New Zealander via Berlin Philippa is a producer and DJ whose passion for house music, tireless commitment to her craft and ear for what makes a dance floor tick is slowly and surely starting to pay off. Having been a prominent DJ and promoter back in New Zealand she relocated to the European mecca of electronic music in 2013, where she embraced not only Berlin’s nightlife but also its rich heritage of synthesizers, samplers, and sound design. She immersed herself in a new world which saw her lecturing at an institute of arts and technology by day and creating beautiful and unique house music by night. Launching At Peace Music in 2019 led to her music falling on the ears of Jimpster who was suitably impressed and eager to hear more.

Cut to 2022 and Freerange present ‘There’s A Ghost In My Synthesizer’, an EP that showcases Philippa’s musicality and production nous across 4 tracks which takes in funk-infused, rolling grooves, blissful, string-heavy atmospherics and crunchy disco beats. On the title track Philippa goes heavy on the strings and horns bringing some welcome Philly Soul vibes to a track which is guaranteed to bring something special to the party. ‘I Guess I Have, Boy’ puts a live bass line front and centre whilst sweeping pads keep things deep and warm. The uptempo funked-up groove of ‘Dimes’ follows, giving us a little hint of Philippa’s love of jacking Chicago house but with her own unique twist with that live, jazzy feel which she does so well. Closing out the EP we have ‘Slow It Down’ which brings a smooth, soulful touch to the release with lush strings and vocal from Mo Van Zandt.

You can now listen to the full premiere of ‘There’s  A Ghost In My Synthesizer’ while reading the great interview exclusively on When We Dip. Enjoy!

WWD: Thanks for talking to us today! Where are you this moment and what are you doing today?

Hey there, thanks to you too! I’m currently sitting in my little home studio, working through a few Freerange EP promo bits and pieces. Really happy to be talking with the mighty When We Dip.

WWD: Where are you from and where are you based?

I’m a Kiwi (from New Zealand) but have been living in Berlin for close to ten years now.

WWD: When did you first start to DJ? Where were you first gigs?

I started DJing in 1997, so yes quite a while ago. First gig was in the famous but now defunct Buddha Bar on Queen Street in Auckland – I still remember it well. From there I went on to be brought up and nurtured through a decent Auckland deep house scene over a period of a few years, in clubs such as The Box in High Street, and Calibre on Karangahape Road. It was a special time in New Zealand’s electronic music history and I’m glad I was there to be part of it.

I also look back with fondness on the scenario: a junior DJ being coached and supported in a strong local scene – local scenes where DJs / artists and crowds know each other and hear each other play regularly are special. Local scenes are where it’s at.

WWD: Who were the other DJ’s that inspired you in the beginning?

As I guess everyone did in those days, in New Zealand we really looked to America and the UK. For me personally I was massively excited by house music legends Derrick Carter, whose intergalactic space funk cast bewitching spells over many NZ dance floors (we flew him out to play a lot), and DJ Sneak, who was The Overlord of jacking house. There was also super nice deep house coming out of Chicago on Guidance recordings, and I adored the British deep house output of early Paper Recordings records, still do.

WWD: What were some of the first records that you bought?

Paper Music Issue One – I still play it, it’s a very deep and groovy record
Moodymann anything – he was a buy on sight artist, and I have a decent swag of his 12s from that late 90s / early 2000s era. If I had to pick a fav (which is nigh impossible) Shades of Jae
Etienne De Crecy’s Super Discount records – French deep house of this era was so vibing.
Chez Damier Close – Derrick Carter’s remix – a great example of the tight space funk Carter pushed back then
Green Velvet / Cajmere anything. Late 90s / early 2000s Green Velvet and Cajmere was unstoppable – playful, outgoing, dramatic, and hugely entertaining; I still play a lot of these records.

WWD: If you had to choose some words to define the music that you make, what would you say?

Sample based house music that takes elements from jazz and the blues, leans heavily into a 90s aesthetic, and sits somewhere between the intellectual smoky vibes of say Motorbass and er… DJ Sneak. Maybe. Or not.

WWD: How did you hook up with Freerange?

I started self-releasing music on At Peace in 2019, and somehow my music came to the ears of Freerange label head Jimpster – Jamie Odell. Jamie hit me up in the early days of the pandemic requesting I submit demos to the label, and therein started a pretty long process of working towards pulling together an EP. Jamie is a thorough A&R person, so it took a while to come together – and was interrupted in the middle while I took a break to finish an MA in Creative Music Production, but we got there in the end.

WWD: Is there really a ghost in your synth?

Of course not! Well… depends how you look at it. The track in question received that name after I turned on my synth to have a patch I didn’t remember creating, automatically start playing the perfect sound for a new track from a midi clip which wasn’t even fully set up. It felt like the synth decided what it wanted to play… it was a spooky moment.

WWD: What can you tell us about the new EP?

It’s a varied four tracker – each track different from the one previous, ranging in style from classic deep house through to a jacking 90s vibe into a British synth driven monster (not necessarily in that order). I’ve been playing the bigger tracks to dancefloors recently and they totally work, so that’s exciting, but a fav track is a moody deep one called “I Guess I Have, Boy” which samples the mighty Chaka Khan.

WWD: What else are you working on right now and where can we catch you playing next?

I’m currently working on an EP for London’s Slothboogie which will hopefully be out on vinyl before next summer. I have a release on my own record label At Peace coming out in a couple of months (Paper Tigers EP), and we’re working towards an EP with Swedish artist Klara Zangerl to also be released on At Peace – she’s an utterly brilliant alternative pop artist (perhaps along the lines of say, Little Dragon) – we’re releasing a couple of tracks of hers along with some house remixes from myself and brilliant up and coming deep house buddy Frank Lee.

In terms of playing – I’m out and about in Berlin a little bit and hopefully will start touring in Europe in the coming months. Let’s see.

WWD: Thanks for speaking with us! 

Thanks for having me xx

Release Date: September 16th, 2022. Buy Here

Philippa: Facebook // SoundCloud
Freerange: Facebook // SoundCloud