Off The Record Mix Series

For the next in our Off The Record mix series we invited DJ, radio host and music consultant Sam Don or known to his close friends and family, Sam Donnison. Sam is a DJ's DJ, having proved himself and the world over as a man of many styles, tempo and moods. Having shared the airwaves with highly regarded talent like Danilo Plessow aka MCDE and constructed mind soothing mixes for podcasts like Mr Bongo its quite hard to pin point what direction Sam will go in a set. This also shows the sign of a true digger and if Off The Record knows anything its deep diggers. This digging helped Sam curate one of the most captivating compilation series' to come out this year in our opinion; "For The Love Of You", a journey through Lover's Rock across two brilliant volumes on the ever amazing Athens Of The North. For this mix Sam has tapped into a deep dig of fun yet raw house numbers, stemming with vocals, hypnotic acid, heavenly kicks and cunning blends throughout. We had a quick sit down with Sam about the mix and what he has been up to lately. This is Off The Record 36: Sam Don!

Off The Record Mix Series 36: Sam Don

Butter Sessions is one of those labels that can go absolutely anywhere and still make sense because theres an element that tags it down to the ears of Sleep D aka Maryos Syawish and Corey Kikos. The two label heads behind the absolutely iconic institution straight outta Melbourne, Australia have worked with aritsts like Roza Terenzi, D.Tiffany, Tornado Wallace, Yuzo Iwata and more creating a platform for upcoming and solidly established artists to broaden their sound and explore into the unknown. Like the artists they represent Sleep D as DJ's and producers have touched all sides of the club and eclectic spectrum having dropped many anthem filled 12's(including a very solid LP on Anthony Naples' Incienso) as well as experimental outings on labels like Play On Records. 
For Off The Record #37 Syawish and Kikos have dropped us straight into the elements of the main room. A smoke machine filled warehouse of house, techno, bass and percussive club rolling excursions. Strap yourself in(or don't?). 
We had a quick chat with Sleep D about the mix, the Melbourne scene and Butter Sessions and more!

Off The Record Mix Series 37: Sleep D

A Psychic Yes is the alias of British, Berlin based artist, carpenter and DJ, Timothy Crombie. Timothy has released records on some of the most interesting and out there labels at the moment, most recently Nummer's self titled imprint and the ever impressive, ear to the ground; Kalahari Oyster Cult. His music touches off blends of percussive UK techno stylings with a nod to DIY bleep and yet has an air of leftfield ambient if that makes any sense? Either way, its with these stylings too that Timothy constructs sets, be it live or DJ, with these inspirations in mind and takes Off The Record 38 into similar patterns.

Off The Record Mix Series 38: A Psychic Yes

One of Dublin's most regarded heads takes the reigns for our 39th Off The Record mix. Nevan Jio over the years has found himself in many aspects of Ireland's striving underground scene, mostly Dublin, where he helms the ones and twos nearly every weekend in the cities hot spots the likes of Tengu, Wigwam, Izakaya and more. He has also found himself abroad on many occasions most noticeably opening the year supporting don Ben UFO in The Cause's new beloved DIY warehouse venue alongside EMA. Nevan has also applied his experience of working in All City records and collecting records in general to go on to running label's like Pear (With fellow Dublin wiz Fio Fa)which saw an array of house, breaks and tech house from names like Regularfantasy, New Members, Fio Fa and Big Miz as well as more recently the Irish club focused reissue label Aris which has so far seen classics take new light from Fish Go Deep, Bumble and Rob Rowland. 
For this mix Nevan has given us a vast genre spanning call card of a mix that shows the selectors diversity and range showcasing some home listening dashed with the club in mind and well into the afters for a few White Claws! We have a quick chat with Nevan to hear about the concept behind the mix and what he has coming up:

Off The Record Mix Series 39: Jio

40 mixes in and the Off The Record series has seen a wide spanning in range of artists and styles. Its dug deep into DJ's record bags and has let us hear some of their holiest gems. Our 40th mix comes from one of the most solid selectors Amsterdam has to offer; Olf van Elden aka Interstellar Funk. 
Having started off working at the Dutch institution that is Rush Hour Records as a label manager and playing sets year in and year out at the monumental Dekmantel, Interstellar Funk has taken himself worldwide as well as releasing records on labels like L.I.E.S, Berceuse Heroique, Rush Hour, Dekmantel along with his own Artificial Dance label. A label he has run with a keen ear since 2017 releasing artists like Genetic Factor, June, Black Merlin and more. 
For Off The Record 40 Interstellar Funk takes us in the realms of home and club listening with a well crafted mix that builds and warms us into the floor beautifully. We had a chat with the artist about the mix and about what he has going on:

Off The Record Mix Series 40: Interstellar Funk

Off The Record this month takes a dive into the mind of Chicago artist and musician Beau Wanzer. 
Wanzer is commonly known for records on Ron Morelli's L.I.E.S. imprint as well as working with labels like Brew, L.A. Club Resource, iDEAL, Natural Sciences, and Nation. His in touch ear with industrial, electro and experimental music has seen him work alongside the likes Traxx and Steve Summers as the excellent Mutant Beat Dance, Dan Jugle as the head banging Juzer and more recently De-Bons-en-Pierre with Maoupa Mazzocchetti. 
For this mix Wanzer goes no holds bared into the world of tape culture with noisey and hissing electro and synth tunes as well as some chuggy industrial moments. We had a quick chat with Beau about the mix and what he has coming up!

Off The Record Mix Series 41: Beau Wanzer

We take a plane over to Madrid for the next Off The Record mix to hang with Mario G.R. AKA Glossy Mario, the head honcho at Glossy Mistakes; the record label that has been reissuing and unveiling the undiscovered.

With legendary names like Finis Africae, Susumu Yokota and Akira Ito recently getting some of their cult favourite releases reissued, this has proven Mario's ear is a thriving force of wisdom and knowledge showcased through his label with love and care. For this mix Mario focuses on percussive sounds and older gems with modern takes to combine together a mix that is intuitive as well as club ready! He sat down with our own Alex Egan for a quick chat about the mix as well as what he has coming up!

Off the Record Mix Series 42: Glossy Mario (Glossy Mistakes)

For this months Off The Record mix we humbly rest our hands and our ears with Death Is Not The End. Luke Owen's long running label digs up the oldest of the old, serving up your gospel, blues and folk with a crackle. The label has been known for its deeply dug out tapes and records in the forgotten and unheard from the early years of records on gramophones to the London Rave era advertisements. For this mix Owen dives into some well sought after rare groove and soul / blues. A change of pace in this series for sure but a very welcome one from a keen London selector who we have had on our list for this series for a long time. We had a quick chat with the man behind the mix and the label to see how it all came to be and what the future holds.

Off The Record Mix Series 43: Death Is Not The End

After a short hiatus to focus on our 20 Years Of Phonica celebrations the Off The Record mix series is now back! Stepping up for our 44th mix in the series and closing it out for the year is a selector, event runner and radio-host that has been making scenes in the celebrated European capital of clubbing; Berlin for years now. Maryama Luccioni aka Maryisonacid is recognised for pushing her event series and label African Acid Is The Future(alongside long time partner in crime Dauwd) as well as hosting her show Comme à la Radio on Berlin's Refuge radio! For this mix Maryama takes us on a in dept look into her selections from mellow to driving club sounds. Think of it as an all night long set summarised in the best way over an hour and a half!

Off The Record Mix Series 44: Maryisonacid

Not many have covered the ground like London's Richard Sen has. Starting his deep dive into the underground scene by being the much recognised Sen graffiti writer he has moved on over the years to be considered one of the UK's great selectors and DJ's. Having also released music under several guises, not only under his own name (which he also has wealth of huge remixes for artists like Bryan Ferry, John Grant, Unloved and LCD Soundsystem), but most notably under the phenomenal Padded Cell and the excellent Bronx Dogs. With his excellent weekly radio show on Charlie Bones' Do!! You!!! Radio station as well as dropping the award winning Dream The Dream (UK Techno, Breakbeat And House 1990-1994) compilation on Ransom Note, Sen finds himself with an even larger wealth of fans. With that being said we are delighted to welcome Richard Sen to the Off The Record mix series where he provides us with a 3+ hour journey taking us on a deep dive into his record selection providing styles of all kinda throughout. We had a quick chat with Richard about the mix and what he has coming up. This is Off The Record 45: Richard Sen.

Off The Record Mix Series 45: Richard Sen

Italian label-head, radio host and DJ Elena Colombi has been holding it down on platforms like NTS and stages like Dekmantel for close to up to a decade. Their ear for the out there crossings of experimental, industrial and techno sounds is truly next to none. Not only does this show their skills on how to blend these styles to accuracy world wide but reflects on the music they pick for their excellent Osàre! Editions imprint since 2019. We are very excited to have Elena on the Off The Record series with a live recording of them at UBU club. A power hour of acid, bleep and techno sounds. For full interview hit the link above!

READ INTERVIEW HERE

Off The Record Mix Series 46: Elena Colombi

Long standing NTS DJ's and curators Jack Rollo and Elaine Tierney, commonly known as Time Is Away, step up next for the 47th edition of the Off The Record mix series. Having been recognised for their vast knowledge of folk, esoteric and eclectic sounds which is displayed in their curated compilations for labels like A Colourful Storm and Efficient Space - they have also been known to dig deep into more clubbier sounds like house, rare leftfield and DIY electronics. For their mix Jack and Elaine focus more on the latter but bringing tracks that would pay homage to more melodic sounds. We had a brief chat with Time Is Away about the mix and what they have coming up.

Off The Record Mix Series 47: Time Is Away

Francesca Macri also known by her now well known moniker System Olympia has been stretching the genres of new-wave, disco and club sounds to her whim since the mid 2010's. With her 2020 debut album "Delta Of Venus" still in huge demand sitting on discogs for a keen collectors price it only speaks volumes about Macri's fan base. Having followed up her successful debut with the synth driven "Racing Heart" and the stunning "Always On Time" in more recent years, not to forget most recently her critically acclaimed new EP "Sanctified"; System Olympia has won fans over with her unique ear and keen eye to her sound, each time bringing something new to the table. As well as performing live shows, the artist also enjoys taking punters on journeys in her diverse DJ sets and this is where we move on to the mix. An hour of leftfield disco, rare boogie gems and synthy anthems all mixed to perfection. Pop that bottle of champagne, cue up the system and shine your phone light at the disco ball in your room.  This is Off The Record 48: System Olympia!

Off The Record Mix Series 48: System Olympia

Off The Record is back for the 49th mix in its series! As we near half way to the golden centennial mix our eyes move over to two of the UK’s deepest diggers and independent musical minds.
Stuart Leath aka Chuggy is commonly known for his work running the very excellent Emotional Response / Emotional Rescue imprints as well as a few other note worthy projects and Piers Harrison – part of the Brighton four piece Soft Rocks with a mountain work out in the world as well as being a very solid selector; together they make up the Mysticisms label.

Mysticisms is an imprint that seems to focus on digging deep into the old as well as discovering the new and fleeting into obscure sounding club sounds. With a bag of certified legends like Persian and Nail along with more recent fresh names like Deep Dean & Coral D the label has perked ears from some of the biggest DJs in the game, not forgetting enticing the eyes with a solid visual aesthetic to match.

For Off The Record #49 Leath & Harrison put together some choice tracks from the label new and old. Mixed by Harrison it is a perfect calling card for the label and really showcases what its all about.

Off The Record Mix Series 49: Chuggy & Piers Harrison (Mysticisms)

Off The Record returns with its semi-centennial mix from Dublin born, London residing guitarist, producer and DJ Glimmerman. 
Real name Ethan Begley Hughes, Glimmerman has found himself as a producer following two paths as of late. Firstly his three large sounding 2-step 12"s on Dublin's First Second Label as well being featured on EMA's powerhouse Woozy imprint compilations. Or secondly finding him taking centre stage as the lead guitarist in his most recent venture: post-rock band Better Living. Listening to his latest release "Temple Sublet" it definitely feels like these two crossroads meet somewhere in the middle (not to mention the excellent track featuring London wordsmith Old Brother). Aside from all of that Hughes has been known to be a solid pair of hands behind the ones and twos having this year alone taken to Berlin's Paloma as well as touching down in the usual London hotspots MOT, Avalon Cafe and Ormside projects. For this mix Glimmerman ventures into more techno inspired roots as well as letting rip with some guitar related influences while still showcasing his knowledge bassy and D&B sounds and of course all harmoniously mixed to perfection.

Off The Record Mix Series 50: Glimmerman

Not many people have done two Phonica mixes but Govind Singh is a man of many talents and his Silsila Dubs alias is something that we most definitely needed to visit.

A former staff member of Phonica and now handling things at Above Board Distribution it goes without saying that Govind lives and breathes this industry. Commonly known under his Kylin Tyce guise which has put out garage, house and a little bitta D&B for labels like Tesselate, PIV and Oldivibes over the years he has now focused on another deep love of his.
Silsila Dubs is two records deep now and is all about Govind's passion for Dub and soundsystem culture. Having had both his debut "Perseverance" and his follow up "Walk The Light" (featuring Trumpet from our own Luther Vine) being blessed at Notting Hill Carnival by the legendary Aba shanti I soundsystem it only speaks volumes of Govind's in-depth knowledge and ear for this sound.
For Off The Record 51 we asked Govind to put his Silsila Dubs hat on and show us what inspired and is currently motivating the project with an hour of Dub selections.

Off The Record Mix Series 51: Silsila Dubs

We change up the pace for Off The Record 52 with Palestinian/Egyptian DJ & producer Oldyungmayn.
With a multifaceted identity layered through both his productions and performances, influenced from 90's era rave, sharpened sound design, and a wide spectrum of music he fiinds these stylings have taken him to the decks at Amsterdam’s Garage Noord, Herrensauna and a performance at the experimental festival CTM to name a few. For this mix Oldyungmayn digs deep into more leftfield sounds and less so 4/4 club sounds, that being said this mix can find its way to being played at all hours of the night. Driving yet euphoric. We had a very brief chat with the artist about the mix and what he has coming up.

Off The Record Mix Series 52: Oldyungmayn

The Off The Record mix series kicks off its year with a bonafide legend in the game. Having close ties to artists like Flying Lotus, Ras-G & more Kutmah has blurred the lines between beats, hip-hop, new wave and Lo-fi. Having flipped the script on sampling and making his own sound from a little bit of column A and a little of column B, the DJ (whose mixing skills are nearly unparalleled), has always found himself indistinguishable in terms of genre. This has gathered him a very firm fanbase who never know what to expect from a Kutmah set. That being said we did not know what to expect either, and in this excitement received an hour of pure raw distorted guitars, ambient waves and lo-fi beats. We had a brief chat with the man himself about the mix and what he has cooking in the pipeline.

Off The Record Mix Series 53: Kutmah

The multifaceted talent Michael Diamond steps up for the next edition to our Off The Record mix series with a selection of bass driven leftfield club sounds. Off the back of his excellent EP "Placid Wakefulness" on his own Vasuki Sound imprint, which closed out the artists 2024 to much critical acclaim, we reached out to the South East Londoner for a mix. With a sound that draws elements which would stretch from  the likes of Music From Memory all the way to Hessle Audio Michael has deemed himself unique in production but also very much so in his DJ sets. With a massively expansive taste we knew he would be a perfect edition to Off The Record. With a more club focused mix delving into the UK techy and bass vibe it gives us an example of Michael Diamond at peak time. We had a brief chat with Michael about his mix and what he has coming up in 2025!

Off The Record Mix Series 54: Michael Diamond

The Off The Record series ventures stateside to Chicago, Illinois to reach out to one of the most iconic modern labels going at the moment; International Anthem, who are now celebrating 11 years on the planet. Started in 2012 by Scottie McNiece and David Allen International Anthem Recording Company has been focused on pushing some of the most ground breaking sounds in Jazz, funk, soul and blues. With a roster that extends to names like Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, Damon Locks, Carlos Nino and more it has proved to have an eye for the highest quality in sound and curation. For this mix the label has nominated their own Alejandro Ayala AKA King Hippo to hon and curate the sounds provided. King Hippo was the label representative on the International Anthem Worldwide FM Chicago show - so we are definitely in good hands. Coming in at a clean hour, Ayala brings in various styles of Jazz, moulded expertly to provide a perfect home listening experience or what the label likes to be known as the "Floating Kissaten Mix". We sat down and had a chat about the mix with Alejandro, as well as about the label and about what they have coming up in the future for their 11th year.

Off The Record Mix Series 55: International Anthem (Mixed by King Hippo)

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Full features, including interviews and tracklists, for our Phonica Podcast and Phonica Mix Series on our editorial platform Off The Record ⬇

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