French producer Phil Weeks is one of our favourites here at the Labs and every new release is greeted with open arms. His “P’s Theme” track from last year was a firm fixture in pretty much every set we played and continues to be so.
His Robsoul imprint has a faultless back catalogue of quality house going back to 2000 and his live and DJ sets are always memorable. We managed to catch up with the Parisian to ask about 10 tracks that influenced him as a producer and helped to shape his sound.
Read on below to find out more and while you’re reading, get your ears around the fifth release on the PW white label series, released at the end of March.
If you’re in Glasgow you can catch him in action at Saint Judes on March 29th.
Under The Influence with Phil Weeks
S Express – Theme from S Express
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Sampling culture on its way, was crazy about it when I was a kid but later on I really understood the sickness of it, a big inspiration (check the Uprock3000 record, I did a remix of it).
Public Enemy – Fear Of A Black Planet
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I bought the tape on my first trip to London with my school. That was in 1990. Big revelation for me, it totally opened my eyes to US Hip Hop culture.
Gang Starr – Step In The Arena
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DJ Premier’s beats and sound is the BOMB (MPC60+S950) & Guru’s (RIP) flow was next level. I was listening to it at school when it came out, non-stop bumping on my walkman.
Romanthony – Let Me Show You Love
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If I have to chose one record in my vinyl collection, it would be this one – the blue one on Azuli. I’m talking about the Quick Dub. It was like a huge slap first time I heard it and I was chasing it for years (which was way harder before the internet revolution). I finally found it brand new at a friend’s shop (DJ Linus) in Munich.
Daft Punk – Homework
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With this album I understood that I would dedicate my life to house music. Everything is in there – TR909, TB303, 12 bit sound (SP1200), dope samples and maximum creativity. Next level shit.
Mood II Swing – Do It Your Way
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I love almost every John Ciafone production, mostly Mood II Swing DUB. This one is again a perfect example of the magic loop.
Submission – Women Beat Their Men (Cevin Fisher Peak Hour Dub)
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This shows how using only a simple sample loop with a nice grain you can totally blow people’s mind. Myself included. This is very close to my vibe.
DJ Rasoul – Soul Searching (all volumes)
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I got to say he’s (Guy Nado) in my top 3 biggest inspirations (if not the biggest) when we talk about house music. This man is a genius even if he’s a little less active these days.
Derrick Carter – A Hope (Over U)
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Another record (and producer) that inspired me a lot. I’ve listened to this record over and over and now been lucky enough to remix it for Derrick. Very proud – more info soon.
Pete Rock – PeteStrumentals
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I’m still bumping this in my car at the moment and every day I have a new favorite song on it. Full of soul. Amazing.
J Dilla – Donuts
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More recently a very huge inspiration on my way of working. Flipping samples at its best, musical culture and big creativity. I’ve personally sampled few things on there to make some house beats.
