The 50 Best Albums of 2016
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Reissue singles go from strength to strength and probably even matching the sales of new releases here at Phonica, thanks to many house, disco and electronic reissues. Each week, we are stocking many forgotten gems and huge anthems from the past with labels such as Mint Condition, Groovin' , South St Disco and Floating Points’ Melodies label. Melodies have been consistent this year with releases from Hanna, Don Blackman and more and eaxch year we always mention the excellent work of Josh Cheon’s Dark Entries label which gives us the most obscure post-punk or synth-wave release one day and then a huge Italo disco reissue the next – with a lot of love spent on mastering and artwork, setting the blueprint for other labels.
There has also been a lot of 90s tech-house releases this year as well as lots of obscure, unreleased early rave records too....There are far too many to feature in this countdown and far too many records to compare - how can we compare a 1988 house record with a 1970s funk / soul / disco crossover rarity anyway? And how old does a record have to be before it is considered a reissue, rather than just a repress? These are the dilemmas we have had when compiling this chart....so please treat any numbers on here with a pinch of salt, although the bestselling reissues feature high....
The records we have featured on this list are here for a number of reasons - they have either sold phenomenally well in the shop and online, or have been records held dear in the hearts of at least one member of staff here.
Enjoy our nostalgic selection.....
The eagerly awaited repress of Skatebård’s deep and driving techno classic ‘Conga’ from 2005 landed back in store in November 2019. An essential nugget of Sex Tags Mania gold!
The reissue of Bitstream’s in-demand electro masterpiece ‘Monolith’ from 1999 was brought to us via Vinyl Underground in 2019. This killer 12” also features an alternative version of ‘Double Density’ and two previously unreleased gems. Mega!
Lhasa’s techno mega-jam ‘The Attic’ from 1990 received a top-notch reissue via Stroom Records at the very beginning of the year. This one has well and truly stood the test of time!
Back in September, Jai Paul’s hazy and soulful electronic-funk anthem BTSTU from 2011 received a long-awaited vinyl release via XL Recordings. Magical stuff!
Kalita dishes up the first ever official reissue of "the holy grail of disco 12” singles” - Vance and Suzzanne’s ‘I Can’t Get Along Without You’. Up until now, this ultra-rare masterpiece was only ever privately released via Vanton Records in 1980. This gem was also a popular record in Larry Levan’s DJ bag way back when. Essential!
Another Jeremy Sylvester classic, this time under his G.O.D alias. Proper UKG vibes!
The reissue of Mr Flagio’s powerful, spaced-out Italo-house anthem from the early ‘80s was brought to us by Discoring Records in January 2019. Lethal!
Originally released on Swag Records in 1998, Len Lewis’ golden-era tech-house jams ‘Liquid Acid’ and ‘Edge Of Life’ received a new lease of life courtesy of Baldo’s Physical Education label. These classics are still sounding as fresh today as they did some twenty years ago!
Classic UKG goodness from Jeremy Sylvester’s Rump Funk alias. Bouncy, bassy and brilliant!
South Street Disco brought us the official, remastered reissue of Goody Goody’s disco classics ‘It Looks Like Love’ and 'Super Jock’ from 1978. Endlessly sampled, these sought-after jams are packed with dreamy guitar licks, killer Rhodes keys and luscious strings!
Marimba player and multi instrumentalist for legendary NYC group Liquid Liquid, Dennis Young released three synth based ambient recordings from the ‘80s via James Duncan’s Inner Moods label. Perfect home listening!
Forty years after its original release, Zogo’s ‘Africa’ finally received a reissue via Banquise Records alongside three new, club-ready remixes from Dan Shake, Folamour and Tvfrom86. Great party tracks!
Joakim and Max Pask added their magic touch to Evans Pyramid’s late ‘70s disco-funk mega-jam ‘Never Gonna Leave You’. There's a house mix for the pumping hours on one side, and a disco mix that is closer to the original over on the flip. Big!
Melodies International brought us another smoking hot 7” reissue in August of 2019, this time in the form of Don Blackman’s early-2000s boogie anthem ‘Just Can’t Stay Away’. Fire!
Usha Uthup’s incredible Indian cover version of Michael Jackson's 'Dont Stop Till You Get Enough’ from 1981 received a top-notch 7” reissue via Outernational Sounds in 2019. Over on the flip lies Sharon's sultry version of Donna Summer's 'Love To Love You Baby’. Hot stuff!
This bit of classic jazz-funk provided the iconic strings for Pepe Bradock’s house classic ‘Deep Burnt’. Never before pressed officially other than early promos which are rare as hens teeth, this 9 minute orchestral beauty has been given a full side for optimum volume!
Long before he settled on the now familiar Jimpster alias, Freerange Records co-founder Jamie Odell released a one-off techno and house fusion EP under his Loxodrome moniker. Originally released in 1994, this post-bleep techno gem finally got its first ever reissue via Wormhole Wisdom. Epic!
In February, Zohra’s sought-after Algerian ‘70s disco obscurity ‘Badala Zamana’ was brought to us by Music Take Me Up Records. An amazing 7”!
This awesome 10” features two of Gary Martin’s extra funky and hypnotic Detroit techno rollers. Well-loved by Zip, Ben Klock and many more!
Neppa Records offered up the reissue of Renee’s Balearic, wonky-pop classic ‘Change Your Style’ towards the latter end of 2019. Full Pupp label boss Prins Thomas added his magic editing touch to track over on the flip too!