Phonica Premieres 23: Liem & Eddie Ness - Formula Rossa [Banoffee Pies]
8th November 2016
8th November 2016
The latest Phonica Premiere features Liem and Eddie Ness on Banoffee Pies Records. The duo are no strangers to reducing dancefloors to smouldering rubble with their Lehult imprint. Bristol based Banoffee Pies seem like the perfect host for their back to basics approach - 'Formula Rossa' is a space-bound analog jam for the lovers and the dancers. But let's allow the music to do the talking... Pre-order your copy here if you dig it as much as we do!
As always, our entire back catalogue of premieres is available to listen to online:
Phonica Mix Series 30: Lone
1st November 2016
1st November 2016
This month’s Phonica Mix Series is presented by UK producer, Lone.
Over a production career spanning nearly 10-years, Lone – AKA Matt Cutler –, has carved a reputation as an old-school beat-maker with prodigious production talent. His latest album, Levitate, is a breakbeat-heavy belter, transcending the boundaries between drum and bass and classic UK House. It’s a tasty throwback to the nineties and, akin to his previous work, is peppered with several contemplative, downtempo tracks – just enough to let you relax before being swooped back to a Hacienda-headspace. The full archive of the Phonica Mix Series is available for playback right here and don't forget to subscribe!
Tell us about the mix you’ve prepared for us today.
Basically a bunch of tunes I'm currently obsessed with - shit me and my mates have been hammering recentley, new stuff for our label (MagicWire) and a few exclusive unreleased bits from myself - some of which should be seeing the light of day early next year i reckon.
It's pretty loose I'd say, I like to keep it as human as possible... Hopefully people will be feeling it.
You’ve got a background in hip-hop, hardcore and old school house. How did these come together and what sort of influence does this have on your production?
The genre's you mentioned have all effected my production massively over the last 10 years or so. I tend to suck up influences from those styles and spit them back out as Lone tunes depending on what mood I'm in. Right now I'm leaning more towards dancefloor ready stuff - old and brand new forms of house being a main influence. Also working on our label Magicwire has been inspiring lately, hearing tons of new, genuinely interesting and imaginative house producers coming through is awesome. It's the perfect antidote to all the jungle / hardcore influenced stuff i did for my album 'Levitate' also, so I'm going in the total opposite direction again for my next project.
Your most recent album, Levitate, is just 33 minutes long. What’s behind such a short and sweet release?
It was an experiment really, that whole project. I was getting kinda disillusioned with the whole idea of 'albums' and how theyre being consumed these days - It seems like less and less people have the attention span to put on a body of work and listen from start to finish these days... for the most part anyway, so i thought to myself, 'shit how can i make a record people would want to check the whole way through and not get bored half way through?' so i tried to come up with something so concise, quick paced and short that there was no way you'd want to switch it off heh.. Dunno if it worked but it was decent motivation for making a record. Everything had to be quick - the tracks, the tempos, even the title...
We’ve heard you’ve got 20 unreleased albums on your hard-drive at home. Is this true? Will any of them ever see a release?
I'll put 'em out in some form at some point. I think there's closer to 30 actually but i mean, some are way better than others! the first one dates back to 2001 and I'm not sure i'd be up for people hearing that hah. The stuff from, say, 2003 - 2006 is all pretty wicked though i reckon, mainly amen jungle stuff, kinda IDM-ish / techno and hip hop... I definitely want more of that stuff to see the light of day at some stage - Still majorly focused on new projects though so they have to come first.
Your past 3 albums have been on R&S. What is your relationship with them? Have you got any plans for collaboration with any other labels in the future?
No plans - but definitely planning something dope for next year on R&S.
We know you’ve been performing a live-set recently. How do you approach this and what equipment is involved?
Live drums, synths and laptops... all pretty basic set up wise from my side but the addition of Chris on drums makes it fucking amazing to do - he's a drummer that can drum anything basically so it's great fun getting him on my shit.
2017 is just around the corner, marking a decade since your first release. What can we expect from you in the coming year?
Working on lots of four four stuff at the moment and will be getting those out as soon as possible.
TRACKLIST:
01. Bludwork - Melt Them (100% Silk)
02. Jtc - Caskadia (Bopside)
03. Gnork - Influx (Magic Wire)
04. Nailbar001 - B1 (Unreleased, The Nail Bar)
05. Lone - Swangdemo (Unreleased)
06. Trp - Spinnin (Lobster Theremin)
07. J Albert - Strictly J (1080p)
08. Project Pablo - In The Locale (Royal Oak)
09. Lone - Nightside Loop (Unreleased)
10. Plaid - Yak (Warp)
11. Bruce Trail - Fly By Night (Magic Wire)
12. Lone - Untitled (Unreleased)
13. Futers - Mackin' (777 Recordings)
14. B12 - Obsessed (Warp)
15. Nick Lawson - You Look Good (Morris Audio)
16. Grant - Lliché (Mork)
17. Neuron - In Motion (Likemind)
Phonica Premieres 22: Urulu - Tochigi Descent [South Street]
27th October 2016
27th October 2016
This month's Phonica Premiere sees California-native Urulu step up with the inaugural release for brand new label South Street.
Tochigi Descent, it's called - a plush four-track EP of surging house backed by earthly, contemplative, ambient sounds.
The premiere - and title - track, Tochigi Descent, is a mellow, swirling builder. Minimal beats blend with tribal drum patterns, all crisply layered above a thrusting sunshine-synth-line. This is the kind of house that Tarzan would listen to.
Have listen a listen below and reserve your copy for the offical 4th October release here.
Have listen a listen below and reserve your copy for the offical 4th October release here.
As ever, our entire back catalogue of exclusive premieres is available to listen to on our Soundcloud:
Vangelis Katsoulis Live Show
25th October 2016
25th October 2016
We caught Vangelis Katsoulis performing live in London for The Utopia Project on Saturday October 22nd, having first played in the capital in 1982!
The Greek experimental musician delivered an immersive Audio/Visual performance for the first time in the UK in anticipation of his forthcoming release “If Not Now When” on Utopia Records - the label founded by Alex Bradley in partnership with Phonica Records.
DJ support from Red Light Records man Tako Reyenga plus Grif (AKA Francis Inferno Orchestra), Chuggy (Emotional Response) and Bradley himself brought deep dancefloor vibes til close.
Michal Turtle In-Store
25th October 2016
What were the main components of your home studio at the time of recording the tracks released on Phantoms of Dreamland?
25th October 2016
Last week saw Phonica play host to an in-store show with classically-trained electronic composer, Michal Turtle. After producing much of his music in the eighties, he returned to the scene when Dutch label, Music From Memory, unearthed and reissued a selection of his old material that was created whilst he was still a young man living with his parents in Croydon.
The majority of this early work was born out of experimental studio sessions, incorporating jazz and ambient influences, whilst also drawing on Turtles’ own classical training. Seeing these tracks performed live was a magical moment for all involved.
We caught up with Michal after the show – check out his insights below and take a look at our (admittedly rather hazy) footage from the event.
Hi Michal, how is it going?
How did the collaboration with Music From Memory come about? Were you surprised to have been approached with the idea to reissue your early work?
About 10 years ago people started emailing me and asking if I had any copies of my 1983 album, Music From the Living Room. I did, and was able to sell the last few that I had. Jamie from Music From Memory was somebody who wrote me in 2014, and after selling him one of my last copies he asked me if I'd ever thought of reissuing the album. We talked and I sent him a whole bunch of stuff from that time. After meeting the team in Amsterdam the 12-inch was pressed, and later the double album. I was surprised that anybody was interested enough to actually produce vinyl from stuff I had done so long ago, having produced and released lots of my own stuff in the intervening years.
Why do you think that the music you created back then still resonates today?
I can understand why people of a certain mindset who may want a little bit more out of music would be completely bored by what is offered to them by the industry, and so would search for themselves to find what it is that clicks with them. There’s so much amazing stuff out there, and if you're willing to explore rather than sit back and consume what is given to you, you will find your thing. I never made music with the goal of selling it to this or that market. I just did the stuff, and as a result it came out the way it did. That's it. I like listening to it, and if somebody else does too, I'm happy. If nobody else does, I'm still happy.
You studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and have played with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. How did this environment affect and inspire you as an artist?
I grew up in an environment filled with jazz records and started playing jazz drums at 8. My father thought it would be a good idea to develop the classical side a bit, so he got me enrolled on various music courses. I seemed to take to this world and ended up studying music. Luckily, at music college they’d just bought an 8-track studio, and I ended up using it for early test projects. I was always writing and playing some sort of strange, musically-twisted boogie. I still have the mixes, but I wouldn't want to inflict them on anyone. After this, I was hooked and got myself a Portastudio as soon as possible. My classical studies seemed to run parallel to the recordings I did, but somehow I don't see them as overly classically influenced. They were more just experimenting with whatever instruments were around, and the recording medium itself. My classical training has helped me tons over the years in arranging and writing, especially with the more commercial work I’ve done.
What were the main components of your home studio at the time of recording the tracks released on Phantoms of Dreamland?
Compared to what we have today, technically it was the Iron Age. The 4-track Portastudio was the recording medium, using audio cassettes running at double speed. My very first recordings were done on a Crumar DS2, but I bought some cheap and wonderful drum machines – the Dr. Rhythm DR55 and the Soundmaster SR88 I think they were called. I had a Vibraphone, Glockenspiel and lots of hand percussion. Later, I bought a bass guitar and an ARP 2600, and finally went polyphonic with a Juno 60. There are various other things on these recordings, usually borrowed electric pianos and a clavinet, whatever I could get my hands on.
You have worked on music and jingles for a number of TV and radio projects. How does your approach to creativity in this field differ?
Here, the classical training is very useful. I have done string arrangements on the computer that were later played by real players, so it has to work. You usually get between half a day and a full day, so there's no room for mistakes - you have to know what is playable. Basically, I stay formulaic and not too complicated but still try to be fresh and creative, although very often it's not what the client needs or wants. You have to listen to and take in what other people are saying - you’re never doing this alone.
What projects are you currently working on? Can we look forward to a live show featuring those songs written so long ago?
I have an ongoing project of my own (awawawa.ch) which is about writing for and working with kids on music – you can see a full explanation of how it works on the website.
In terms of my own stuff, I’m producing mainly for the Swiss market, but I have produced 3 albums for English composer Jonathan FeBland, and 5 CDs with my own – now defunct - band Weraedust. Of course, much of my time is now taken up with the live version of Michael Turtle and we hope to be gigging from early next year!
Thanks Michal, it’s been an honour to have you!
Thanks Michal, it’s been an honour to have you!
Phonica Podcast 56: October 2016
24th October 2016
24th October 2016
The Phonica podcast is back for its October edition! This month we have our trusty companions Vangelis and Callum on the controls taking you on an enlightening musical odyssey with some of the gems that have landed recently on our shelves.
From Prince Buster and Fela Kuti classics (who has recently repressed 7 albums!!) to the cosmic adventures of DJ Steve and Toulouse Low Trax, to Wally Badarou’s long-awaited reissue on Love Vinyl, DJ Sports’ first solo outing, Meda Fury and Emotional Response celebrated collaboration by Sad City before finishing on a twisted house cut from Kassem Mosse’s album on Honest Jons.
Full tracklist down below, click the titles to be redirected to each release page. 'Til next time!
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TRACKLIST:
01. Prince Buster - Drums Drums [EARTH SOUND]
02. Jaojoby - Taratasy Maitso [SOFRITO SINGLES]
03. Fela Kuti - ITT (Internation Thief Thief) Pt. 1 [KNITTING FACTORY]
04. Susso - Alagi [SOUNDWAY]
05. DJ Steve - Gadaafs (DJ Steve edit) [LOVE ON THE ROCKS]
06. Tolouse Low Trax - Studies In Drama [ANTINOTE]
08. Wally Badarou - One Day, Won't Give It Away [LOVE VINYL]
09. Miskotom - Qi Xin Mian Guan [PLEASURE UNIT]
10. DJ Sports - Hidden Spheres [HELP]
11. Sad City - People + Plants [MEDA FURY]
12. Paul St. Hilaire & Rhauder - Skank [SUSHITECH]
13. Peggy Gou - Maktoop [TECHNICOLOUR]
14. Kassem Mosse - Monomer [HONEST JONS]
