James Grant & Jody Wisternoff: Live from Phonox
When James Grant and Jody Wisternoff take the decks for a marathon session, we settle in for the long, deeply melodic haul. This Live from Phonox set is the audio equivalent of a slowly unfolding novel, perfect for those of us who believe a 12-minute Dosem track is a feature, not a bug. The vibe is immersive and progressive, the kind of set where the lighting changes colour so gradually you don't even notice until you're in a different emotional landscape entirely.
The technical prowess on display is staggering across its 114-track journey, maintaining a deep, rolling average of 122 BPM and using the 12A key as a frequent home base for its lush, harmonic progressions. The mixing is long, patient, and deeply musical, allowing each track's atmosphere to fully develop before seamlessly morphing into the next, with the energy profile heavily weighted towards a rich, enveloping low-end. As crate diggers, we're spoiled: the opener, Blancah's 'Learning to Fly (Kris Davis Groove Remix)', sets a deep, hypnotic tone; Route 8's 'Relaxed' is a minimal, driving beauty; the inclusion of Burial's 'Hiders' is a staggering, beatless ambient moment of pure reverence; and BAILE's 'Soft Light' offers a modern, textural deep house gem.
The journey is an epic progression from the atmospheric beginnings of 'Learning to Fly', through the emotional crescendo of their own remix of Kyson's 'Flightless', and finally winding down with the spacious, reflective pads of OVOU's 'Decima'.