Ever Forward (inc. Omar-S Remix)
[FXHE Records]

Two sides to this EP but its the huge 'Equality' - coming on like a lost Terrence Parker classic, this timeless Detroit-flavoured house music based around a sample of Carl Bean's 'I Was Born This Way' (yes, that middle break previously sampled by Earth People / Pal Joey), but with added piano ..so good that it actually outshines an Omar S remix on the other side (of a different track) and that doesnt happen too often!

Obsession EP
[Phonica Records]

Featuring high in our 2014 chart, Art Crime's 'Never Look Back' inspired us enough to ask him to contribute to our own label - and we weren't disappointed. It was the euphoric pianos & shimmering synth stabs of 'Obsession' that led the EP of melancholic, sounding both of the past and the future. 

Computer Drumming
[Boss Musik]

Alexander Berg from Gothenburg had a good year - stunning remixes and any number of his own productions we could've included in this list - but it was this simple but effective drum tracks (at 3 different tempos) EP that made the list and made us salivate for the forthcoming album.

Herbie's Jam / Oliver (STAMP004)
[Stamp Records]

One of Phonica's biggest sellers this year - Lodger took this Herbie Hancock inspired trumpet-led groove to new heights whilst on the flip a more obscure soul-soaked cut with extensive sax and guitar solos made this the funkiest 12inch in this list.

Low Tension
[Utopia Records]

The new label from Alex Bradley (Love Fever) launched its imprint with this re-release of this Japanese deep house gem. Beautiful artwork and beautiful remixes of this awesome 1991 record (released on 'La Ronde' EP).

Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments PT2 EP
[Warp]

Why use analogue synths and drum machines when you can build a band of robots to play real instruments? Aphex returns with brand new material!

Through The Rings Of Saturn EP
[Phonica Records]

Slow Life Records supremo Sergio Moreira teamed up with Xinner for three of the EP’s four tracks and the results are a spellbinding journey through deep, hypnotic Techno, broken beats and submerged ambience.

In Gold 
[Dekmantel]

Our own former Phonica intern Jay Donaldson moved to Berlin and launched into his production career with some excellent releases for Lobster Theremin. 'In Gold' was his third EP in 3 years but it firmly established him as a producer to watch - 4 tracks with echoes of Carl Craig and both Chicago & Detroit influences.

Pan That Shit Out
[Mana All Nite]

Seemingly coming from nowhere, German producer Jascha gave us two solid yet thrilling psycho-disco house excursions for a new offshoot from the Kann label. Both sides shone but it was the B-side 'Afternoon of a Faun' that took us via the African jungle, via strings straight out of a Love Unlimited Orchestra track to a disco clearing. (and then he did amazing edits of Fela Kuti & Bobbi Humphrey for Stamp!)

Thirstin' / Atmosphère
[Future Times]

Listening to this record instantly transports us back to summertime! Pender Street Stepper Jack Jutson went solo with this simple, understated groove. Seductive to say the least - and sold in droves.

Workshop 21
[Workshop]

Tapes, Willow, The Horn & Herron all made their Workshop debut on this versatile 12”. A particular highlight for us was Willow’s ‘Feel Me’ which was originally premiered in Move D’s Fabric mix but each track is unique, completely different and both Willow & Tapes tracks here would both feature in our chart if released separately!

Stations Of The Elevated
[Acting Press]

Breakbeat rhythms on the A side, subtle, breezy leftfield house on the flip. A beautiful and well executed Ep for Acting Press’ second release definitely made both the label and artist names to watch!

Le Fada
[Atavisme]

After a two year hiatus, the mighty Pépé returned to his own Atavisme imprint on top form with three psychedelic house gems.

Carmine / First Found
[Fit Sound]

Bittersweet and pensive Detroit house music laden with strings. They've just announced a much needed repress too for February!. Powerful stuff.

Golden Garuda / Super Molam
[FREE SOUL INC.]

Fusing traditional Southeast Asian sounds with post-modern electronica and a touch of spiritual jazz, imagine Kraftwerk jamming in a Thai temple with the locals and Moritz von Oswald at the controls and you're almost there.

Assembly EP
[Meda Fury]

The up and coming Yokohama-based producer hit home with this second EP on Nick Williams' (Phonica's own) Meda Fury label. Born in the Japanese countryside, and having made music since the age of 15, Matsumoto’s thoughtful sound is marked out by his restrained and sparing usage of elements, each track like a delicate carving bursting with subtle detail.

Block The Box
[Dollydubs]

The first time we laid this record down on our soundsystem was at the end of a busy day while we were all cleaning up the shop. We had only listened to a few bars of ‘Done Away’ before we turned the volume up to 11 and we're all dancing around. Block The Box is pure bliss.

A truly gorgeous release from the International Feel label head. The 10 minute epic that is 'Bush Society' is richly textured with a field recording of a rainforest filled with bird calls and a distant thunderstorm before goji drums, Brazilian percussion and cosmic strings are brought into the mix and paired with a four four groove. A growling beneath gives it a melancholic edge which allows this tropical excision to sound dark and bright all at the same time.

Just EP
[Aus Music]

Bicep, as you probably know, are the Irish production & DJ duo who are behind the 'Feel My Bicep' blog. Not just content with giving us some huge garage / 90s house-flavoured anthmes over the last few years, Andy & Matt hit back with a bonafide 90s rave anthem in 'Just' on Will Saul's Aus label. Its all about the bleeps as the Blackburn rave spirit of 2 for Joy ('In a State') or Together ('Hardcore Uproar') gets channelled into a 2015 anthem - with the epic Sci-fi strings hitting back after the breakdown.

Gesloten Cirkel is a firm favourite amongst our staff and each release seems to further cement the notion that he can do no wrong. M012 is rumbling collection of fearless acid-tinged techno. These tracks will never fail and they'll cause dancefloor destruction wherever they are played.

Bass Affairs
[Sound Stream]

Sound Stream must be the most consistent producer of disco-tinged house out there - every year he gives us a 12inch that featured in our end of year charts - never leaves the record box - a reliable floorfiller indeed. Disco, house, techno - its all in there - with the slap-bass of the title track. Frank Timm (also known as Soundhack) gives us this 3-tracker also including the huge rave stabs meets Studio 54 of 'Starstrike' and the subtler creeping bassline and sub-bass breakdowns of ' Sweep Magic'. 3 dancefloor killers on one platter, no wonder its in our top 5.

Simply Positive
[Smallville]

We've always been big fans of Stephan Laubner's productions here at Phonica, featuring them in our end of year charts - so much so that he is doing the next Phonica White out in January! 'Heaven's Vape' though on this EP is far more anthemic than any of Stephan's previous tracks - it is huge! Coming on like Omar S's 'Wayne Hill County Cop' track or, dare we say it, Underground Resistance, it really is a powerful juggernaut of a track - string-laden and many-layered with added explosions too!

What's A Girl To Do?
[Dekmantel]

OK, OK, so it was originally out on the D1 label (from Ireland) back in 2004 and was a firm favourite in Heidi & Simon's previous shop (and a good seller too!). So when it became this year's sleeper hit, we were quietly surprised - its a subtle track, deceptively simple at first based around a sneaky sax sample, a light breakbreat and a sense of anticipation climaxing with a sample from 'Lost In Translation'. And apart from all of that, Fatima is not a girl but a producer from Holland. Big props to Dekmantel for the reissue of this gem!

XTC / Knee On Belly
[Pampa Records]

Stefan Kozella, aka DJ Koze, probably gives us this year's most euphoric moment. The suitably named ecstatic track layers all warm & fuzzy cotton-wool pads with the slowed-down female monologue, sounding not unlike a British news reporter presenting an ITN segment on the effects of Ecstacy - a suitably blissful track that soundtracked the summer!

Kime Ne
[Honest Jons]

So our no1 single (or is it an album? but with 3 tracks and an etching, we plump for the single!) turns out to be an epic Turkish psychedelic 24 minute masterpiece, originally released on Istanbul imprint Aboov Plak back in 2013 but plucked from obscurity and high Discogs prices by the excellent Honest Jon’s label. The original is our favourite but we also love the two Ricardo Villalobos excursions through Anatolia as the Chilean maestro pitches it up a tad, but still keeps all those elements from the original - easily our favourite Villalobos mix for years! One of my memories from Sonar this year was Seth Troxler dropping this at 6am, as the sun rose, to a crowd split between those enchanted and those who thought 'What the hell is THIS?'.