Phil Kieran has been in the upper echelons of the electronic music game for more than a
decade. Phil is known for rocking clubs and releasing strings of killer twelves, Belfast-
based Phil hooked up with German powerhouse Sven Väth’s Cocoon. His album SHH, a
groundbreaking piece of work, gained Phil plaudits across the board.
Listen carefully to Kieran’s productions and you can detect elements of dub reggae, old
hardcore like LFO, hip-hop, early 90s electronica such as Autechre/Black Dog and other
Warp staples, as well as the futuristic techno that Phil excels in.
Phil has synthesized his myriad of influences into one radically beautiful whole: blissed-
out vocal samples, space age electro, cavernous bleeps, fizzy technoid 4/4 beats,
glistening glitches, crackers crackles, early R&S sounds, warm keys, acerbic bassline
undertows, dense echoes, Orbital cinematics and randy robotics all feature. This style is
also the blueprint for his own inprint Phil Kieran Recordings.
Cutting his clubbing teeth at Shine in Belfast, Phil now has over 100 dancefloor releases
to his name on quality labels like Skint, Soma, Electric Deluxe Cocoon and NovaMute,
and is widely respected throughout the industry among the technoscenti. He’s involved
himself in movie scoring, creating the soundtrack for Steven Soderbergh film The
Girlfriend Experience with fellow Irish compatriot David Holmes. To exorcise some
demons a few years ago he created a live techno punk band Alloy Mental, variously
melding Joy Division basslines onto pummeling punky T.Raumschmiere-style technoid
power-drivers. He also has an impeccable DJ reputation that’s won him a top 20 placing
in DJ magazine’s global 100 DJs poll, plus regular features and reviews in all the major
magazines is a guarantee to promoters that he’ll inevitably rock the joint to its
foundations.
Phil has recently released on Cocoon, Snork Enterprises, Electric Deluxe and Gigolo.
He has also found the time to program his own imprint Phil Kieran Recordings, which
launched with the re-release of his immortal dancefloor destroyer ‘Skyhook’. For this
release Phil drafted in some of his friends to do remixes and featured artists including
Adam Beyer, Jesper Dahlback, Scuba, SCB, Ricardo Tobar and Green Velvet.
Second release Carrousel featured Wesley Matsell and Egbert, releases are scheduled all
the way up to the labels 10th release with a compilation best of coming soon. He has also
completed a remix on MUTE records for Depeche Mode.
Phil has also tentatively started work on his Second Studio Album as yet untitled, one of
the first tracks completed includes a collab with Peter Hook of Joy Division fame. In the
meantime his rework of a Gary Numan’s classic ‘I cant stop’ has been released on his
own inprint and Phil has continued to put out quality Techno with the new dancefloor destroyer and top seller Free Yourself with his long time friend Green Velvet. His
recent re-release of Juicy has hit the top ten again on the Beatport techno charts. The
second collab single with Green Velvet ‘Michael Jackson’ will be out before the end of
the year
Phil is happy to have joined Jochem Paap’s Electric Deluxe with his label debut empty
vessels being one of the highest selling releases of 2010/11, his new project Workshops
with Speedy J has had its first release with Workshops Vol1. The idea behind it is to
explore the recording techniques used in the middle of the 20th century and dating right
back to the mid 1950's. Famous places like the BBC workshops in England and the
Philips Lab set up in Holland which saw some of the most innovative production
techniques, experimenting with the first use of stereo, modular synths and reels of tape.
The end result was always something space age and promising futuristic and still to this
day sounding crisp and exciting.
Phil Kieran and Jochem Paap have decided to use this as inspiration to effortlessly
accomplish an innovative mix of old ideas with new. Collaboration and exploration is the
key here and it doesn’t stop with workshops, Kieran is also working on new material with
Peter Hook (Joy Division), Ben Klock, Xhin, Boxcutter, Green Velvet and many many
more.
Phil Kieran has been a busy man since his last visit to Australia, making and producing
so much music that it’ll be hard to fit it into a single set. With the promise of so many
new tunes why would you want to miss it? Make sure you check out Phil Kieran on this
Australian tour.
Tour Dates
Friday, November 25, 2011 Strawberry Fields Festival @ Strawberry Fields Victoria
Saturday, November 26, 2011 Bar Soma, Brisbane QLD
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 TBA, New Caledonia NSW
Saturday, December 3, 2011 Subsonic Festival NSW
Contacts
CRIMSON COMMUNICATIONS
Joselyn Brown www.crimson-communications.com
E: joselyn@crimson-communications.com
T::+61(0)431682675