Artist Spotlight: Phlake
Coming off of their recent release and the first leg of their European tour, The Pit London’s Brice asks Phlake if they really are Phine. The Danish duo combined their love of R&B, soul and their musical experience to develop this latest chapter in their creative endeavors. The album weaves its way through these inspirations, paying each a visit and tipping their hats as they pass by. The upbeat tones soothe and stimulate, perfectly coinciding with silky vocals that swell around the rising and falling chords. The chemistry between the two has deepened over time leading to an evolution in their trust for one another that translates to the variety and depth of the music that we hear, which is truly a treasure to behold.
What do you feel like Phine says about this next chapter in your journey as musicians and artists?
Jonathon: Feel like we allowed ourselves to explore the downsides as well as the upsides of life. And most important everything in between. Not just the flashy 2% you show on social media but also the rest of what makes you a human being. Different shades of phine if you may.
The ‘Ph’ that replaces the ‘F’ in your artist name and the album title is distinctive, what’s the inspiration behind this?
Mads: It was hard for us to find a name for the project - I think we had been making music together for almost 4 years before we had to come up with something. And after many suggestions we liked the sound and the shortness the word “flake” had to it. We thought it looked good and it made the word unique. our own. So adding a ph to stuff has now become sort of a trademark slash part of our social media lingo.
Jonathon: We like to think that the “phlake” is sort of a platform where our different personalities meet and become a common third. A common phlakey ground where both of us are out of our comfort zone. And out of the comfort zone is where the magic tends to happen.
Talk us through the development and creative process behind the album. What did you learn about yourself along the way and what’s something that you’ll take into your work moving forward?
Mads: We are surrounded by a huge musical capacity in our live band and late in the process of making this album we discovered how to use that in the creative process. Something we will definitely use going forward.
Jonathon: Lyrics don't have to be complicated. Simple is good and also way easier to remember when you perform live hahaha.
Gimme The Keys is a beautiful way to end the album as it shows the depths of your production capabilities and pays homage to R&B as a genre as a whole. How did you choose it to close out the body of work?
Jonathon: Good question. Guess it just felt like the last song on the album and like someone waving goodbye. And with the post hook saying “still incomplete transforming” it seemed like a comment that wrapped up a lot of the topics on the album pretty well. And the soprano solo in the end… It just felt like we could stay in that vibe forever. And we hope that people who listen to the song feel the same way.
What do you love most about working with one another and how does your relationship fuel the final outcome?
Jonathon: We are quite different in both personalities and our craft. We complement each other well. What one does good the other doesn’t and vice versa. In the beginning of our collaboration, that led to a lot of friction, and I think you can hear that on our first album. Every choice made on that album was life or death. Now it’s a bit more fun, and we learned that if something means a lot to the other person, we gotta respect that. Guess we found a way to make the process a bit more easy and at the same time maintain the passion and importance of the music.
What compelled the whistling solo on Get It?
Mads: It just happened and it felt really good when I did it. So we just kept it in the song. I think I had been trying to find a song that I could whistle on for a while, but it never really made sense until we made Get It. And I have always whistled since I can remember. I learned it from my granddad. He ALWAYS whistled, and would join in.
What would you say to the 2015 versions of yourselves and to young artists just setting out on their creative endeavors?
Jonathon: Everything that makes you odd and weird. That's also what makes you original. So find a way to make that work in your artistry. If you run away from that you’re just gonna sound like everyone else. So embrace that quirkiness.