Making the selection this week is the Phonica Records label manager (and occasional dabbler in graphic design), Alex Egan! If he's not hidden away in the office you can usually catch Alex working behind the counter during the week and occasionally at weekends too. When Alex isn't working with us here at Phonica, he  heads up his own label called Utter which recently launched with a special reissue of Daniel Swan’s short film 'Lux Laze' alongside its soundtrack by Jack Latham (aka Jam City). You can still grab it from us here. You can also catch him DJing around London including regular nights at the Alibi, The Montpelier and The Gun alongside fellow staff members Callum & Kenny. Alex's selection this month is rather unique... it's 'A Study Into 21st Century Drone Acoustics'.

"A couple of years ago I stumbled upon then bought the 'Drone Survival Guide', a curious little pamphlet for spotting and evading drones, or to use its own description, a guide to '21st century birdwatching'. Designed by Amsterdam based Ruben Pater for his Design MA, it's a double-sided poster printed on aluminium paper in English and Pashto. Housed within a reflective envelope, one side of the folded document displays scaled diagrams of drone silhouettes, the other describes where the majority of drones are deployed, their alarmingly increasing numbers and various techniques to disrupt of 'hack' their surveillance capabilities. These range from using heat camouflage to hide from infrared scanners, to utilising pieces of reflective material to confuse drone cameras. The guide itself, printed on a mirrored surface, is one such tool."

"Two years on and Discrepant's Goncalo F. Cardoso has collaborated with Pater on the 'Study Into 21st Century Drone Acoustics' LP. While Pater showed us how to distinguish between drones visually, Cardoso recognises that they're often heard before being seen, their distinctive sound an ominous and repressive presence over areas of conflict. Once again housed within a reflective sleeve, the a-side of the LP features the recordings of 17 different remote controlled surveillance aircraft, from small consumer models to large military drones, all sequenced and identified in the manner of a library recording. The b-side features a fantastic 23 minute composition by Cardoso, in his words 'inspired by the abusive and destructive power of drone technology… focus(ing) on the conceptual (sound) life and death of an aerial drone machine in the 21st century.' Rounding out the package is a 12 page booklet depicting the drones featured alongside other documentation. One of the most interesting records I've picked up in a long time!"

Drone Survival Guide: http://www.dronesurvivalguide.org/
Drone Acoustics: http://www.droneacoustics.org/

1 Rexy -Don't Turn Me Away
2 Robert - Aiki Aubrey lowe M'Bondo
3 Toulouse Low trax - Rushing Into Water
4 Sneaker -Algerian Rai
5 Two Dogs In A House - Dogs Anthem
6 Random - La Armonia De Las Esfe
7 Sister Rasheda - Only Jah Worthy (Dub Mix)
8 Jah Wobble - Invaders of the heart mix two
9 Vakula & Huriyaki - Passage to the Moon
10 Rouge Mecanique - Stingray
11 Beppe Loda - Mondo Virtaule (Mushrooms Project Virtua Tropik Remix)
12 Dunkeltier Striking - Tear It Down
13 Purple Flash -We Can Make It
14 Nostromo - Around The World in 80 Seconds
15 Kabbala - Ashewo Ara
16 DJ Fett Burger & Jayda G - NYC Party Track
17 House of Doors - Burnstar
18 Compuma Meets Haku - Compuma Re-edit
19 Mr Fingers - Children At Play
20 Steve Summers - Nethermead Arches
21 Aufgang B - Demo 3
22 ZSA GANG - Juju/Jordan gez/Juju
23 QX-1

Just before the end of 2015 our very own Alex Egan launched his new label called UTTER with a special reissue of Daniel Swan’s dystopian sci-fi short film 'Lux Laze' alongside its soundtrack by Jack Latham (aka JamCity). The package features the soundtrack on 10" vinyl alongside a 75x50cm poster and download link for the 'Lux Laze' film, soundtrack and zine. Limited to 300, hand-numbered copies, you can still grab it from us here at Phonica.

Around the same time the record came out, Alex was invited to lay down a guest mix for Chloe Frieda's Alien Jams show on NTS. Check it out down below and if you're feeling the vibe make sure you keep up to date with all things UTTER by following the label on facebook.

"There’s something wonderful about walking into a place and putting your trust in the people who work there. The way I got to know about Surgeon is a prime example."

Ahead of his appearance at Bloc 2016, Josh Baines from Thump tagged along with Steve Davis to the Masters Snooker and they spent most of the time talking about Techno. You can read the full interview HERE. Our favourite part is when he gives a shout out to the shop! Thanks a lot Steve!

"I stumbled across Phonica recently, in London. Which I used to walk straight past because I thought there was nothing in it but the BOOF BOOF stuff. One of the guys who works there knows I like the weirder end of things now and points records out to me. I go through them and find stuff I love." .

                                           
    Al Zanders (Lodger)                                 Anthony Naples                                            Art Crime

                                          
        Ashley Beadle                                                 Aybee                                            Bobby O'Donnel

                                          
    Chaos In The CBD                                          Contours                                                     Cromie

                                           
Detroit Swindle                                             Digitalism                                                     DJ Nature

                                        
    Endian                                                           Esa                                                       Fort Romeau

                                         
     Hakim Muphy                                                Hodge                                          Honey Soundsystem 

                                        
       Huxley                                                         Joakim                                               Jacques Renault

                                         
      Joel Alter                                                Johannes Albert                                           Kejeblos  

                                         
   Keneth Badger                                        Kito Jempere                                                 Krystal Klear

                                         
     Len Leise                                                     Lock Eyes                                               Luv*Jam

                                         
    Lo Shea                                              Massimiliano Pagliara                                    Matrixxman

                                         
Mosca                                                            Premiesku                                                   Radio Slave

                                         
Roi Perez                                                        Ron Wilson                                               Royota OPP

                                         
Simoncino                                                      Steve O'Sullivan                                              Terron

                                          
Toby Tobias                                                Trevor Jackson                                                    Urulu

                                                                                     
Velvet Season                                                                                                                     Will Saul
& The Hearts Of Gold                                                                                    

After taking a very brief break over Christmas and New Years our team is finally back together again! To celebrate we’ve decided to get our weekly ‘Staff Pick Of The Week’ feature up and running again.

Making the selection this week is Rob aka Mack. When Rob’s not with us here at Phonica he manages the studio over at Young Turks and produces for Rat King and King Krule. He also records solo material as Mack / Black Mack and still finds the time for a NTS radio show called City Rhythms from Midnight ‘til 2am on Tuesdays which you can check out -->here<--
Rob’s selection this week is Rezzett’s latest.



The elusive Rezzett boys hit the ground running in 2016 with their latest EP on the label synonymous with their rise and rise, The Trilogy Tapes. Rezzett have built a following for their distinct dissonance, drum machine driven looping constructs and the abrasive distortion that frames their sounds. What’s really drawn me to their music since I heard the first EP (Yayla) aside from such palpable hardware production, is the sci-fi conceptions it stirs up, perhaps my vision is coloured by my studies of such afro-futurism malarkey, but each track is like an alternate fantasy of a sonic future, and all makes for a great soundtrack for them 4am cycles home through a desolate but lit up City of London as much so as a sonic statement in the dance.

Following on from a stellar 2015 which saw a trio of releases, firstly the jungle inflicted Zootie EP (although personally I loved the drum-less ‘Yavas’ mix) and the unrelenting, Goodness EP, of which the title track, with it’s cascading synth wails really took me back to Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic The Hedgehog on Sega Genesis (what can I say I’m a 90’s baby). In between those EP’s they released a limited cassette recorded live in Japan and I’m so stoked a couple of gem’s from that session have now been issued on vinyl with the Rezzett 2 EP (‘cause previously I’d resorted to lifting the tracks from the tape in segments haha)

A1 Afyon features some the clearest chords yet, airy and icy, though their trademark hats and swing still lay the foundation. Hey Hugo has the chaotic colouring and sample littered build up akin to the aforementioned Goodness before the terrain opens to unveil delicate off kilter keys. B1 Zik Zak, one of the tracks positioned to lead here I feel, has a swirling synth build up, dotted with hollow tom drums as the pads in the back rise out of the terrain. Now B2. Noklue is my personal choice cut here, the chopped breaks evoking the jungle of my youth, even the fluttering propeller like effects in the back stirred up memories of a certain Shy FX Remix (Chopper) track my older cousins used to ring out regularly. Interspersed with such lush pads brings about something ethereal, showing that beauty can be found amidst such corrosion and decay.