Life On Planets: believe in yourself and the rest will come

Radio Intense is happy to present to you our next guest - Life On Planets!

Life On Planets is the solo project of singer/guitarist Phill Celeste. Melding hip-hop, R&B, soul and house in his original productions, the artist's eclectic style has taken him from the streets of Baltimore to cities the world over. Releases on Wolf + Lamb, Soul Clap, Double Standard and a myriad of other esteemed labels have propelled him into the global spotlight, whilst performances across the US, Europe and beyond continue to bring his sound to worldwide audiences

Life On Planets lands on Palm Recs for the first time this September with Stay/Real High Key. Stay remixes will follow the release in October and November, courtesy of Demuja and DJ Holographic.

We talked to the talent about his artistic project and new release. Read it now!
— Hello Phill! A pleasure to have you with us today! How are you doing and whereabouts are you based right now?
— Ayeee! Thanks for having me. I'm based in Miami right now, but I've been a nomad these last few months. Can't wait to get back and settle into the crib.
— How has the music scene been where you are given the effects of the pandemic over the last 20 months?
— Miami has stayed relatively strong. A lot of people are vaccinated and there are lots of shows outside. I've been lucky to be able to see the homies and some legends alike playing out down here.
— We are very pleased to be chatting with you around the release of 'Stay / Real High Key', marking your debut on the recently launched London based label Palm Recs. Great vibes across both tracks on this release! We'd love to hear a bit about the making of this release and the ideas behind it?
— I was going through a period of deeper listening to classic Funk and Rnb groups like Cameo and The Gap Band. Stay is a product of that, attempting to put a modern thump to those tight arrangements. Real High Key is a song where I asked myself, "What would life be like if I had everything I wanted?" It led me down a path of palaces, reclusion, and control over my circumstances.
— As a multi-talented artist who sings, produces, plays instruments and more, we would love to hear about how you first got into music? Where did it all begin for you and how did it lead to where you are today?
— When I was a kid I loved listening to the local jazz station. It was my dream to play sax. Once my folks got me one, my Dad started introducing me to different artists like Coltrane and Miles Davis. I really loved complex arrangements, time signature changes and lots of energy so that took me into all kinds of stuff like math rock, emo, funk and experimental music. As time went on, I sought to rein in all my influences to communicate better with other artists and to tell stories to people. I was having fun playing in bands and then I met a producer who showed me house music. It was what I had been chasing, energy but in a balanced sort of way. I discovered that you can have faster bpms but with deeper sounds and tell stories without having to stop dancing.
— We would love to hear about some of the music that has influenced you the most through your life?
— Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Slave, P Funk, Jimmi Hendrix, Django Reinhardt, and some emo bands I'm too embarrassed to mention :D
— Can you tell us a bit about your creative process when it comes to making music?
— It fluctuates. Sometimes its a beat, sometimes a melody. Other times, I take two songs I really like and try to mash them together. I've tried going with a concept first and seeing how things fall, writing about art and abstraction, inventing my own fairy tales. I've found that I can't really milk one approach. I mostly work in the box, in Ableton Live, using virtual drums, synths and samples. Then I'll add my voice and some guitar, usually sampling myself and building on top of that.
— Your Life on Planets TV project is full of great energy! For our readers who may not be familiar with it, can you tell us a bit about that?
— Cheers! I was very blessed to partner with Twitch during the pandemic and start streaming. I had been playing DJ sets twice a week, performing live, doing a talk show and producing live. It was really amazing to hang and still be able to share music with the world. I can't thank my manager Jon and Twitch enough for the opportunity! Now that the world is more or less open I'll continue producing and doing hybrid sets on Twitch and playing out a bit more often.
— Thank you very much for chatting with us today Phill. Congrats on the latest release and we wish you all the best going forward. To round off today, is there anything else to come from yourself that you would like to share with us?
— Thank you! It's these interviews that really make you look back and realize how far you've come. When I started out as a "serious musician" I had no plan, just dreaming of being picked by someone or something. I played on the street! I would just like to say to the readers, believe in yourself and the rest will come. <3