Originally from Florence, Italy, Phonat (aka Michele Balduzzi) was first spotted by MofoHifi Records on MySpace and they were so impressed with the 21 year old that the loving label bosses persuaded him to leave his parents’ idyllic country farm outside Florence and move to a bed sit in Canning Town. Armed only with a five-year-old computer and an electric guitar, Phonat dutifully relocated to London in late 2007 and the rest, as they say, is history.
Drawing on every vein of dance music, from hip-hop to house, garage to breaks Phonat’s expert use of a vocal hook is also evident, most noticeably on the Yolanda Quartey vocalled ‘Ghetto Burning’ and current single ‘Set Me Free’ – where classic 80s style rock vocals sit atop a stacatto-synthed stomper. Supported by a critically acclaimed MTV playlisted video by Amsterdam based Italian artists ‘Two Things’ the track has set Phonat firmly on the map.
One of the standouts from the album, Phonat didn’t skimped on remixer with the first coming courtesy of Avicii, the latest Scandinavian house guru. Proving his pedigree, Avicii chops vocals and swirls synths to create a hands in the air Balearic bomb, early copies of which are already becoming staples in the record boxes of the more discerning DJ. Bleeps and basslines are the order of the day on High Rankin’s re-rub as the dubstep dandy leads listeners to the dancefloor, albeit down a slightly murkier back route, before Louis La Roche’s Reconstruction adds a tougher, twisted edge to complete the package.
The critics loved the album and 2009 ended on a high for Phonat as remix requests continue to flood in from around the world. With an Annie Nightingale BBC1 Radio 1 mix imminent and 2010 looking set to be the year that sees the Phonat DJ show hit the road, expect to hear a lot more from this man in the next twelve months.
Both these videos have amazing visuals, though we can’t say we are completely feeling his music, we are definitely feeling the videos!
