- The London institution celebrates two decades by showcasing its past and future.
- In the past two decades, Phonica has established itself as one of the most vital institutions in British dance music. Founded in 2003 by Simon Rigg, Heidi Van Den Amstel (pre-Jackathon fame) and Tom Relleen, with funding from The Vinyl Factory, the store started at a challenging time for the record business. Sales were collapsing and British club culture was trying to reset after the synthetic highs and paralysing comedown of the superstar DJ era. But thanks to its rotating cast of all-star employees (Palms Trax, Anthea and Will Saul have all had their turns writing record reviews on Post-It notes), it quickly became the go-to spot for heads in need of European imports or their fix of niche limited pressings.
Things really picked up in 2009 when the shop made the jump from curators to creators by launching Phonica as a label. Starting with a deep and dubby 12-inch from then-employee Hector, the label (and its various offshoots) have racked up some major "I knew them before they got big" cred, releasing both Midland and Peggy Gou's solo debuts. Thumb through the back catalogue and you'll see a veritable who's-who of the past 20 years alongside a fresh crop of new talent. Recent highlights include a four-track EP from rising minimal king Snad and a couple 12-inches from the under-appreciated Lea Lisa.
All of this history (and then some) is on display on this gargantuan 20th anniversary release. 20 Years of Phonica is a 41-track compilation featuring 18 new cuts and some of the best releases from the archives. Rather than try to cohere to a singular sound or theme, the compilation spans everything from synth pop to jungle. It's a mouthwatering showcase of the diverse range of sounds and ideas that have kept Phonica moving for the past two decades.
41 tracks is intimidating to navigate, but the label offers some hints for how to choose your own adventure. Alongside the digital and CD versions, they've also released four vinyl samplers that provide a narrative entry point. Sampler 2, for example, harkens back to the label's start in the heydays of the minimal era—think squiggly Kompakt records. This disc starts with submissions from California tech house royalty Huerta and Gene on Earth. Here, Gene lays down a melody so squiggly it sounds like he's programming his synths through an Etch-a-Sketch, while Huerta goes peak-time over a bassline so naughty it'll make you blush.
Sampler 3 focuses on contemporary house and techno with notes of UK flavour. Love on the Rocks boss Paramida teams up with E-Talking for prog revival done right: warm and wet synth lines accented with little acid flashbacks and a chuggy, syncopated rhythm. Dauwd's "Slam" finds a singular space between Perlon and Timedance, and Willow's "Willbush"—possibly the best new tune here—is broken and beautiful, with faint melodies and skeletal drums going down like chicken soup after an apocalypse.
The rest is all over the shop. Nyra and Dam Swindle opt for old-school acid house revivalism, while Shanti Celeste flips Niños Indigo's "Luna" into a stuttering piece of Hessle-core techno. There's also synth pop (System Olimpia), breakbeat science (Tim Reaper and Comfort Zone) and some straight up bruk funk (Shy One). This diversity is mirrored by the older tracks. From Waajeed's remix of Secretsundaze to the understated melancholy of Sad City's closer, each of the tracks here forms part of Phonica's musical DNA.
A decade ago, Simon Rigg gave an interview to fellow London institution fabric, celebrating the release of Phonica’s tenth anniversary compilation. Asked about how they kept the shop running, he responded: "I think the point is that we weren't just one genre because at the time there were lots of shops who were like this is what we do: 'we do house' or 'we do techno' and we just wanted to sell all genres of dance music, electronic music." 10 Years of Phonica, at 33 tracks, was sprawling and adventurous. (It's still the only record that features Roman Flügel, Four Tet and Lady Blacktronika all in one place.) Ten years on and the label hasn't changed tack. If anything, Phonica has doubled down, only becoming more expansive and forward-thinking. 20 Years of Phonica is a well deserved victory lap and, with a bit of luck, a taster of what the next 20 might bring.
TracklistDisc 1
01. Daniel Avery – Bell
02. Paramida & E-Talking – Read My Lips
03. Nyra – Broken Needs
04. Gene on Earth – Club Jacket
05. Dam Swindle – Allright (Just A Tribute)
06. Huerta – Hit The Bit
07. Dauwd – Slam
08. System Olympia – A Mezzonotte
09. Tim Reaper & Comfort Zone – Subterranean
10. Shy One – Uncle G
11. Toby Tobias – On My Mind (Freak Mix)
12. Willow – Willbush
13. Dorisburg – Midi Trail
14. Keisuke – Ride It Out
Disc 2
01. Peggy Gou – Six O Six
02. Midland – Before We Leave (Gerd Janson Remix)
03. Felipe Gordon & Bob The Egoist – Get Your Body Movin'
04. Harrison BDP – Easy Tiger
05. Eli Escobar – FindAWay2Day
06. Kassian – Faux Polynesia
07. Will Saul – For Joanie
08. Austin Ato – Song for Mr Lewis (Edit)
09. Secretsundaze – Still Hope (Waajeed's Detroit Hardcore Dub)
10. Ron Basejam – The Hurt Inside
11. Harry Wolfman – SMBC
12. Pional – XME
13. Subb-an & Luther Vine – Sunday Roll Through
14. Kieran Jandu – From My Soul
Disc 3
01. Roman Flugel – Black Acid
02. Yak – Zip
03. Niños Indigo – Luna (Shanti Celeste Remix)
04. Escape Artist – Energy Breakthrough (Adam Pits' Lightspeed Mix)
05. Nuage – Pink Television
06. Justin Cudmore – Train Dance
07. Al Zanders – Song About A Dream
08. Earth Trax – Truth (Main Street Mix)
09. Voodoos & Taboos – Witch House
10. Lea Lisa – Love To The End (Sunset Short Edit)
11. Art Crime – Obsession
12. Asyncronous – Shinkansen
13. Sad City – Baixa Saxophone