Appropriating their name from the first culture of the old world to explore the new, Phoenecia, aka Josh Kay & Romulo Del Castillo, was inaugurated in Miami in 1997. The pair had previously recorded under the Soul Oddity moniker, releasing an album & a series of 12-inch singles for the US major label Astralwerks. In late 1996 they founded Schematic Music Company, a record label which would go on to carve a distinct niche in the landscape of modern music by debuting releases from some of the most notable & influential electronic musicians of the twentieth century. In 2001 they released a full-length album entitled Brownout, which in the words of the late Tim Haslett was "Phoenecia's magnum opus, the place where the ideas found in the preceding records are allowed to come to full fruition... the compositions are cinematic, in the respect that the tracks are heavily influenced by the sound design of film, as opposed to the score". This album marked a decisive break from Phoenecia's rhythmic past & set the trajectory for the sound they would continue to develop over the next decade in their most recent albums Echelon Mall & Demissions.

From minimalism to melody and back again, Isan have been navigating the aural Autobahn since a chance meeting brought together Robin Saville and Antony Ryan in 1996. With Robin based in Southend on Sea, England and Antony residing in Denmark, they creatively communicate via email, telephone and postcard. Notes are compared and directions assimilated or abandoned, they prefer to allow their sound to develop on its own.

Having recorded for a variety of micro-indies such as Bad Jazz, Static Caravan and Wurlitzer Jukebox, Saville and Ryan now consider Morr Music their spiritual home.

Continually progressing their passion for sound, Isan are not afraid of giving their analogue tone poems space to breathe, placing as much importance on void and silence as on sounds – sometimes vibrant and scratchy, sometimes hymnal and opulent. Their sonic design sits somewhere between the Düsseldorf sounds of Kraftwerk and neu!, the invention of a young Eno and the smart-pop expertise of the Cocteau Twins.

They’ve remixed and been remixed by the likes of Depeche Mode, The Notwist, Seefeel and Piano Magic amongst others. Isan have also brought their Kosmische confection to the stage, gracing respected festivals such as Sonar and the Big Chill and playing as far afield as China, Japan, Iceland, Russia and Hull*.

*performing to 6 people (including the booker) at the legendary Adelphi.


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