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12"
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PHONICA 001EP
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"After five years as London's foremost retailer of dance and electronic music, Phonica is launching its eponymous record label with an original production from its very own Hector alongside long-time friend and collaborator Ben Bryant, backed with a remix from Appleblim & Al Tourettes. Over the past half-decade, Phonica has grown in stature to become something more than a record store -- an institution. Operating at the very heart of London's vibrant electronic music community, Phonica is a true tastemaker: committed both to nurturing homegrown talent and to seeking out the best new music from around the world, with the emphasis always on quality. One of the things that has helped Phonica stay so on-point is the expertise and intuition of its staff, many of whom are prominent DJs/producers themselves -- one such is Hector Murillo, who last year released his debut 12", La Raza, for Dinky's Horizontal imprint. Fittingly, it's Hector teaming up with Bryant who are behind the Phonica label's first offering. The aptly named 'Tension' is a masterclass in suspense and hypnosis; a sleek, brooding techno cut which doesn't so much attack the danceflooor as enfold it. It simply builds and builds, scooping the listener up on a wave of dubbed-out chords and intertwined synth melodies, under and over-scored with taut drum edits, a rolling bassline and strings which hang like mountain mist. On remix duty is Appleblim -- the Skull Disco co-founder and Apple Pips boss who has made the space where dubstep, house and techno overlap his own -- in partnership with Al Tourettes. Typically unconstrained by genre expectations, the duo sculpt an epic, adventurous re-version of 'Tension.' Propelled at first by a galloping steppa's rhythm and analogue bass stabs, soon echo-drenched vocal samples and deep dub flavours take hold, before the track climaxes in heads-down, thrillingly linear four-to-the-floor style."
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