Kallan Phillips
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Kallan Phillips

Shelley, Western Australia, Australia | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF

Shelley, Western Australia, Australia | SELF
Established on Jan, 2011
Solo R&B Blues

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"Local Talent Waxes Lyrical About EP"

Many an hour in the recording studio has paid off for Geraldton musician Kallan Phillips after the release of his new single, Never Knew You.

Never Knew You is the first track from Phillips' yet to be named EP which is slated for release early this year. The LoFi soul artist's new single has a grainy feeling to it, combining a unique mix of soul and RnB.

Phillips', who admitted to being influenced by a broad range of artists, said anyone who likes a smooth sound would love his music: "I think anyone who enjoys RnB artists like d'Angelo, Lauryn Hill or Erykah Badu might dig it," he said. "I'm influenced by artists like Justin Timberlake, Mayer Hawthorne and John Mayer. I'm also partial to a gratuitous guitar solo or two, so guitarists should enjoy my music. Much of my soon to be released material has been compared to Australian favourite Chet Faker before. Otherwise anyone who enjoys anything funky or smooth should get a kick out of it."

Phillips began life as a muso as the lead guitarist in 2011 Next Big Thing finalists Walter, and in more recent years has pursued a variety of solo song writing, performance and production projects. His single was influenced by a recently broken heart, which Phillips' said would connect with a lot of his audience.

"The song was kind of written over a time when i went through a lot of emotional turmoil and growth, so by releasing it, it kind of feels like I've fully gotten past it all," he said. "It was a process of traveling through the deep south of America, listening to soul and rap and New Orleans Jazz while nursing a broken heart that got me in the headspace required to write the song. It's got a lot more funk to it, but its also very grainy and raw."

Recorded at Sound Suite Studios in Chicago's Ukrainian Village, the single is available for free download along with the schedule release of pre-ordered cassettes through Perth record label Hypersomnia Records.

Never Knew You can be downloaded or streamed for free at kallanphillips.bandcamp.com. Phillips can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/kallanphillips or his website kallanjphillips.tumblr.com.

Letitia Busniak, Geraldton Guardian, Wednesday 26th 2014 - Geraldton Guardian


"Music My Way"

Kallan Phillips is seemingly just like you and I. He's a fourth year History and Security and Counter-Terrorism Student at Murdoch University who's just doing his thing. What you might not guess as he walks by on campus, is that in his spare time he sets up shop in his bedroom studio writing and producer his own killer music with an EP in the works set to come out sometime later this year.

"I guess it's always been a thing. I grew up in a really musical family," Kallan explains "I've played guitar and piano most of my life so one day i just started making music that i wanted to hear and writing stuff that i was thinking about at the time."

When it was time for Kallan to head to uni, he decided he could either study music at WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts), or, he could study something else that he's passionate about and make a pact with himself to learn the ins and outs of music production in his spare time.

In particular, Kallan explains that he has drawn a lot of inspiration from rap and hip-hop production, "listening to hip hop was big for me - and different - since i grew up listening to mostly blues and rock. When i first listened to Nas' Illmatic, which has this incredible production by DJ premier among others, it blew my mind as far as how music can be made."

Kallan describes what he creates as lo-fi soul, "In the early 2000's there was a movement towarsd Neo-Soul, which sprang out of soul music being mixed with hip hop influences and production styles. I take a lot from that but the difference is that neo-soul was often produced in collaboration with lots of different musicians working on it whereas my process is really a solo effort."

The music Kallan produces not only draws its roots from hip hop and soul, but also from the energetic music of the American South which he experienced first hand while traveling through the states.

"I was lucky enough to go to the USA and to get to visit cities like New Orleans, Chicago, Nashville and Memphis, all these great musical places. I spent a weekend in New Orleans hanging out on Frenchman Street where they have nine or ten different jazz clubs with no cover - you just walk in there - and the music and the atmosphere is incredible," explains Kallan. "One of the people i saw there was this guy who had just come out of rehab the day before, he got on stage and said 'This is my first gig in four months, we just decided to get the band back together today' and preceded to walk around the bar playing the trombone while the band grooved out in this tiny little corner for the bar. I fell in love with the city that night."

It hasn't been an entirely easy progression; Kallan explains "It's kind of been a long four year process. When i first started i'd get to a point where i thought what i was making was really good, but looking back now i just see it as decidedly average material. It's a process of constant self-improvement through long periods of criticism and revision."

"The other thing is actually finding something to write about, to have a decent voice as an artist you've got to have something you need to share. Traveling overseas helped me give context to what my life was in Australia. It helped me see it from a distance and really understand who i was and what it is i'm passionate about."

Working entirely as a solo artist, Kallan has been writing, producing and even promoting his music. "I think that's probably the hardest part of it all, the self-promotion side of things, 'cos you kind of have to go up to people and say 'hey, you should listen to my music or come to my gig... I'm really good."

If you'd like to listen to Kallan's music check him out at http://kallanphillips.bandcamp.com/ or keep an eye on his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KallanPhillips for updates on his debut EP and live performance dates. - Metior (Murdoch Empire Telegraph & Indian Ocean Review)


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

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Bio

In late 2012, Kallan Phillips travelled to the United States and lived in North Carolina for a period of time. Whilst journeying through the country, Kallan fell in love with the music of cities like Memphis, New Orleans and Chicago. He also fell in love with an American. When he had to leave, Kallan's experiences helped him to develop his debut single Never Knew You,  and with it the Lo-Fi soul sound he would pursue. 

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