US producer and DJ Phillosopher has built his sound around Organic and Progressive House, combining rhythmic movement with melodic and emotional detail.
Photo credit: Phillosopher – Official
After first connecting with audiences in the Northeastern United States, Phillosopher has expanded his work internationally. His releases have received DJ support from artists including Gai Barone, Graziano Raffa, John Cosani, DJ Ruby, Mariano Mellino, Ruben Karapetyan, Nico Rada, and Leandro Murua, while his performances have taken him from Buenos Aires to Boston and Atlanta.
He has also shared stages with Paul Van Dyk, Dave Seaman, Simon Vuarambon, Kebin Van Reeken, Baunder, Satoshi Tomiie, and Alexi Delano. His current release, ‘Oasis Azul’, provides one of the central points of the conversation.
In this conversation, Phillosopher discusses experimentation, artistic identity, ‘Oasis Azul’, collaboration, originality, self-doubt, and how he measures progress.
EG: Hi Phillosopher, welcome to Electronic Groove. Where are you today, and what is life looking like for you outside the studio right now?
Phillosopher: Hey there! Let’s see, today I’m in New York, going about the city and exploring some sights while I’m here. The streets are busy, and it’s teeming with life, culture, and adventure. I’m really enjoying the exploration of these different areas of Manhattan! Recently, I’ve also been working towards my education, and I recently just completed a Google Career Certificate in Project Management, so I’ve been keeping myself plenty busy outside the studio.
EG: Take us back to the beginning. What first made electronic music feel like more than entertainment and something you actually wanted to become part of?
Phillosopher: Electronic music has been a part of my listening experience since a very early age. I had been in a band in my early 20s, and we incorporated Live Looping and Synths during our performances, which is where I started to get some experience in my first DAW: Reason. I really enjoyed designing synth sounds and became fascinated with all of the different changes you could make to a simple tone!
So naturally, I developed an understanding that my role in the world of music would be not only performing, but contributing to people’s listening experiences as well. Years passed, and I became even more involved when I learned more refined music production techniques in the studio. I spent countless hours over the years perfecting and fine-tuning my understanding of the creative process for composing electronic music. This led me to work with artists all around the world, and I quickly realized that music is so much more than just dancing.
It’s culture, it’s a network, it’s community, it’s togetherness. I’m thankful to have these rich experiences with others who share an understanding of music with the same voracious passion that I do. For me, it’s the connection with other humans that really glues me to the notion of being part of it all.
EG: Most artists spend years trying to figure out what makes them different. When did you begin to recognize what was genuinely yours musically rather than simply the result of your influences?
Phillosopher: My realization was profound. It came to me when I stopped creating music like it was some known formula. I simply love to experiment. I love the discovery. To feel something in a moment, and perhaps articulate a bit more about that moment.
Taking the time to play out a melody or an idea on a keyboard, the ability to capture a feeling within the composition, and manipulate it to control the flow of mental energy received from listening. This is where I was truly able to discover my sonic identity, and it’s a direct reflection of how I feel while I’m composing new work. It’s raw, it’s honest, it’s untarnished by the status quo. That is where the art lives, and that is where I go when I’m looking to create unique music.
EG: When you start a new piece of music, what usually comes first for you: an emotion you want to capture, an idea you want to explore, or simply following instinct until something appears?
Phillosopher: Typically, when creating a new track, exploration is the first thing I go for until the emotion is brought to the surface. Instinct will inevitably kick in throughout this process, allowing me to build structure out of an abstraction. This leads me into all the unique additive and subtractive processes to really define the structure. But sometimes I allow the opposite and just let instinct take the lead. It just depends on how I feel on that particular day in the studio.
EG: With ‘Oasis Azul’, what interested you most was not necessarily making another record, but making this particular one. What were you trying to express that you had not quite captured before?
Phillosopher: I wanted something that progressed into a very sustained and emotional feeling. A lot of my tracks in my catalogue vary within a spectrum from intense and driving to relaxing and calm. ‘Oasis Azul’ combines some of my fresh, earthy, and organic sounds with the pulse of Afro-inspired vocals to deliver what feels like a sustained and blissful moment of transcendence. This is exactly the feeling I was going for when I had the idea for the theme in my mind. To take you outside of whatever you have going on outside of yourself, and bring you back to an introspective moment of active listening. I feel like this track is a nice contrast to others in my catalogue as of lately, and will give my listeners a new perspective of my artistic expression.
“For me, it’s the connection with other humans that really glues me to the notion of being part of it all”
EG: You invited St.Ego and STEREO MUNK to reinterpret the track from very different perspectives. What have remixes taught you about letting go of ownership and allowing someone else to completely rethink an idea you created?
Phillosopher: The human mind is the great engine of creativity. I believe that allowing others to pursue their interpretations is in the best interest of all that is spontaneous and free. I had spent a great deal of time studying the music from STEREO MUNK and St. Ego before inviting them to be part of this project, as I knew they could both bring new and exciting ideas to this release with their own iterations.
I’m thankful to have the opportunity to work with these amazing artists and hear what they have contributed to the story of this EP. Remixes are a great way to discover how someone else may perceive your work and create it in a style that adds their own unique mapping of the music, and I absolutely love this aspect of collaborating in this manner.
EG: There is more music being released every day than anyone could possibly hear. What do you think actually allows an artist to build a recognizable identity in such a crowded landscape?
Phillosopher: In the modern world of music, especially with regard to electronic music, we have tools that make it easier than ever to produce. We have formulas, we have influencers, we have mentors, and then… we have ourselves! Newer producers are influenced heavily by other artists they admire and, in some cases, particular sounds of record labels. While it’s good to build your skills with repetition and familiarity, it’s also important to remember that as a human being, you are unique!
You can’t be afraid of experimenting and being a pioneer of your own sound. While we live in a digital age of algorithms and social media, we need to remember to remove the pressures that these platforms create, so that we can freely express ourselves with intentional creativity and not because we need to “keep up.” Everyone is unique, art is unique, and while there are certain elements that are repetitive to the creative process, there is also allowing yourself to explore your own mind. I think that genuine freedom of expression is what will help any artist develop a true identity in today’s market.
EG: Do you think electronic music is currently rewarding originality, or are artists under increasing pressure to follow what is already working?
Phillosopher: I’ve seen both be favored. Music is very democratic after all. I’ve had some of my best original work be picked up, praised, and applauded. On the other hand, I’ve also had some of my best work be completely ignored. There is certainly a lot of pressure for artists to meet an algorithmic agenda, and that whole narrative in and of itself is very anti-creative. I measure my success by self-improvement, not by industry validation. I think at some point, you just have to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, and focus on the music you are creating, and how it makes you feel.
EG: What has been the most unexpected piece of advice, criticism, or encouragement that genuinely changed the way you approached your career?
Phillosopher: I once had someone tell me to slow down. At the time, I couldn’t see the value in that advice because I felt compelled to keep obsessing over my ideas in the studio and putting them into the next track, so I could get to the next track, etc. I realized over the years that what they were telling me was a better path. I eventually realized that by slowing down, I was able to be more intentional and find more meaningful progress out of my work. My goal was always to deliver quality, but ever since taking that advice to heart, I was able to really define my tracks in a more meaningful way and take myself in a direction that is conducive to creating my best work.
EG: What is your biggest fear as an artist, and has that fear changed as your career has progressed?
Phillosopher: Self-doubt has always been something I’ve struggled with. Is it good enough? Is it going to resonate? These questions constantly replay in my mind even to this day when I work on music. Something that helped me overcome these thoughts was to share the work with genuine people that I trust, who could provide honest and helpful feedback. You need to consider how your music makes others feel and actually listen to what they have to say about it, instead of tottering with your own assumptions and biases towards your music. If you have a fear about something, the best thing you can do is face it, and come up with a game plan to resolve the fear so you can get on with enjoying your time in the studio, or on the stage.
“You just have to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, and focus on the music you are creating, and how it makes you feel”
EG: If you could go back to the moment when you first decided to take music seriously and give yourself one sentence of advice, what would you say?
Phillosopher: I would tell myself to spend more time doing, and less time showing. I spent a lot of time in my earlier years trying to show people what I was doing, and this diminished the delivery of the final product. I learned some valuable lessons about showing people what I was doing before it was finished, and it helped shape how I present myself and my work to make a more impactful experience when it comes time to unveil a new piece of work!
EG: Finally, forget streams, charts, bookings, and industry recognition for a moment. Ten years from now, what would have to be true for you to feel that this journey was genuinely successful?
Phillosopher: Progression. I always strive for growth and progress. If I started somewhere and ended up at a higher place than where I started, then what I set out to do was accomplished. This whole journey with music has been filled with self-discovery, triumph, failure, happiness, success, and challenging myself to be better than I was yesterday. My #1 metric for success will always be progression.
EG: Thanks for the time!
Phillosopher: Thanks so much for having me, and giving me a place to share my story!
Phillosopher’s ‘Oasis Azul’ is out now on Sag & Tre. Stream and download your copy here.
Follow Phillosopher: Spotify | SoundCloud | Instagram