Phonique

Berlin-based DJ Michael Vater, known as Phonique, creates polished melodic minimal tech-house and deep house for imprints like Dessous, Poker Flat, and Crosstown Rebels. Subtle post-industrial tension surfaces at times, yet his productions stay predominantly bright, upbeat, and propulsive. Guest spots by vocalists and producers including Gui Boratto, Pupkulies & Rebecca, and Erlend Øye frequently appear on his albums and singles.

Vater settled in Berlin in 1998 and rapidly established himself in the local club circuit by promoting numerous parties and nights that hosted talents such as Joakim, Ivan Smagghe, and Alexkid. Eclectic sets spanning hip-hop, drum'n'bass, and breakbeat built his reputation and fueled worldwide tours. His recording career began in 2001 with the EP So Close to Me on Martin Landsky's Intim Recordings. The following year Phonique and Kiki delivered the mix CD Quadrophoniquekikz, Vol. 1 via Komfort Musik. Further 12"s emerged on Seasons Limited and Brique Rouge, yet the majority of his catalog appeared on Steve Bug's Dessous Recordings and the related Poker Flat label.

During 2004 Vater helped mix Erlend Øye's volume in !K7's DJ-Kicks series. The set combined microhouse and indie dance selections with Øye's vocals and earned strong praise, notably from Pitchfork, which later ranked it among the decade's top 200 albums. Øye also contributed vocals to "For the Time Being," the opening track on Phonique's Dessous debut album Identification, issued in October 2004. A track co-produced by Dixon appeared on the same record, alongside vocal features from Alexander East and Paris the Black Fu of Detroit Grand Pubahs. Additional singles followed while Vater maintained DJ residencies at several Berlin venues and supplied remixes for German pop duo Rosenstolz, Morcheeba vocalist Skye, and British techno producer Will Saul, among others.

Phonique's second album, Good Idea, surfaced in 2007. More vocal-driven and pop-oriented than its predecessor, it included contributions from Rodney Hunter, Richard Davis, Data MC, and another appearance by Øye. That same year Vater launched the Ladies and Gentlemen label. He mixed the first disc of the 2009 double-CD Berlin Nights on Wagram Music, then delivered his third album, Kissing Strangers, in 2010. After two 2011 mix CDs—Systematic Colours, Vol. 3 and Dessous' Best Kept Secrets, Vol. 3 with Steve Bug—Phonique reworked tracks by Major Lazer and Milk & Sugar, among others, before a several-year gap in new material. "The Moment" with Acumen and the Git Down EP both arrived in 2014. "Grass Is Greener," featuring vocalist Antonia Vai, appeared on Ladies and Gentlemen in 2016, followed by "Something to Remember" in early 2017. Both tracks featured on Phonique's fourth album, Green Supreme, which also included a guest spot from Detroit techno veteran Eddie Fowlkes.