DJ and producer Philip George has recently burst on to the scene with his massive infectious track ‘Wish You Were Mine’. We spoke to him about the track, his sudden rise, and his plans/gigs for summer 2015.
Hi Philip. First off, we’ve seen you’ve not been too well recently, how are you now? All good?
Ahh thanks for asking. Yeah it’s been rubbish. I’d been busy for months and then the time I got a few weeks off I got tonsillitis, just my luck! I’m 100% better now, and I’m back to it.
Glad to hear you’re better! Congratulations on the success of your track ‘Wish You Were Mine’. Tell us about the process of writing it to eventually it making number 2 in the charts.
I actually made the track 2 years ago and never expected it to be such a big hit, so it’s really hard to explain how I created it. I hope it’s just a natural ability or something but I can’t really say that.
On the track you sample Stevie Wonder, have you always liked playing around with samples and how easy/difficult was it to get clearance on the sample for the track?
Well I have to put my hands up to the guys at 3beat for that, my label. They did all the hard work in clearing the sample. It took a while before the final clearance but eventually the man himself gave it the all clear. I love using old samples though, there’s something about the vintage feel and sound to them that make a dance track glow.
Definitely! You wrote the track in your bedroom in Nottingham – Nottingham is also home to Jake Bugg, who has also played in Ibiza a few times. Is there something in the water there musically?
I hope so… it’s not just me and Jake Bugg though, there’s Saint Raymond and Indiana as well. Also many underground talents, theres a DJ/producer called Latmun whose productions are on point!
Cheers for the heads up! Your rise on to the scene has been fairly sudden, how have you found the change of working 2 part time jobs to DJing all over the world and everything that comes with that?
It’s been quite overwhelming to be fair. Everything I was doing before the music was relaxed and easy really. Now everything is hands on, but I wouldn’t want it any different.
How long have you been producing and who are your DJing/producing heroes?
I’ve been producing for around 5 years now. I’d say my heroes list is endless but the fundamental ones are Pete Tong, Netsky and Fatboy Slim.
We read that you don’t like to pigeon hole yourself musically, that’s great, you just play house music of all types?
Yeah every time. I find everyone seems to only like a specific type of music these days, especially in the house scene. For instance I love techno music, I’m a huge fan of it and have been attending raves for years, but some people who like techno only like techno because apparently other music isn’t cool enough. I think they are in denial of a good pop song! So yeah, if anybody gets the chance to see me DJ, expect the whole shebang of house music.
Good stuff! You’ve been playing some festivals recently, how have they been going? Do you have a highlight so far?
I’ve not played at many but the ones I have done, We Are Fstvl is definitely my favourite show so far. What a crowd that was!
You have a busy summer full of dates, including Cream Ibiza and Creamfields, you must be looking forward to them? What can we expect from your sets?
I can’t express how buzzing I am to play at the shows. Cream Ibiza is such an honour, and Creamfields… well such an honour again! I can’t believe I’m going to be playing at them. People can expect a good feeling fun set, full of new stuff, old gems, techno bangers and a little bit of garage. Basically a bit of everything.
Eclectic! We like it. Cream have always supported new DJs, you have played for them in Liverpool too – it must feel good to having such big brands as this supporting what you’re doing?
It’s incredible, I’ve grown up with the Cream logo so to be a part of it is madness. I’ve even got compilation albums from them. They are so iconic! That logo still looks mint as well. It was incredible to be invited to play in Liverpool as well. I hope people enjoyed my set.
Tell us about any new material you have in the pipeline.
It’s a little bit of everything really. I want to create some tropical/anthem sounding house music I guess. I can’t wait to show everyone what I’ve been working on.
Have you visited Ibiza before or will your gigs here be your first visits to the island? If so, what are you most looking forward to?
I’ve been attending Ibiza for the last few years but yes this is my first time playing here. After 3 years I’m playing in Amnesia! Crazy. I still havent checked out other parts of the island though, out of the clubs and San Antonio, so I’m 100% going to do that.
Good man. Finally, what’s craziest thing a fan has done for you so far?!
Probably the raps over my song, two lads have done it from Ireland. They’re easy to find on the internet. How serious they both are! It’s also great to see people say that they had made my career! I love these comments. Haha!
Cheers Philip, enjoy your time in Ibiza and good luck with your summer gigs!
Thanks!
Philip George will be playing a number of dates at Cream Ibiza along with his debut performance at Creamfields on Saturday 29th August. For more info on both events please visit http://www.cream.co.uk/