Album Review

Phonat – Phonat

• 27th Sep 2009

A photon is a discrete bundle of electromagnetic energy. I learned that in Physics. A Phonat is a bundle of brighter energy, a bundle of courage, dirty beats, synthesisers and sampling genius, I learned that listening to t
his debut album and whilst it won’t get me a C in GCSE Science, it will make me happy, euphoric and on edge throughout the winter months.

Lauded as the saviour of dance music, hailed a new architect of acid house and praised by some of the biggest and most influential DJ’s in the world, the stage was set for Phonat’s debut album to fail with the usual contradictory theme of music, trickle past the eyes of the world with little impact, be a complete disaster and leave him chubby and depressed mastering a Butlins ceremony, hopelessly trying to make the Grease Mega Mix sound hip and happening.

Fortunately though, Phonat avoided the famous red coat and instead has thrown on a jacket of glittering atmosphere, added hooks, choruses and buttons of boldness and succeeded in making an album that secures his status as dances best kept secret. Though the structures of the songs can often get lost in abstract scatterings of potentially demon bass lines, the decision to keep some songs on the album low key and not completely dominated by an epic lead vocal does manage to provide a charming texture to the record, softening the sense of satanic synth-sex that slides through Phonat’s first foray into the long player.

In “Get Down My Dirty Street” Phonat invites us to a party he’s hosting, it’s a filthy party where boundaries are broken, remade, broken and remade. It’s a party that continues for twelve songs but will undoubtedly run long into the night; glow sticks waving, t-shirts removed, lipstick smudged and limbs destroyed.

To Phonat’s house we will run, like photons of luminous energy!