Record Store Day was here a little earlier this year as Saturday April 12th became the day to celebrate your favourite kind of retail establishment – the humble record store!
Its easily the biggest day of the year for record stores and especially at Phonica where alongside all the limited releases that are available, we host our annual party in the basement! This year we opened up at 9am to a long queue of eager record collectors looking out for this years in-store only exclusives which went from limited pop releases to thse titles we would be shouting about from the Some Other People reissue, Strictly’s Tuff Jam release, coloured vinyl of Arthur Russell’s Indian Ocean project, Four Tet’s remix of The Cure, Gilles Peterson’s compilation of Chicago’s heralded jazz label International Anthem and many more! YOUTUBE SETS ADDED TO THE BOTTOM OF ARTICLE
Mr Bongo Worldwide affiliate Miche opened up the proceedings early on the shop floor with an array of chilled out soul rhythms including the RSD 2025 reissued gem “Gipsy Nova” by Kitty Winter. Long time friend of the shop Ariane V stepped things up with a selection of house and grooves to prep everyone before the doors opened to the basement !
Junction 2 have sponsored our huge party for a few years now so a huge thanks to us with support from Two Tribes and Zion Audio Productions who spplied the sound system. There were a lot of happy people who managed to find some of the free tickets hidden around the store.
From an early 1pm start, eager customers were greeted to a set from two certified legends – The two Lukes— Luke Una and Luke Solomon—serving up exactly the kind of feel-good, groove-laced energy you want at the start of something special. House, soul, disco, oddball edits. It was warm, loose, and funky and the dancefllor was full within 15 minites!! Heads were nodding, and the early risers couldn’t resist moving their feet. A real family affair to open up.
We wasted no time getting into the heavy grooves when the mood shifted for a special live perfomance from Paranoid London. The duo brought a live set display of raw acid lines, analog thump, and that unmistakable punk attitude. The crowd was in full effect at this point. Every squelch from the 303 and distorted vocal shout felt like a riot packed into an hour set. A particularly memorable moment was hearing their 2012 classic Paris Dub full the sounds of our basement to quality effect!
Following the intensity of PL, Payfone brought a change of pace. Their live set blurred the lines between funk, nu-disco, and electro-soul. Warm synths, tight grooves, and jazzy undertones soothed and seduced accompanied by live vocals and bass guitar. Think sunset vibes on a London afternoon.
Next up was a back-to-back which brought an unbelievable level of cool and energy. Grace Sands and Seb Odyssey, both residents at Adonis, pulled deep from their crates of vinyl — dubby house, acid, energetic anthems were the thoughts of these packed record bags. Grace & Seb had the crowd on the grasps and all they could do was lose themselves, probably one of the busiest parts of the day! The crowd was locked in.
Chicago legend Jamie 3:26 was next up! We were honoured to have the legend join us for the occasion. A masterclass in dancefloor energy. Jackin’ Chicago house and disco bombs filled the room all served with flair. People were dancing hard for this one. Anthems from Marshall Jefferson, Larry Heard and Plez all served up to perfection by the master.
Silverlining took things deeper. With a sound that walks the line between minimal, tech-house, and UK underground, this set felt cerebral yet body-moving. Heads were down, hips were swaying, and the sonics felt like a tightly mixed after-hours at 6PM. A subtle, classy reset before the final stretch.
Mella Dee brought his steel-edged, warehouse-ready rhythms, while Doudou MD laced the set with futuristic flair. It was fast, breaksy, and kinetic—pulling from big house, techno, and leftfield bass music. Every drop brought hands in the air and cheers like it was 2AM, not 8PM in a record shop basement.
Closing duties went to an unlikely but inspired pairing of Roman Flügel and Tim Reaper. An unlikely back 2 back – but Record Store Day @ Phonica has always brought you these unexpected collaborations. Together, they delivered the perfect endnote: Flügel’s melodic precision and ravey euphoria meeting Reaper’s hyper-speed garage cuts and deep crates. It was pure energy. The final 30 minutes felt like an explosion of everything Record Store Day stands for—genreless joy, crate-digging culture, and live, unfiltered connection.
Such an amazing crowd upstairs in the shop and down in our basement. Brilliant sets from our special guest DJ’s and many shout outs to them: Miche, Ariane V, Luke Una, Luke Solomon,
Paranoid London, Payfone, Grace Sands, Seb Odyssey, Jamie 3:26, Silverlining, Mella Dee, Doudou MD, Roman Flugel & Tim Reaper.
Zion Audio Productions for supplying the amazing sound system, and of course to our partners:
Junction 2 & Two Tribes as well as Jubel and Red Bull Music. Finally big shout outs to James McCann for all the beautiful photos and all our staff for working so hard on our busiest day of the year.
And of course, all our faithful customers and partygoers! Thank you all so much. See you all next year!
So sit back and enjoy the full sets from the day below now!
Luke Solomon & Luke Una
Paranoid London (Live)
Silverlining
Grace Sands & Seb Odyssey
Jamie 3:26
Mella Dee B2B Doudou MD
Roman Flugel b2b Tim Reaper
Jamie 3:26
