We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Phillip Surrett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Phillip, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Currently, I’ve been working in collaboration with a very talented creative from Bolivia named Miguel Anté. He is the owner of Second Plane Records and Tezana Records and has been essential in helping me fine tune my craft as a music producer. We are working on some new releases together and looking forward to sharing them in the coming months.

I’ve also been busy working with Synthetiq Frequency out of Asheville to help them promote and market Sonic Therapy: Family Campout and Soniq Oasis Music Festivals.

Phillip, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been producing electronic music for 13 years. I’ve been throwing parties and concerts in Columbia, Charleston, Asheville, Boston, Cambridge, and more since 2009. I think something I enjoy most about my work is being able to be part of multiple teams and spearhead creative projects. When I’m not busy with album releases and marketing my main project “Phillospher” I help others by doing videography, recap videos, digital flyer creation, print media, and distribution.

I’m really proud of the network I’ve built because it allows me to help introduce people to other’s I think would be a great fit for them to work with. I was truly fortunate to meet the people I have in this industry and it’s always so satisfying to know that you can help people along their way to the next level of their creative careers just by being involved with what they have going on, seeing them in their untarnished element, and watching them shine.

Phillosopher is my Progressive House / Melodic Techno project that delivers Driving bass, spacial atmospheric grooves, rhythmic percussion elements, and mindwarping melodies. This project has been making waves in the Southeast United States region. I have shared the stage as direct support for the Legendary Tommie Sunshine, Domii, Kirby Bright, and more. I will continue working to deliver some of the best music for my fans and I’m eternally grateful for the ones who have been here since day 1.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

This industry requires extremely thick skin. 9/10 your going to be ignored. Sometimes it’s not intentional, people are just extremely busy and they just don’t have any more time on their plate to take on another person’s project. So when your trying to get someone’s attention who’s too busy, it’s better to move onto people who have time for you. Eventually, if you keep at it, and build your own self up with others around you, even the one’s who initially ignore you, they will figure you out, and give you their attention.

People also crave instant gratification which is unrealistic when we are talking about building a following. The first show I play in almost every new city is a light audience (if any). It’s especially difficult if I play in an area where my music is unfamiliar. People like to dance to songs and genres they’re familiar with. My job is to educate with new music that isn’t readily available on your radio or Spotify playlist. You know, Shelf level stuff. Every time I return to those lightly packed venues, they start to get more and more full.

I keep at it, I go see other people’s events. I drive for hours and I go meet and support other artists, I get new music inspiration for my own projects, I get involved in the community, and the next time I come to perform, those people I took the time to connect with are right there dancing with me.

I spend a lot of time going around just to watch other people play because I Love music, and without that love or passion, I don’t think I would be as driven as I am to create.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

If people want artist to keep creating, they should spend time admiring the art. In today’s world we spend too much time admiring the artist and not the art itself. This in turn has created an ecosystem of artists who create monotonous music that shines light on glam, glitz, fashion, riches, breakups and competitive egocentric behavior. I think we need to shift our focus back on the music that is really being created and connect with that, instead of these corporate messages that influence people to spend more money with companies and perpetuate some lifestyle that is unrealistic. Music has never been about money to me, Being famous has never been what I strive for either. Making good music that people can connect with, that’s Techno! That’s the Art! That’s what I want people to admire!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.phillosopher.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djphillosopher
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djphillosopher
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/djphillosopher
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@djphillosopher
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/djphillosopher
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/djphillosopher