Philipp Ort is a Swiss artist who has released music on labels ranging from Kevin Saunderson’s KMS Records to Get Physical. Most recently he dropped a new EP on Canadian label Suleiman Records which featured remixes from Robert Babicz and Inxec. Excited to learn more about the release we caught Philipp Ort to ask him about the EP and his other forthcoming projects.
> For the people reading this who have not heard your music before, how would you describe your style, and the key elements that define it?
My production style is somewhat a mixture of a little bit of everything I like hearing on the dancefloor and I constantly let myself influence by my moods, ideas and surroundings. I’m very much into big melodies, crunchy synth lines and tuneful arp sounds on top of groovy and phat drumbeats. And vocals of course, I really like working with vocals of all sorts. It’s amazing how you can turn the vibe of a track into something so creative if you got the right vocal recordings to work with.
> Your most recent release is on Suleiman, could you tell us about the concept of the new EP?
Both tracks have been long-term projects really. Especially the Fredek’s Story has had quite a build up from the idea until finishing the track. It’s basically a true story about my wife’s canary bird, who jumped off the 6th floor in her building at that time. And as he couldn’t fly at all, he more or less just fell, wiggling his wings. It’s got a happy ending though as he survived without any injuries! If you listen very carefully to this track, you can even tell the moment when he’s jumping into the unknown! He was very brave really and had quite an experience! On top of that, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Haptic on this track and he recorded the perfect type of vocals. I’ve told him the whole story and he really liked the idea, so he came up with these beautiful melodic vocals. It’s a real special track this one and I’m very happy to have found such a true musical home with Suleiman Records, where a release isn’t just another catalogue number.
With Humans Like Us in the other hand, I wanted to create something more clubby and deep with big melodic sounds on top. It tells the story about the human race who should stop thinking just about themselves, less “mine” but more “our”! I find the current times reflect this perfectly!
> Could you talk us through the creative process of putting a track together, and list any specific equipment used to bring your sound to life?
Usually, I either start with an idea I’ve had in my head for a while and work the track around it. Or I just start from a blank canvas with either a melody, a vocal, a sound or just build up a drum loop and go with the flow from there. It really depends on the current mood.
In terms of equipment, I use a lot of the Arturia sounds and some analogue synths to create the bassline and synth melodies. After putting the arrangement in place and work out each drums and sound, I spend quite some time mixing the track and putting each sound into its own place. There are some great plugins from FabFilter which really help you get the most out of mixing each channel.
> How have you been keeping busy during the Covid 19 lockdown, do you have any tips for staying motivated with music?
It has been a very productive time for me these past few months, not just with my music. Tips for staying motivated? Well, there are always times where I’m more or less into producing music, I guess that’s normal. But the important point is to go with the flow and keep staying creative, even if that means reaching it through other art forms. This way there are always new ideas popping up wich you can then turn into sounds. Also I find it very important to stay close to nature and spend as much time as possible outside. This certainly keeps the flow going and can influence you a lot in creating new ideas.
> It might still be a while off yet, but what is the first thing you plan to do after the Covid 19 lockdown is finished?
Fortunately, the lockdown in Switzerland is already finished since a few weeks and I just keep going with the creative flow I’ve had during the lockdown. There is nothing I’ve planned really, but I could do with a few days off for sure 🙂
> What is coming up next in your music schedule, do you have any other releases in the pipeline?
I am currently finishing off a new three track EP and next to it, I am working on a few other electronica projects for my second moniker HiiRO which is more on the trip hop, downtempo side. On top of that, I have had the pleasure to work a lot in the studio with my good friend and studio buddy Elevator Moving and we’re close to finishing our first album together. So there is plenty of new music coming out over the next 12 months.
> Could you give some advice or words of wisdom to any aspiring producers who might look to your music for inspiration?
Inspire yourself from the music of other producers but don’t just copy ideas. Instead find your own unique style, even if it takes a lot longer to turn it into working productions. It’s all about quality not quantity in the long term. In my opinion, music is not here to make you famous or get rich, it’s a way to express your feelings and thoughts, and you can certainly hear that in a track.
> Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, we like to finish our interviews with a couple of questions that are a little bit light-hearted… without getting to personal, could you tell us something many don’t know about you?
I love creative art in general and I’m very much into abstract art paintings. As I was looking for something where I could use my creativity away from a computer screen, I started painting pictures myself. It is like a meditation for me and I love working with colours and shapes. It is a lot like producing music where you can freely add your ideas and put them onto a blank canvas.
> You don’t need to mention names, but what’s the most “outrageous” thing you have ever seen happen in a club… was it something outrageously brilliant, like a blindfolded DJ mixing seamlessly and scratching with their elbows, or something outrageously cringe-worthy, like some embarrassing drunk person urinating on the dancefloor?
A few years back after playing a gig in London, we went to another club to see some DJs we wanted to meet and listen to for a while. It was a lot of fun and we danced the whole morning until suddenly the light goes on and the police storm in. In like 5min the mood turned from having fun to WTF just happened? Everyone had to leave the club instantly through the back exit and as I still had my DJ bag with all the vinyls in the cloakroom, I had to wait outside in the freezing cold. Luckily there was a police car which still had a warm engine hood. It took them a while until they caught us sitting on it and finally got us off the hood but luckily, they were very understanding and actually asked us quite respectfully to stand next to it instead. After an hour or so we were finally allowed to go back in to the cloakroom and get our stuff. It was a mad experience but definitely one to remember 🙂
> Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, is there anything extra you want to add before we wrap up the conversation?
Thanks for having me, it was a pleasure answering your questions! And yes, stay creative!
> You can pick up a copy of Philipp Ort’s new release on Suleiman Records from ... HERE …
