Philip James is all about the good vibes. Like Real Estate, his music is, in fact, for the faint of heart. Call it shoegaze, call it chillwave or post-rock, call it a pop song wrapped in a fuzzy blanket and fed helium until it floats — Philip James is a link in the new chain of bedroom-based “rock” musicians coaxing listeners into pleasant delirium instead of bludgeoning them into submission.
Chopped samples, miles-away vocals and spaced-out guitars ride synths and electronic drums out to la-la land. Now you’re asking: is the music any good? See for yourself. You can stream his complete debut for free here. If you fancy it, you can catch him playing ringmaster to his electronic circus Saturday, July 23 at Rancho Relaxo, Friday, July 28 at Nocturne and Friday Aug. 5 at 1581 Dundas St. W.
What or who is Philip James? How many hats does he wear?
Philip James is a name rooted into my inner being. Every day during my childhood, my parents woke me up by calling “Philip James” for breakfast. Whenever they’ve been proud of me, they’ve called me by my first and middle name. I don’t know if it’s hearing it all these years, but it brings some sort of nostalgic sense of reassurance that helps me to keep creating, to keep digging for more pop gems within me. In short, Philip James is a dude from Toronto that’s been making his own form of weird, ambient pop music for a while, and just wants people to join him for the ride. Also, seven hats.
Your music is up-close and very enclosed, probably because it all came from your brain. Are you going to push that in future releases? Session musicians, maybe? Ukulele?
I’ve always been an introverted person, so I can’t help but show myself in my music; I wouldn’t want to seem disingenuous with my final product. It would be incredibly hard for me to perform something live that isn’t from my heart. At the moment, I can’t see myself working with other musicians live with my current show, but I would be interested in collaborating with some people for upcoming Philip James releases. Since I moved into my new place, I’ve been playing more acoustic guitar than electric, so I plan to also record and perform with just an acoustic guitar, some friends and a slew of effects pedals.
On stage, it’s just you and your machines. Stagefright? Trance-like ecstasy? Somewhere in between?
I have to admit, with my current setup, I can’t be moving around too much trying to get the crowd going. It’ll never be a F***ed Up show atmosphere, with [frontman] Damian starting s**t with the audience and a rocking band to back me. I’m the ring leader trying to keep the mechanical circus act going with the buttons and knobs and guitar licks and vocal melodies. It may seem like I’m timid on stage, but I feel nothing but serenity once I’m in a couple of songs.
An audience member once told you they “loved your message.” How does that statement sit with you? Your music seems (to me) more Rorschach blot than transmission.
I’m not too certain on my message at the moment either, but it sits in a hazy spot of meditative release for me. I can’t really speak for that person’s interpretation of what my message is, but I hope that my vibes always come across as positive and help people relax and enjoy themselves.
The album is called Nights. You made it in your home and it’s layered like an onion. Were the arrangements all locked in your head beforehand, or did they evolve and surprise you as you went?
The music making process on Nights varied, but I tend to favor exploration. I start off with a sample that I’ve discovered, and then I’ll try and chop it up into a variety of ways to see if I can graduate the sample from a “cool sound” to “song potential.” From there I will add drums, synth, and ambience until it feels about right. The final layer to the onion is the vocal melodies. I might go through the whole song-making process from A to Z, but if I can’t find the right vocal melody to go with it, I’ll scrap it unless the instrumental is organic enough to live on its own. The only straight-up "songs" I had planned out for the album would probably be “Seconds Switch” and “Ethereal,” coincidentally the first two tracks on the album.