Interview: Philanthrope

Philanthrope has always been one of the first producers who sparkled my love for beat-driven music a few years back.

The Austrian beat-maker is pretty active in the scene not only when it comes to crafting sick releases, but also supporting up and coming producers and it was only natural to invite him for a chat and a mini mix. Enjoy!

Hey Simon! Thanks for the interview. What's the most philanthropian thing you have ever done in your life?

Hm. Thats a pretty hard question but I always try to stay loyal and support everyone in the best possible way.

Do you truly love mankind or philanthrope came about pretty randomly?

I studied Psychology and that noun came up in the first semester and I liked the meaning so this became my Artist name.

You just released your full length album Clockwork and is nothing, but a beat perfection. Tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind the record.

Thanks - glad you like it! I had two Beats that shaped the Sound of the Project. First one was “Clockwork” and the second one “Blue”. These two tracks started it so I just kept on making beats and then added the ones that fit best to it. I tried to tell a story of a failed relationship, but I think you can interpret the LP the way you want it.

The record features quite a lot of collaborations with some of my favourite producers. Was that an intentional decision - to work with a lot of various artists on the album or happened naturally?

I just tried to start working together with people I enjoy listening to myself. I’m really happy I’m connected with all these beatmakers now and it’s always cool to collaborate and share Ideas to make it an even better product.

You also release/work a lot with Chillhop Records - how did all start?

Yep I’m now in an A&R Position on Chillhop and I really like it , because I get in touch with a lot of great musicians and I’m able to support new Artists since Chillhop became a really big platform. I think I first got in touch with Bas ( Founder of Chillhop) when he asked me if he can upload my 2015 Release “Quintessenz und ihre Nuancen” on the Youtube Channel. From that point on we wrote more frequently and at some point he asked me if I want to join the team.

Big thanks for the mix you crafted for us. If you can imagine, what would be the perfect location/setting for listening to the mix?

I think that always depends on the Mood but I really like walking around at night with my headphones on.

You're from Austria - home of some pretty dope hip hop producers. Are there any people you look up to in the local scene there?

My main influence in Austria will always be Mono:Massive. He used to live in Innsbruck but moved to Vienna two years ago. He invited me to his little Basement Studio 4 years ago when I just started getting into Beats more and really helped me with mixing and all that so I will always be thankful for that.

How did you get into music production? Do you play an actual instrumental besides producing?

I don’t play any Instruments. I actually don’t even use controllers. I play everything on the Keyboard of my Laptop. But I found a way to make it sound the way I want it so I don’t see a reason to change that workflow.

Do you mind taking a picture of your setup and walking us through it?

I skip that since my equipment is just a regular 15 Inch Macbook with Logic installed. Not too impressive. I got a Sp-404 but I only use that for beatsets.

How does an average Philanthrope day looks like? Is music a full time thing?

Yep music became a full time job around a year ago. I usually wake up , make a coffee and smoke a cigarette while skipping through some music on Spotify. One part of my work for Chillhop is curating the Spotify Playlists so I always try to stay updated when it comes to new releases I can add to our lists.

Most times I get inspired after a while and then start working on some loops but I don’t really structure my days which is a thing I have to work on since work is getting more and more.

What inspires you? What's the driving force behind all those sounds?

I just listen to a lot of music and at some point I always get inspired by other Artists. People that recently inspired me most are Invention, Smoke Trees, Juan Rios and Instupendo just to name a few.

I just like listening to beatmakers that have an unique sound. But that always changes from time to time and there are always new artists I discover that inspire me.

Do you plan a tour or some lives in support to Clockwork and what's ahead for 2017?

Didn’t really plan a tour or something like that. I just get booked here and then to play Beatsets but I actually like to work in the background more. I’m not too much into that Live Thing yet but that is definitely something I want to focus one more.

I’m also DJ-ing but most people outside of Innsbruck know me for my beats so I don’t really get booked to often to play DJ Sets. I got a Release with Obijuan, one with Benaddict and I’m currently working on another jazz-based instrumental release for HHV.de that will probably come out at the beginning of next year. These are the releases I got planned for now but my friend Kupla is coming over for a week in November…so let’s see:)

Thanks for the interview, Simon! Any famous last words?

Stay unique!

Hope you guys enjoyed our interview with Simon - stay up to date with his music at Philanthrope's artist page.

Mix Tracklist: