Phillosopher talks about creativity, Progressive House’s diversity, and his inspiring message to Atlanta Fans [INTERVIEW]
BY ANASTASIIA AND STEPHEN RIDDLE
Philip Surrett, known as Phillosopher, is a genre-bending spiritual wizard whose sets take you on a blissful sound journey full of glitches, trances, twists, and blends. He knows how to effortlessly transition from one genre to another, going from light mood to dark during your spiritual adventure with him. He’s always on a mission to find new sounds and inspirations to create beautiful transcending tunes for his fans. We caught up with Phillosopher and he dished out his most memorable career moments, the origin of his name, and his favorite artists to draw inspiration from.
Catch Phillospher opening for Paul Van Dyk at District Atlanta this Friday, July 26, 2024
Atlanta EDM: Tell us a little bit about yourself, how did your musical journey start?
Phillosopher: I've been on-stage performing since I was in my teenage years. I used to be part of an Electronic Jam Band back in 2008-2009 and that was the spark of my musical journey. I moved to MA in 2011 and started my Phillosopher project which was at first a Live Looping, Electronic Music project that utilized a Live drummer, Midi, Synths, and all kinds of hardware! My drummer and I got a taste of playing some really great venues in Boston such as Wonderbar in Cambridge, and The Middle East, and we were offered some incredible opportunities to play at local music festivals! It was a great experience, and it gave me a great understanding of the music industry and how it all works! Fast forward to 2013, I moved back to SC and really started diving in on Electronic Music Production! I was working a lot of hard jobs and long hours back then so it took some time to finally get comfortable enough with my production to start considering releases. I took many courses and spent countless days chiseling at each one to learn a mountain of knowledge in Sound Engineering, Sound Design, and Music Production. I started releasing commercially in 2020, and while those were nothing special they taught me the fundamentals of record promotion and distribution which allowed me to get a glimpse of the commercial side of releasing music. I started meeting some other producers online and in my local community and met a great colleague and friend, Miguel Ante from Bolivia! Miguel is a very talented and established producer. He and I spent some great moments together in the studio, and in each other's lives. He showed me how to approach record labels and present my music with the quality they look for in their artists. I'm grateful for his mentoring. We have worked on several releases together. Some of our releases have reached positions as high as #10 on the Beatport Top 100 Releases Charts for Progressive House! Currently, I have 3 more EPs signed and slated for release and I spend most of my days in the studio working on new innovative musical ideas. It's been a long journey, I continued to pursue knowledge in music production and still do to this day, and with each new release comes extravagant new challenges that keep my days interesting and the music sounding fresh!
Dave Seamman and Phillosopher 2024 - PHOTO BY PHILLOSOPHER
Atlanta EDM: Let’s talk about your stage name, I assume it’s a play on your first name?
Phillosopher: My stage name, ha! So here's that story: I was living in Charleston, SC, at the time with a few roommates. I had this one living with us who I became tight homies with named Jonnie Witt! After attending shows and concerts, we would always talk about deep subjects and philosophies. My name is Phill, so he collided Phill with Philosopher, and thus - Phillosopher was born!
Atlanta EDM: Who are some artists that you look up to?
Phillosopher: I look up to people like Hernán Cattáneo, Guy J, Cid Inc., Tim Green, Miss Monique, and Digweed. Something that really impresses me is how much work all these artists do. They all run record labels in addition to performing and touring and producing music. It absolutely astounds and humbles me to watch their drive and their ability to still push out great music while being that busy! Their dedication to the craft is unmatched and I hope to one day reach this level of achievement in my music career.
Atlanta EDM: What aspects of Progressive and Organic House do you think attracted you to them the most?
Phillosopher: I love how Progressive House can be so chill, but has the dynamic to also just squeeze and rinse you out on the dancefloor. It has so much variety to its sound, you can make it Soft, and Light, or you can make it go Dark! It's great for practically any time on a dancefloor because of its diverse influence. Progressive House comes in many sounds and has a niche for just about anyone who can appreciate house music with an evolved atmospheric sound-sculpting environment.
PHOTO BY DJ SUTTON
Atlanta EDM: Where do you draw your inspiration from? Do you have any hobbies that help you unwind after a long day?
Phillosopher: My inspiration comes from my need to create. To fulfill that need, music is my tool! I don't really run into much writer's block. Creativity effortlessly flows through me and I channel that into my work. There are days when I certainly flow more efficiently, those are my lucky moments! In the flow state, I can get an entire song written, mixed, and ready for label submission in 2 to 3 days! There is always a period of artistic procrastination though, for good measure of course! I have a plethora of hobbies that I enjoy outside of music. I love going on bike rides with my son and spending time at the pool with my family during the summer months. Visiting mountains and going for hikes and camping is always a great time and we love getting outdoors. I have a lot of friends in a lot of places so it's always nice to get out of town and go on an adventure to visit someone, spend some quality time together, and experience life outside my home. On occasion, I do help with events and setting up shows with people locally and helping make memories for people! When I have a little downtime I do enjoy playing some video games.
Atlanta EDM: How would you say your sets and music have grown since the last time you played Atlanta?
Phillosopher: Exponentially! I have a ton of new music now that I've been receiving promos from the record labels I work with which gives me access to Unreleased IDs to play for the audience. This allows me to play stuff they won't get to hear anywhere else! It's a unique experience to be one of the first people to ever listen to a song before it even hits the digital shelf!
Atlanta EDM: What is your dream venue or festival to play one day?
Phillosopher: I would love to play at the Biosphere in Montreal! That venue looks insane! It would be lovely to get an invite to perform an Anjunabeats show or any bigger Progressive House label showcase party.
Atlanta EDM: Do you have any messages for your Atlanta fan base?
Phillosopher: Always keep looking for new music! There are so many producers making great new music worth exploring. If you like diversity and new interesting ideas, check out some of these medium and smaller labels out there sending out super high-quality music. I used to get caught in the habit of listening to similar artists because I liked their music a lot, but it limited my ability to discover some of the music I'm listening to now. I like to keep music I'm listening to happening with ebb and flow. Constantly rotating my listening experiences and coming back to some of my favorites that stuck out when they have new releases to enjoy. Look for stuff outside of what all your friends are listening to and don't be afraid to be a musical pioneer!