On his return from playing with Stenchman at Statix Promotions’ night at Liquid Club Malta on 11 August 2012, Phaeleh took a break from music, Mario Kart and tea to have a chat with us.
You've played a few festivals this summer including Kendal Calling and the Secret Garden Party. How does the festival circuit compare to playing club nights for you?
I definitely enjoy festivals as it’s a completely different vibe to club nights. I try to balance my sets so I play enough of my tracks to keep any fans happy but also try to engage any random passers by. I’ve played some cool festivals this summer and there’s been a different vibe at each one which keeps you on your toes.
Are you looking forward to playing Outlook festival?
Yeah I can’t wait to be back at Outlook, really enjoyed it last year and got a really positive response to my set so it’s nice to be invited back again.
Your upcoming tour dates include Hospitality Leeds, which is a drum and bass night. How did you get involved in Hospitalities and how does playing a drum and bass gig compare to other nights?
The first few times I played some drum and bass nights I was slightly concerned how my sound would go down, but I’m always surprised how many people are there for the sets and how many know the tunes. It’s always a bit more interesting musically for me too, as I have to listen to a lot of 140bpm stuff at most nights I play.
You recently said in an interview with Fabric that you were going to actively slow down on DJing to work on your new album. What do you have in store for us?
The next album will probably be quite a mixture of styles, I’ve definitely been making a lot of music recently on all sorts of different tips. I think it sounds like a natural progression from my previous releases, but is definitely varied enough to keep me interested in the tunes.
Will Soundmouse make a return on the new album and are there any other vocalists you would like to work with?
I like to keep things fresh with vocalists, and typically only make a couple of tracks with those I’ve worked with in the past, so the next album will be vocalists I haven’t worked with before. I think Soundmouse is busy with a few projects too, so sure they’ll be some new stuff from her quite soon as well.
Do you prefer DJing of producing?
Producing. I’d love to be able to just write music. I do enjoy DJing, but outside of my sets I definitely don’t have the passion for clubs I might have had a few years ago and my ears are pretty knackered so sometimes it can take up to 2 weeks to be able to make music after a DJ set, so that’s definitely become a factor…
What sort of stuff do you listen to and mix in your free time?
I definitely listen to a lot of chilled stuff like old good looking records releases or some minimalism. I’ve been out the loop with all music for years, most the stuff I listen to has been in my collection a while.
If I’m at home mixing I’ll probably be on a more house or garage tip. I play a lot more different styles, I think I feel somewhat trapped near 140bpm when I’m playing out, as that’s what most of my releases are, but I think after Outlook this year I’ll probably start switching up the sets a bit more to keep it interesting for me.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I think I’ve always wanted to do something musical, though don’t recall at any point being particularly driven to any career path, I just always wanted to make tunes, whether it was on an old 4 track recorder with a drum machine and guitar, or in a band or any other way.
What is your vice?
It would have to be tea, and Mario Kart.
You can catch Phaelah:
Outlook Festival, Croatia – 1 September 2012
We Fear Silence at Cable, London – 15 September 2012
