Few artists have navigated the intersections of club music, global rhythm and deep listening with the consistency and curiosity of Auntie Flo. Emerging from the fertile Glasgow scene and closely tied to institutions like Sub Club, his sets and productions have long blurred the lines between percussive club functionality and transportive, almost ritualistic sound design. Releases such as Radio Highlife and his ongoing output via his own imprint A State Of Flo have cemented a reputation for weaving Afro-diasporic influences with electronic music’s more exploratory edges, while appearances at spaces like Fabric and Panorama Bar underline his fluency across both intimate and heavyweight dancefloors. Whether playing sunrise sets in the Arctic Circle or all-night sessions back home, there’s a through-line in Auntie Flo’s work: rhythm as a shared language, patiently unfolded.
For his Phonica Records mix, that ethos comes into sharp focus. Drawing from both fresh discoveries and personal archive, the set folds in three unreleased productions—including a forthcoming collaboration with Tony Morris—while echoing the deeper, more percussive territories he’s been exploring in recent club sets. Shaped loosely by a recent Berlin performance, it moves with a steady, hypnotic pulse: vibey, fluid, and quietly expansive. Like much of his work, it’s less about peaks and more about immersion—a snapshot of where Auntie Flo sits right now, as a selector and producer still driven by the joy of digging, storytelling, and sound system communion.
Hey Brian, thanks so much for joining us! Can you tell us about your mix and what the idea behind it was?
It’s a mix of old and new, three unreleased tracks from me and a load of stuff I have discovered through the Phonica store. It’s vaguely modelled on a set I did in Berlin a couple of weeks ago, where I got to go quite deep but keeping it percussive and vibey – so a good representation of what I play in clubs these days. I’ve included three unreleased Auntie Flo tracks, one with Glaswegian maverick, Tony Morris, that will be coming out on RPMA very soon and the other two that I’m still figuring out.
What are your preferred methods for finding new music—do you still enjoy digging around in dusty crates, or do you prefer to buy online?
Travelling to different places and digging in the local record stores is my preferred way of finding music, you create your own story behind each record you find which makes listening so much more personable. Put the effort in and be rewarded…
What are five records you couldn’t live without?
This was tricky!! Mainly had to go with long tracks or deep listening albums.. records you get lost in!
Amadou & Mariam – Bara (Joaquin’s Sacred Rhythm Dance)
Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Panaiotis – Deep Listening
Fela Kuti – Roforofo Fight
Tim Hecker – Love Streams
Kara-Lis Cioverdale – Grafts
What has been one of your most memorable sets over your career?
So many! Playing a street party in Havana, Cuba is right up there as was welcoming the first sun light after the winter in the Arctic circle. Given the state of the world, it’s remarkable to think I played in Lebanon, Russia and other places that would be impossible now. Clubs wise, b2b with Axel Boman for one of the closing nights of Plastic People, multiple times at the Sub Club in Glasgow, first times at Fabric and Panorama Bar, and many times at Corsica Studio RIP. Plus a memorable in-store at Phonica for my Radio Highlife album launch, with a queue round the block!
What do you have up your sleeve for 2026?
I’ve got so much music to release! I’ll be dropping Havana City on vinyl – new versions of tracks originally recorded in Cuba and then following it with an ambient compilation under my Plants Can Dance alias. Both of those are on my A State Of Flo label – www.astateofflo.com for more info. I’m finishing off a new Auntie Flo album, which should hopefully be out at the end of the year and is really focussed on my love of African music. I’ve also got a load of club tracks that are looking for a home – if any labels are interested, gimme a shout.
Thanks Brian 🙂
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