5th January 2016
Happy New Year everyone! 2015 was a great year and we hope all of you took a well deserved break over the holidays. Instead of taking a break for ourselves we decided to hit the ground running and ring in the new year with a brand new mix from the one and only Simone Vescovo aka Simoncino!
One of our favourite albums from 2015 was Simoncino's 'Amazon Atlantis' on Creme Organization. His distinctive sound is purely analogue and the first time we heard Amazon Atlantis it felt more like an unearthed gem from the past rather than a new release. Simone achieves this by using a large collection of vintage equipment which he constantly switches in and out of his home studio in Perugia in order to keep his sound fresh and evolving. Another quality we've become huge fans of in Simone is his highly productive work ethic. Within three years he's released three superb full length albums and since he first debuted on Jamal Moss's Mathematics recordings he's released over twenty highly regarded EP's for a variety of internationally respected labels including Creme Organization, Finale Sessions, L.I.E.S, Syncrophone and Quintessentials. Many of his productions have caught the attention of some of the best producers in the game including Larry Heard, Chez Damier, Virgo Four, Gene Hunt, Ron Trent, Dream 2 Science who all went on to remix his music. Simone has also worked with Legowelt, Robert Owens, Mark Rogers, Julian Jonah, Boyd Jarvis, Vincent Floyd to name a few. If this wasn't already pretty impressive, he still finds the time to manage his own imprints called. HotMix Records and Hot Island Records.
For the 20th edition of the Phonica Mix Series, Simoncino has prepared an hour long blend of late 80's and early 90's obscure techno and deep house tracks. We also took the liberty to ask him a few questions down below to help you get to know him better. Enjoy!
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Hello guys, all ok thanks... I just arrived back home in Perugia after three crazy gigs! So now relax, relax and relax… Everything is ok here, Perugia is a very quiet place, I live in the suburbs, I don't like living in the chaos of the city.
Tell us about the mix you've prepared for us today?
Don't have a theme for the mix, I simply selected some old techno and deep house records from my own collection. I used two Technics SL 1210 turntables and an Urei 1620 LE mixer. This is the standard set up I have at home.
Your music has been released by some great labels over the years but you also run your own label called Hotmix Records. Could you tell us some more about the imprint? Are there some new releases we should look out for in 2016?
Yes, having my own label has always been my dream and my label follows my personality...In a few words, I release what I like, I don't care if it sounds like techno, or house or afro etc etc, what ties it all together is quality and I really don't follow the trends of the moment! I have many releases planned for this 2016, in a few days I'll release a new Kurt Baggaley EP, then many other great artist like Gene Hunt and Marcello Napoletano will be coming next.
You've been quite prolific with the quantity and quality of your releases since you first debuted on Mathematics back in 2009. How do you stay so productive?
Honestly I don't know...I love to make music and I turn on my synthesizers almost everyday, but, of course, sometimes I turn them on not to make a record but just for the sake of it, or just to create and test some sounds...
All of your productions have a raw analogue sound. Could you tell us a bit about your studio set up and the equipment you use?
This is an hard question because the setup of my studio continuously changes, and that's because I continuously buy and sell synthesizers and drum machines...But mmm in these days I'm using above all these: Yamaha DX7, Roland Jx 3p, Roland Jx8p, Roland D50, Oberheim Matrix 6, Kawai K3, Ensoniq esq1, Roland KMS80, Akai S900, EMU EMAX I, Roland TR 808, Roland TR 909, Kawai R50 and Akai MPC2000. Yes, these are the machines that I'm using the most lately...
We know you have a huge record collection and you love to dig for forgotten gems. Without giving anything any secret weapons, what's one of your favourite finds lately?
Without a doubt this one: Bizzy B - Summer House. An old school rare Chicago jam from 1988.
Your last album, 'Amazon Atlantis' saw you collaborating with both Chicago's Vincent Floyd and Legowelt from The Netherlands. Do you have some more exciting collaborations in the works for 2016?
Yes...I have a new remix from Larry Heard under his legendary acronym Mr. Fingers, who remixed my track "Beyond The Dance" on L.I.E.S... there will be two remixes released on L.I.E.S. Records very soon.
And what about your solo productions, anything in the pipeline?
Yes, two very important EP, one for the legendary Vibraphone Records and one for Syncrophone Records.
2015 has finally come to a close. What were your biggest highlights from the past year?
Mmmm one more hard question...I don't know, maybe my second EP on L.I.E.S. "Abele Dance" and definitely my Album on Creme Organization "Amazon Atlantis".
Any New years Resolutions?
Honestly nothing special, I hate long-term projects as I hate having expectations that will not come true.
23rd December 2015
Best of 2015 Singles
Other websites such as RA, Fact etc have now switched to the 'Top tracks' chart where each track counts separately – perhaps more apt in these days of streaming and MP3s – but here at Phonica, we feature SINGLES – be they 7inch,10inch or 12inch – there has to be a physical release for it to be included in our chart.....its the hardest chart of all to compile. Whilst there is a general consensus amongst the staff of which are the strong albums – a single, be it 3 minutes or 10 minutes, usually divides opinion much more. This year has also seen a glut of reissues too and only a few have made it into our chart – these have been the choice ones. There are some Phonica releases here too which would feature much higher due to sales and staff picks but modesty keeps them low. Established producers such as Roman Flugel, Aphex Twin, Levon Vincent, SoundStream and DJ Koze sit alongside brand new up & coming producers , names to watch such as Mall Grab, PLO Man, Dorisburg, Jascha Hagen, Project Pablo. A great year for great singles. And what's sitting at the top of the pile? Would you believe a double slice of obscure Turkish psychedelia remixed by the Messiah of Minimal House.?
Now of course a lot of these are sold out – this is the nature of record releases these days. We will endeavour to restock all these choice gems – although some may never get repressed!
Best of 2015 Albums
We are all in agreement that was a great year for the long-player in 2015. And we were all in agreement about the No.1 record this year too – it slowly worked its charms on all of us through its repeated plays in the shop, with shouts of 'What's this?' with every play – and beautiful artwork too. In fact, Firecracker's beautiful artwork is behind two of our top 10 albums of 2015 – a label still giving us both aesthetic and musical quality with all their releases. Some eagerly awaited albums here from Floating Points, Maurice Fulton as Boof, D5, Romare, Anthony Naples, Jose Padilla and some more obscure choices from Roland P. Young, Garth Be, Syracuse (on the excellent AntiNote label) and many more. Enjoy the selection. (Due to Christmas and limited stocks, we are sold out of a lot of these – we will endeavour to restock those that are available, just add your email on the albums' page to get a notification!)
So how old does a record have to be before it is considered a reissue? Isn't Lndrcry a vinyl reissue of a cassette anyway. As Phonica sees it, we care about vinyl releases (hence the inclusion of Four Tet’s Pink in the 2015 chart as it just got a vinyl release) . I’m sure a few of you will disagree with our designation of what is a comp and what is a collection. A reissue is a straight up reissue of an album (usually long-lost or obscure, rather than just a mainstream repress), a collection usually involves one artist (such as Gloria Ann Taylor) and a compilation is just that where a compiler such as Optimo Trevor Jackson or Hunee takes the time to select tracks for a label retrospective or one focusing on a particular sound or geographical place. Anyway, who cares? Just enjoy the lists....some gems here from every corner of the world.
We compile these charts as a combination of shop sales, Staff charts of the year and charts from customers and DJs. Its just a list – see it as a way of reminding yourself of some choice albums, reissues, compilations or 12inch singles. We are not saying that no 1 is better than no 100, more than it had more resonance with our staff & customers. It's been a good year at Phonica too with some memorable in-stores from Richie Hawtin, Levon Vincent, Linkwood, Romare, Boo Williams, Ron Trent, Greg Wilson, Jovonn, Maceo Plex, Tapes and many more. Record Store Day was a roadblock – a memorable day were we were allowed to open the space below the shop for a huge party with Four Tet, Andres, Todd Edwards as surprise guests!! We even opened up a small concession in The Store in Berlin this year too. We'd like to say a huge thank you to all the continued support and custom both in the shop and online., to all the labels & artists who give us the music that makes it all worthwhile and to all the staff for all their hard work. Please enjoy our round-up of the year, let us know your thoughts and see you in 2016!!! We have also included a lot of these Best of 2015 records in our latest podcast, check it out here: http://www.phonicarecords.com/web-blog/official/post/101/phonica-podcast-episode-46
17th December 2015
The highly anticipated Christmas edition of the Phonica Podcast is here! Fortunately you won't be hearing any Christmas carols here, just another great selection of some of the best records we have in the shop at the moment and also some of our favourites (that we still have in stock) from 2015. At the controls this month are Callum Mclean and Alex Egan. Enjoy the selection and make sure you check the full tracklist down below. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and we'll catch you in 2016!
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01. Tarika Blue - Dreamflower [AOTN]
02. Singers + Players - Kunta Kinte Dub [ON-U Sound]
03. Patrick Cowley - Mockinbird Dream 2 [Dark Entries]
04. Richard P. Young - Late Afternoon Light [EM Records]
05. DJ Sotofett - DJ Sotofett Meets Abu Sayah - Houran (Percussion Mix) [FIT Sound]
06. LNRDCROY - TeleGraph My Love [Firecracker Recordings]
07. Al Zanders - I Don't Want You To Judge [Karakul]
08. Craig Peyton - Be Thankful [RDY]
09. House Of Doors - Burmstar (Twin Mix) [Mood Hut]
10. Ryota Opp - Zombie Boogie [Meda Fury]
11. STL - Joy Operator [Smallville]
12. Mad Rey - Impuissance (Dub Mix) [DKO]
13. Kerri Chandler - Ladbroke Grove [Large Music]
14. Simon Fisher Turner - Shishapangma (DJ Sprinkles Deeparama) [Comatonse]
15. DJ Koze - XTC [Pampa]
16. Shinichi Atobe - The Red Line [DDS]
17. Iori - Monsoon [Phonica White]
18. Abdulla Rashim - Crossing Qalandiya [Northern Electronics]
19. Frak - Southern East Light [Lux Rec]
20. Fatima Yamaha - What's A Girl To Do [Dekmantel]
21. Floating Points - Silhouettes (I, II & III) [Pluto]
16th December 2015
Italian Cosmic Disco don Daniele Baldelli dropped by the shop earlier this week! In his hands are part 1 & 2 of the Cosmic Temple series on Mondo Groove. Highly recommended! If you get the chance to chat with him he's a really cool guy!
Hot Chip's Joe Goddard also made an appearance in the shop today! He stopped in to grab a copy of Gloria Ann-Taylor's 'Love Is A Hurtin' Thing'. An excellent Christmas present if we say so ourselves!
15th December 2015
Chicago's in the house! Michael Serafini (owner of the amazing GramaphoneRecords in Chicago) stopped in to grab a few records before he flies out to Berlin to play Panorama Bar on Sunday. One of our staff (also named Michael) is from Chicago too and whenever he's back Serafini gives him a great stack of 12''s from local talent. We're happy we could finally return the favour!
14th December 2015
We've reached the third installment of our new 'Staff Pick of The Week' series! Many of your thought we couldn't even make it this far (Van, we're looking at you!) but we're at it again with another top notch selection. This week's selection comes from Callum Mclean. Many of you might not know what Callum looks like but you've probably been seduced by his alluring voice and mixing skills showcased in the monthly Phonica Podcast.
On paper this may not be everyone’s cup of tea... Following on from the 2013 release ‘School daze’, ‘Muscle up’ is the next instalment of Patricks Cowley’s Gay Porn soundtracks – lovingly put together and released through the ever-wonderful Dark Entries. Recorded before and around the time he was making and remixing hits for Donna Summer and Slyvester, the tracks on ‘Muscle Up’ delves right back into the steamy primordial landscape ‘School Daze’ left off, but this time with more jungle noises and guitar solos. Totally different to the Hi-NRG disco Cowley was making at the time, this sounds like it could’ve sound tracked science fiction movies let alone Porn. It also has an early instrumental version of probably one of my favourite tracks of all time ‘Somebody to Love Tonight’, which would later go one to become a big hit for Slyvester. Totally essential!
