5th April 2016
This month we're joined by a key figure within the dance music scene. Marc Schneider is one of the founding members of wordandsound which is one of Europe's most successful distribution companies and responsible for supplying a lot of the records we've sold over the years at Phonica Records. Before setting up Wordandsound, Marc also worked for Container Distribution which were the first company to import and distribute US House & Techno in Germany in the mid '90s. It's safe to say that Marc Schneider knows his records which is what makes him such a great DJ and local legend within the Berlin & Hamburg scenes. Over the years Marc has been referred to as a DJ's DJ and a major influencer among some of the biggest names in the game. For the April addition of the Phonica Mix Series, he's prepared a quality mix of House & Techno which mixes up classic tracks and contemporary music. We also got the chance to ask him a few questions about the local scene in Hamburg, The future of Vinyl, his own 'Story Records' Imprint and finally what new music is keeping him inspired these days. Enjoy!
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Hey Marc, How are you doing and what have you been up to lately?
Things are going well. Along with wordandsound, I’m a dad of 2 teenage girls (Lord, help me) and of course dj’ing plus I’m having fun making mixes as always...
Tell us about the mix you prepared for us today?
It was recorded in my living room with 2 Technics turntables and an Allen & Heath Xone:23 mixer. There’s no concept necessarily but I do try and create a new connection of tracks ( classics and contemporary) that sound new and fresh to me in a mix.
As one of the founding members of Wordandsound Distribution you've witnessed the record industry change a lot over the years. What do you think of the 'Vinyl Resurgence' that has been getting so much media coverage today?
It’s an interesting time. When WAS began, vinyl was the main medium used by Dj’s so every week you would buy a new stack of records to play. There was a real balance of supply and demand. Then we saw a diversifying effect on the market through the rise of MP3 and DJ software. Now there exists a kind of fetishism around vinyl....collecting it, digging for it . and for younger people coming up its a way to connect with the roots of dj’ing. And as always, artists want to have a vinyl release. Basically whats happening now is a flood surplus of vinyl in a market where the demand just can’t match it. I’m very happy for this resurgence and that record stores are popping up again but there’s a lotta records being manufactured with not enough homes for them. That’s the reality now but I obviously prefer this to what was happening 10 years ago.
Although you've been DJing for over 25 years and played at some of the best parties and clubs around, most of your bookings are within Hamburg. Can you tell us about the scene there today and how it's changed over the years?
Hamburg is suffering over the Pudel complications: the roof fire and of course the legal issues. We’re all hoping for the issues to be resolved. I’m actually playing at a Pudel Berlin takeover at About:blank on 4/9 to keep that Pudel love burnin’. I also have a residency at PAL which has become a big asset to the Hamburg dance scene. The bookings are consistently good and reflect the current dance music world. Generally the club and partyscene was very quiet for a while until a couple of years back a new generation of young kids starting to dj. They organise events and parties with a huge following of people that are very interested in the scene a. It’s refreshing to see the right spirit that motivating them... they love the music. Hamburg also has a steady stream of quality producers like Koze, Session Victim, Small People, Isolee the young Lehult Crew to name a few.
I do play in Hamburg most often but play regular gigs in Berlin and other European cities. I also have a US tour coming up in May which I’m really looking forward to. 
You've often been described as a DJ's DJ and a major influencer behind the scene. What new music is really inspiring you at the moment?
As a big fan and collector of music from Chicago and Detroit, I’m always following music from there, i like to see some new artists and also established ones releasing records, artists like FIT Siegel, James T Cotton, Marcellus Pittman, Steven Tang, Mike Huckaby. Happy to see that also big idols of mine like B12 are having a comeback with some new releases right now as well. Further artists that I’m diggin’ are always the Cab Drivers and Cabinet Records, Borrowed Identity, The Magrehban with his house/techno/breakbeat hybrids and Jeremiah r, who does some stunning electro stuff. Also Seven Davis Jr really does it for me with his jackin’ prince’sque house trax.
...And which older releases do you still find yourself reaching for when packing your record bag? What in particular has stood the test of time for you?
Oh there are so many. I basically play half older tracks and half new released material. Older records that i always have with me are from producers like matthew herbert, daniel bell, robert hood, maurizio/basic channel, derrick carter...and many more.
Besides your work at wordandsound you also run the Story Records imprint. Can you tell us a bit more about the label and what can we expect from it in the future?
When I started Story, back in 2008 it was a reaction to the fact that stores were only buying records that were associated with big names . Semi-anonymous music that is only about the content and nothing to do with the hype is the concept behind the label. I have 2 new exciting releases lined up which are planned to release this year
What advice would you give to young artists who want to start their own record label?
This is a hard question because it’s such personal commitment to the driving force behind what the label is. There isn’t a formula. My one piece of advice would be to make sure the music is ready for release, and ask yourself what you’re really bringing to table... is it more the same or are shaking things up?
TRACKLIST:
Dewalta & Shannon - GMC
Translate - City Slicker
Herbert - UK Spring
Master C&J - Dont let love pass you by (D'Julz Edit)
Gemini - Unsound Relationship
Warten Borgmann - Russian Night
Soulphiction - make it burn
Point G - Strike A Pause
Jared Wilson - Idea Of A Deep State
Mystic Bill - Take Me Back (Ilario liburni Remix)
BLM - heartbeat
Move D - Marshmellow boots
2nd April 2016
Up Next on Phonica Premieres is 'Give Urself To Me' off the first release from a brand new label called
The 'Smalltalk EP' is A mystical four tracker with deep and gritty grooves moving in between the realms of House and Techno. It's A real atmospheric and spacious journey into the analogue world of electronic music. Listen to the rest of the release on our website and get your pre-order in now! This is a very limited release and we expect it to be gone in no time!
The 'Smalltalk EP' is a mystical four tracker with deep and gritty grooves moving in between the realms of House and Techno. It's A real atmospheric and spacious journey into the analogue world of electronic music. Listen to the rest of the release on and reserve your copy now! ! This is a very limited release and we expect it to be gone in no time!
23rd March 2016
Stepping up to the plate for this week's Staff Pick Of The week is Don Juan aka Juanito aka The Juan and Only aka Slowpez! During the week Juan works at Forward Thinking Music managing various DJ and Live Acts but you can often find him behind the counter on the weekends. If you've been keeping up to date with our Cover Of The Week feature you've probably realised that Juan's taking care of that too! All that aside, Juan is an all around good guy and a wicked DJ, you can keep up with his sounds here and if you're in London make sure you make it down to his next gig at Dalston Superstore with Tornado Wallace & the Discosódoma boys!
Following up the excellent starter AIAN001, the Berlin-based imprint ALLISANDNOT is back with more raw analogue productions from the mysterious WC0016 & Abono.
Housed in a plastic sleeve with an insert and a sticker - brownie points for that - the mystical aesthetics and the enigmatic sentences of this release will surely make you scratch your beard. While the first 12” quoted Hermes Trismegistus affirmation “All truths are but half truths”, the second instalment follows up with “All things rise and fall”, featuring an illustration of Pythagoras and his cryptic Tetractys. With the imagery strongly referencing spiritual illumination, the concept of The All and the paradox of mental perception, the label's object seems to be the introduction of the philosophical concepts of Hermeticism and its deistic approach to truth-seeking.
Hermeticism is an ancient philosophical tradition, a path of spiritual growth based primarily upon writings of the aforementioned Hermes Trismegistus, who is sometimes considered a wise sage and Egyptian priest, and sometimes as a syncretism of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. This symbolism suits perfectly the dreamy, immersive pads that evoke a transformative, post-apocalyptic feeling as if we were experiencing the end of an era and entering a new age (of consciousness). Bearing in mind that Hermeticism and its beliefs have greatly influenced Western esoteric traditions and occult movements, especially during the Renaissance, this record seems to capture quite well the current zeitgeist of New Age / Spiritualism revival and serve as a soundtrack for this modern way to enlightenment.
Following a meditative approach to production, these 3 tracks were recorded in 100% live takes with no editing or post-production. But the EP is not only addressed to the mind. The saturated, rough percussions and gritty basslines shake your body heavily, and will certainly do damage on the dancefloor.
Great output from this obscure new label which seems to be related to the Tonal Island release we stocked a few months ago. In fact, Tonal Island it's just an anagram of ALLISANDNOT. As puzzling as it gets! And I've probably missed something. Can't wait for the next release!
18th March 2016
#CoverOfTheWeek is back with some more mighty selections! this week's choice is the latest outing on the Berlin-based imprint Cocktail d’Amore, run by the magnificent DJ/production duo Discodromo. The colourful scenery caught my attention when flicking through the new releases on the site and immediately felt invited to have a listen, let myself immerse and take that road to nowhere.
17th March 2016
We've always been huge fans of Mike Huckaby here at Phonica and one of our fondest memories is when he came down to the shop for an In-store... Initially he said he only wanted to play for one hour... but three hours later we were having a pretty hard time getting him off the decks! It just goes to show that when the vibe's right, you gotta keep the crowd movin'!
Up next on Phonica Premieres is a brand new track from the Detroit Legend which will be pressed on the 8th instalment of London's Half Baked Records as a limited picture disc. First Gear on the A side is a rolling Deep House jam that's stripped back to its essentials and arriving just in time for Spring. It definitely captures the vibe of Half Baked's legendary daytime parties and we can't wait to hear him play it at their Easter Sunday Special at 338 on the 27th of March. The Shifting Gears EP will be out in mid April and is available to pre-order now. Follow us on Soundcloud to keep up to date with the latest Phonica Premieres.
