of the gloom and doom of January with Spring firmly in view. To give us that extra jolt and wipe off them cobwebs we have reached out to drum & bass and jungle master Tim Reaper to put a shock to our system.

Tim is without doubt one of the striving forces in pushing a new wave of drum & bass and jungle in London and beyond. Alongside other names like Sully, Kloke, Stones Taro and Coco Bryce, Tim has brought a old school sound to an entirely new generation - sounds similar to alumni like Source Direct & Commix but with a new twist. With closing out 2024 with his new album "In Full Effect" with Australian producer Kloke on Hyperdub to much critical acclaim, the name Tim Reaper has never been bigger! So with that being said we are very honoured to have him join us for our series. For Tim's mix he takes us on an hour and half deep dive that he describes as the more chilled side to D&B and Jungle - but don't be fooled this mix definitely has a bit of power behind it. We had a brief chat with Tim about the mix and what hes gotta coming up this year.

The Off The Record mix series kicks off its year with a bonafide legend in the game. Having close ties to artists like Flying Lotus, Ras-G & more Kutmah has blurred the lines between beats, hip-hop, new wave and Lo-fi. Having flipped the script on sampling and making his own sound from a little bit of column A and a little of column B, the DJ (whose mixing skills are nearly unparalleled), has always found himself indistinguishable in terms of genre. This has gathered him a very firm fanbase who never know what to expect from a Kutmah set. That being said we did not know what to expect either, and in this excitement received an hour of pure raw distorted guitars, ambient waves and lo-fi beats. We had a brief chat with the man himself about the mix and what he has cooking in the pipeline.

The Phonica mix series returns for 2025! Kicking off the year with a bang is one of our favorite and definitely one of the slickest underground producers of the minute Tiago Walter. Running Jisul Records (together with Nils Diezel and Ba Dum Tish's Alec Falconer) Walter has used the imprint to put out killer release after release with a unique and clean take on the tied lines between tech, soulful and deep house. This is a joint sound that you can find travelling not just throughout this hour and a half journey he has recorded for us, but at sets he has played all over Europe i.e. London's Pickle Factory or Offenbach's Robert Johnson club! So get your headphones on and prepare to bop your head to this masterclass in house music from the excellent Tiago Walter. As always we had a little chat with Tiago about the mix and what he has coming up!

The Irish up and comer brings us on a two hour journey of eclectic builds and bassline infused d&b, house and tech anthems.

Upon listening to the latest musical offering "The Instigator EP" from Irish artist, DJ & producer Niall Prescott aka Rhythms Of Prescott, you would assume that the artist has solely rooted his years into all things house and its surrounding stylings. This is far from the truth. Niall's deep understanding of all kinds of club and overall music demonstrates his versatility which has given him an uplifting edge as a producer. This comes to light when you see him DJ and begin to see the influences reflected in his music. Its like a drawn out map through sound. This is exactly what comes to mind when you listen to his Phonica mix. Just marking over two hours the mix starts off with some eclectic sounds solemnly and fluidly progressing into drum & bass influences before taking us to some dark bassline filled territories in the realms of techy club and house sounds. A solid closing mix for the series in 2024.

We change up the pace for Off The Record 52 with Palestinian/Egyptian DJ & producer Oldyungmayn.

With a multifaceted identity layered through both his productions and performances, influenced from 90's era rave, sharpened sound design, and a wide spectrum of music he fiinds these stylings have taken him to the decks at Amsterdam’s Garage Noord, Herrensauna and a performance at the experimental festival CTM to name a few. For this mix Oldyungmayn digs deep into more leftfield sounds and less so 4/4 club sounds, that being said this mix can find its way to being played at all hours of the night. Driving yet euphoric. We had a very brief chat with the artist about the mix and what he has coming up.

Interview: http://offtherecord.net/phonica-friends-family-mix-series-22luther-vine/

The Friends and Family mix we have been all been waiting for. The long time standing Saturday manager of Phonica records steps up for just over an hour of what he knows best: deep dug out and well selected tech house grooves.

There has been many recognisable faces from dance music to work the weekend shifts at Phonica over the years. Artists like Heidi, Anthea and Danielle have all spent Saturdays and Sundays shifting the latest 12"s to the vinyl hungry punters of the Soho haunt. As these staff faded from the floor to bigger things Luther Vine has filled this void with a gusto and eagerness matching to his past colleagues (of course with his own flavour).

With a hand in the Phonica record label, running its latest Phonica AM off-shoot and also running his own imprint Fragments Of Reality with Ralph Lawson of 20/20 Vision - it is no secret that Luthers ear falls expert to minimalistic cuts as well as grooving tech-house sounds. This you can also find in his solid productions on the two previously mentioned labels including a pretty memorable cut with good friend Subb-An (who also released the debut release on Phonica AM) on Fragments Of Reality Vol. 2.

On top of all this Luther is a very credible DJ in the circuit having exhibited his skills all around the UK, further afield and as well as laying it down at London institution fabric on more than one occasion. For this mix he takes us into the deepest corners of his record bag with an all over minimalistic and tech house excursion with a perfectly built narrative and warmness to the craft.