Philip Lawns is an Italian music producer, co-founder of Turbokitchen, who releases on labels like Motek and My Favorite Robot Recordings.
On his debut solo EP for Thisbe Recordings, “Ten Years of Travel”, he tells the story of the Odyssey and its protagonist Ulysses through the use of machines (such as Nord Lead 4, Roland SPD-30, Behringer TD-3, Yamaha Reface CS and Moog sub 37) and hot rhythms. From his secret garden, a perfectly acoustically isolated dressing room, «Ten years of travel» was born. Particular to the structure of the EP is that each track has its own remix.
Featuring a reworking of «Distorted View», Days of Being Wild delivers a classic dark record, true to its idiosyncratic sound and original grooves, captivating the dance floor immediately. Traveler and cosmic poet Pyrame’s reworking of the single «Start» first feels like rain falling before the storm hits and reveals a euphoric feeling as the break begins. Romain FX pulls off an excellent remix of Ten Years of Travel, the lead single from the Philip Lawns EP. His remix is ??a pure Italo disco reworking of the original, infused with pop synths and keyboards, that will leave no one still and still.

We have had the pleasure of speaking with Philip and this has been the result.

Can you tell us a bit about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music? Does your training come from the Internet?

 I approached music as a child. At the age of 4, my mother sent me to my first piano and solfeggio lessons and then I continued to play the piano until I was 14 years old.

A few years later I went to drum lessons and from there came the first experiences with school friends.

We would lock ourselves in rooms for hours trying to make rock music. It was a good time.

I come from a small town near the Adriatic coast of Romagna, very famous in Italy since the 80s because it is home to many iconic clubs of house and techno music.

At the age of 16 years I started to go out  in these clubs, together with my friends. That was the first time I got to listen to that kind of music.

In the meantime some friends had started using programs such as Logic and Ableton and I discovered how much could be created with a computer and connected instruments.

This gave me the desire to deepen that new way of making music and I began my journey as a self-taught person.

I was spending whole evenings of experimentation with two other friends and then the first pieces took shape that were published under the name Turbokitchen.

Who have been your main inspirations (both musically and in «life»)? And how have they affected your sound?

 My main source of inspiration starts with  music. I always keep an open-mind and listen to almost all kinds of music.

But in the end i always try to follow my ears, which seems to be the only way to make things work the way I´d  like to.

Just to mention some historical musical groups and artists from which I have drawn more inspiration since I was a child: The Cure, David Bowie, Radiohead, Herbert, Snoop Dogg, Boards Of Canada.

Nature also plays a fundamental role for me. From my city it is easy to reach the sea, the hills and mountains.

In these places I can breathe a different air and open my mind and senses.

Lastly, the  most important of all for me is the warmth of my family and friends.

How would you define your sound? And how has your sound evolved so far?

 I haven´t been started producing as a soloist long enough to be totally sure that I found a sound of my own and well defined. I try to explore sometimes psychedelic, sometimes epic and emotional territories without limiting myself too much.

In the tracks I’m working on now I’m focusing mostly on giving a dirty sounding background. As in other forms of art, perfection leads to boring results while some disturbing element can give character to a work and make it more interesting.

What can you tell us about your last record? What inspired you? What do you want to transmit?

 Ten Years of Travel» was born after visiting an art show of the protagonist of the Odyssey: Ulysses.
I was inspired by the story of his journey which lasted exactly 10 years.
I then reflected a lot on the  last 10 years of my life, which brought me some big emotions and also some inspiration.
The EP metaphorically reflects the «journey», understood as a period of our past life.
The title «Ten Years of Travel» wants to be, for each listener, a free interpretation of their own «journey». 

 What can you tell us about each song that makes up your latest work? What concept do you want to convey?

 «Distorted View, with this background  sound,  portrays one of Ulysses’ stages.  When he lands in the Land of the Cyclops and driven by the curiosity,  he finds inside a cave the giant Cyclops Polyphemus with only one large eye. Ulysses is imprisoned from Polyphemus but then is able to escape by blinding and deceiving him.
Hip hop-style kick drum and rough-sounding guitar hits accompany mysterious low-pitched, pressing voices. At min 1:52 a small blind followed by a restart with cymbals in sixteenths and brave drum toms that you cannot resist by moving and tapping your feet on the ground.

«Start» is a sort of antidote to the darkness that has surrounded much of the world in hell in recent years.  Melodies that bring hope, give courage and stay with you.  It is the restart of each journey, of each stage, of each path, of each cycle.  In the end we always start again.
Bass in the foreground followed by a set of emotionally evocative chords. At the end comes a vocal loop with crash cymbals, and like a whirlwind, can make the hair stand on end.

«Ten Year of Travel» the song that gives its name to the album.
Ulysses finds himself with his sailors facing a strong storm in the middle of the sea. 

Refined sounds and noises created with the purpose of giving space to  imagination.  Like big waves crashing on the ship, oscillations bringing the creaking of the mainmast with its large sails, the charm of the voices and the bewitching echoes of the sirens that create addiction in those who listen to them. Balanced harmony between nostalgic notes played on the piano and triumphal melodies that lead Ulysses to once again overcome the obstacles and difficulties of his journey, bringing him to safety and ready for the next adventure.

What projects are you working on right now?

I started working on a remix for David Naville (aka Pyrame) which will be released on one of his upcoming EPs. I am proud to do this, because he was the first person to believe in my music and bring me to my debut as Philip Lawns on his label Thisbe Recordings.

A beautiful friendship is  also born between us and we often share moments of our little children who were born the same year.

I have also started working on a project that will take longer. I’m going to produce an album and create a concept. It won’t be easy because I don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to album production but I’m not in a hurry. I’m sure the studio work will also help me discover and hone my production techniques.