Artist Spotlight: Phrase
Wellington drum and bass producer Phrase on his debut for 174 and linking with Rider Shafique for Worldwide.
Wellington's Phrase makes drum and bass that lands as hard on a late-night dancefloor as it does through your headphones on the bus home — deep, dark and soulful, with one foot in the city's underground. We caught up with him about his debut on 174, linking with Rider Shafique for Worldwide, and the underground roots of his sound.
How would you describe your sound to someone who's never heard drum and bass before?
Deep, dark and soulful. A blend of familiar and experimental sounds, to be enjoyed both in the club and on the bus with your headphones on.
What track of yours feels most personal to you, and why?
I'd say something from my debut release on 174, like Southern Lights. But my recent track Missed the Message, with Aaron Payne and Sydney Bryce, was the first one where I could take a step back and think:
“Yeah, that's a bloody banger.”
Phrase
Can you walk us through the creative process behind your latest tune, Worldwide?
It's always been a dream of mine to collaborate with a big MC, so when I started writing Worldwide I knew this would be the project for it. I wrote the instrumental wanting to create a deep cut for the clubs — something nice for the DJs to double-drop. When I wrapped V1 it felt like there was something missing, and that was vocals. So I reached out to Rider; his verse on Proud with Sam Binga has always been one of my favourites, and I thought his voice would sit nicely on top. Despite being on the other side of the world, we managed to connect, he wrote some bars, and the rest is history.
Who's a newer artist you rate heavily and think deserves more shine?
Heaps come to mind. A bit of bias for someone like Aaron Payne, who's releasing some sick stuff. A bit more local, someone like Hound. Heaps of people in that minimal, deep, liquid drum and bass space deserve more credit.
What's something non-music that deeply influences your sound?
I think the environment you're in can dictate the music you make. My hometown of Wellington is quite an edgy sort of city, with big roots in underground music — so I leaned towards the more minimal, underground side of drum and bass rather than the commercial stuff.
You're curating a 3-track warm-up set — what's going in?
What's one challenge you've faced creatively, and how did you push through it?
Time. Working a full-time job and playing semi-pro football means I'm super busy, so finding time to make tracks is hard — and then when I do get time, there's pressure to form an idea or finish a song. But I've learned to deal with it: if I feel creative, I just get on my laptop and sketch something out.