Like some of his Morr Music labelmates, Phonem's ambient-leaning productions feature subdued melodies; the occasional soft, busted beat; and light atmospheric touches. A member of the Beta Bodega collective, Elliot Perkins made his debut as Phonem with The Mechanic Verses on Jetlag. After that, Perkins hooked up with the well-regarded German label Morr Music for Phonetik. Hydro Electric was released in 2000. Perkins teamed up with Uwe Zahn (Arovane) in 2001 for Aer (Valid), a disc that featured a couple of collaborations between the two producers and some other tracks that were made separately. The following year, Ilisu closed out a trilogy of sorts for Phonem's Morr releases. Aside from his work as Phonem, Perkins has another alias called Spike. ~ Andy Kellman