It looks like you are using an ad blocker. That's okay. Who doesn't? But without advertising revenue, we can't keep making this site awesome. Click the link below for instructions on disabling adblock.
"The Philosofist aka Matt Fry is an MC/producer based in Colorado, and originally from Seattle.
Fry released his debut last year, The Freshman Mix, a straight-up hip hop tape that highlights his
dexterity on the mix. Recently, Fry has been experimenting in the electronic world and has taken his sound in a new direction, working with self-dubbed “Deep Sea Drum and Bass” producer Star Tropix. I caught with Fry the other day, and got some insight on the Colorado and Seattle music scenes, the computer as an instrument, and the changing music culture.Stream and download brand new track “Fuck It I’m Dead” below, and check out the rest of the interview after the jump.
F*** It. I'm Dead. by The Philosofist
The Astral Plane: You’re originally from Seattle, but now live in Colorado. How are the scenes similar? Different?
The Philosofist: It’s interesting. There is a much larger electronic scene out here in Colorado. With all the producers coming out of this region you get a massive amount of new sounds. Lots of gigs, lots of festivals, and lots of college kids. Everybody wants to be original, and for the most part everyone is.
Seattle has the hip-hop scene on lock though. Just like NY and LA have their own sound, we also have our own chilled out style that you can’t find anywhere else. I feel the Seattle scene is a bit more mature, but Colorado has a lot of untapped potential. Keep an eye out for all the DJ’s coming out of Boulder…some really cool shit.
TAP: What is your creative process like?
The Philosofist: I take an emotional event and translate the feelings to sound. Each note has the building blocks of an emotion attached to it. Chords/scales represent a feeling. I start with silence, and paint the canvas of silence with emotion. At the end of the process, each note should fit together to create a soundscape of experience. The piece of music should be a story before I even begin writing lyrics. After the basic track is done, I add in runoffs and tweaks to amplify or dull certain parts of the emotional story. At the end of it, I hope I have created a piece that presents a specific feeling. How the listener interprets that feeling is up to their subjective experience.
TAP: What software/hardware do use to make beats?
The Philosofist: I use Logic Studio Pro to produce, mix, and master my music. So far I have no hardware to speak of, I’m a computer producer. I’ll throw in a live sample of me playing the violin or guitar, but as of now those tracks are still very early in their composition.
TAP: Outside of hip hop, where do you find inspiration?
The Philosofist: I am immersed in the psychedelic movement. I recently have been jammin to bands like M83 and Starfucker (indie/electronic, shoegaze), but I will always enjoy the classics like Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. Dark Side Of The Moon is my favorite album of all time, hands down. Emancipator is a great producer who created an organic trip-hop sound, I really dig him. Oh, and I’ll throw in Ratatat to the mix as well. Glide synths for days!
TAP: Your tape The Freshman Mix is a straight up hip hop release, but recently you’ve been experimenting with different sounds in your production style. What has influenced your trend towards a more electronic sound?
The Philosofist: There are certain emotions and general existential states of being in this digital culture that cannot be replicated with sampling soul tracks or using organic sounds. As the culture changes, so does music.
Thus, my goal is to bring soul through the medium of a machine….now that’s a metaphor.
TAP: Here at the Astral Plane, we attempt to present music that exists outside of standard genre constraints. As a hip hop artist, how do you see the genre progressing over the coming years?
The Philosofist: (laughs) Hopefully my transgenre project with my man Star Tropix (out of Vancouver, BC) will break through the barriers of what is hip hop and what is ambient/electronic. We are creating our own sound. The genre of hip hop may not change drastically due to our influence, it’s still a relatively young genre. However, I do see an electronic element in much of the recently commercially successful music. I hope that what I am doing is the future of hip-hop, but I will always dig a little old school boom bap in my speakers.
