Phil Asher- Restless Soul Productions
Profile
OK - where to start? Here's a brief biography of all the bits of my life chucked into one. Introductions first. I've made over eighty of my own productions, and tampered with countless other tracks in a remix guise. Delirium was my first gig at Delirium (London's first house club) in 1991 - which basically consisted of me slipping on a record when Noel Watson went to the toilet - to more recent gigs at Garage City, Off Centre, Angels of Love and Ministry of Sound, I've played pretty much everywhere.
I've been surrounded by music and vinyl from an early age; my Dad worked in a record store, bringing home all the latest releases to me. Enterprisingly, I would slyly slip them into my schoolbag and take them to school, subsequently selling them to my friends.
When anything came out, my Dad would bring it back to me: I had the first Specials record, the first Electric Light Orchestra record... He'd also bring me little boxes of returns and stuff. We'd sell them at school fairs. All the other kids would be doing Bob the Apple, and we'd be getting these twenty seven year old punks coming up from the Kings Road for Clash box sets for twenty quid a go. We knew what was going on...! This grew up with me, and I went on to work in Quaff Records and Vinyl Solution, two of London's finest record stores.
Don't ask me what I play - I hate pigeonholing. At our club on a Friday night (The Notting Hill Arts Club that I do with Patrick Forge), I play jazz, latin, all the classics, a bit of disco and funk. Saturday nights are more cutting-edge house music. I play music from every category as long as it's good. Quality timeless music with big production.
I work with Luke McCarthy as the Restless Soul production team, which also incorporates producers Modaji, (Laws of Motion Records) Taxi Driver, (Estereo Records), and Roy the Roach, Aaron Ross and Felix Hopkins (also my trusty engineer). He also produces under various aliases including Basic Soul and Electric Soul with Luke McCarthy, Woolph, Phoojun [alongside Nathan Haines], and 12-bit Rephugees with Mark de Clive-Lowe.
I'm part of the West London brokenbeat scene which has been receiving serious critical acclaim of late...I'm a founding member of the CO-OP club alongside Dego, I.G Culture and Demus. This enables us to represent and promote the West London sound worldwide.
Last year I produced a live-based jazz album for Chillifunk Records with saxophonist Nathan Haines, and I've recently finished producing my second album, which will appear on the French label Versatile records. --http://www.trustthedj.com/PhilAsher/bio.php?djid=2059 [Jul 2004]
Profile
One of the unsung heroes of British House, but by no means an underachiever, Phil Asher has been on the international DJing circuit for more than a decade.
A well respected producer as well as DJ, Phil has completed well in excess of 80 of his own productions, as well as innumerable remixes, all of which receiving high critical acclaim. From his first gig at London's first House club Delirium in 1991 (slipping on a record when Noel Watson went to the toilet) to more recent gigs at Garage City, Off Centre at 333, and Ministry of Sound in London and Angels of Love in Italy, Phil has played the length and breadth of the UK, as well as much of Europe. Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, France, Brazil, the Côte D'azur, Japan, New- Zealand and Australia will all bare testament to Phil's prowess behind the turntables.
Surrounded by music and records from an early age; his Dad worked in a record chain-store, bringing home all the latest releases to a young and eager Phil, who, unbeknownst to his Father, would take them to school and sell them to his friends. Says Phil "...when anything came out, my Dad would bring it back to me: I had the first Specials record, the first Electric Light Orchestra record... He'd also bring me little boxes of returns and stuff. We'd sell them at school fairs. All the other kids would be doing Bob the Apple, and we'd be getting these twenty seven year old punks coming up from the Kings Road for Clash box sets at twenty quid a go. We knew what was going on...'. This entrepreneurial spirit saw Phil going on to work in Quaff Records and Vinyl Solution, two of London's finest record stores, instrumental in pushing quality House and Garage to London.
When asked, Phil is always reluctant to say what it is he actually plays: 'At our club on a Friday night (The Notting Hill Arts Club with Patrick Forge), I play Jazz, Latin, Classics, Disco and Funk; Saturday nights are cutting edge house music, and Sunday nights I do my show with 4 Hero and Kirk DeGiorgio - R-Solution from 2am through 4am on Kiss FM spinning across the board: hip hop, house, soul, funk, cutting edge new producers, garage, whatever really. I play music from every category as long as it's good. Quality timeless music with big productions...'
Along with Luke McCarthy, Phil is the founding member of the restless soul Production Team, which also incorporates producers Modaji, (Laws of Motion Records) Taxi Driver, (Estereo Records), and Roy Marsh. He also produces under various aliases, which include Basic Soul and Electric Soul with ex-partner Luke McCarthy, Woolph, Phoojun alongside Nathan Haines, and 12-bit Rephugees with Mark de Clive-Lowe. He has just finished producing a live-based jazz album for Chillifunk Records with saxophonist Nathan Haines and is currently producing a more electronic based album for Versatile records out of France.
2004, Jul 18; 11:00 :::: Phil Asher
Chilli Funk Versus Phil Asher (2004) - Various Artists [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
1. East West Connection Feat Sandy Mill – We’re Movin On 2. Notenshun - Unfinished Business 3. Nathan Haines Feat Lyric L - Doot Dude (Ashley Beedle Buff Boys Vocal) 4. Vaceo - Many Nights 5. Gianluca Pighi – Trumpeetha 6. T Kolai - Zouk (Restless Soul Peaktime Mix) 7. T Kolai - Zouk (Restless Soul Peaktime Dub) 8. The Interns – Soulfood 9. Dino & Terry feat L.M.A - Summertime Blues 10. Nathan Haines feat Marlena Shaw - Squire For Hire 11. The Interns feat Snowboy - It's About Time 12. Jody Watley - Photographs (Restless Soul Remix) 13. Nathan Haines - Right By Your Side
Kicking off the party for 2004 the UK'S champions of soulful sounds Chillifunk Records lockdown with Restless Soul's top jock Phil Asher for a head to head sound clash featuring a classy platter of golden nuggets from the Chillifunk repertoire. This wonderful album showcases some of Chillifunk's key releases to date.