Yaow peeps, your attention please, as we welcome a guy to be considered as a serious contender in the weeks to come with the imminent release of his debut LP on German label GoGo Music. As a matter of fact, his name (Phil Kullmann) and the one of his band (RAW ARTISTIC SOUL) should aptly speak for themselves for those of you, hot on the footsteps of their 2 recent EP’s iincl. former IDMW.Com Single Of The Week ‘Pa El Bembe’.

In other words and to make this short, if being Afro Latin headz, dis dope is maaaad !

Servus Phil, wie geht’s ?

Hi, I’m doing fine. Thank you…

So not content with having your debut 12" as our Single Of The

Week, you´re now the proud nominated for our Album Of The Month.

Thanks a lot ! I take it as a great honour…

Tell us about your environment, your background, what you’ve done so far…

I early started playing drums and electric bass. Later, I switched over to percussion and started producing music in 1997. In 2002, I built up a new studio in Cologne and started my own project : RAW ARTISTIC SOUL.

No question that my focus lies on my production work, but I still love to perform percussion on stage. I just returned from two tours - with German artist Max Herre and the band Die Fantastischen Vier.

Quite hard to understand such directions on your album having you being based in Germany. I mean do you really have in mind the fact that youre pretty much different from what were used to get from the German scene musicwise ?

Well it’s just the way I do. The way I learn, understand and express music has nothing to do with a certain country. Music is and will always be an international language. I’m really digging music from its cultural roots and try to understand  the people and their traditions. If you are open minded not just to learn the words, but to understand where a meaning comes from you will be able to feel the musical language, whereever a word and a meaning are coming from.

It’s easy to feel flavours from Africa, the West Indies, Latin

American music and Spain. Looks like you have a wide and clear view about what’s coming from there. Have you been there ?

Except of the West Indies, yes. My parents have lived in South Africa for fifteen years, so this place was the first where I got in touch with new and exciting elements of music from mother Africa. I think it’s very important to experience a country, to talk to the people, to feel the atmosphere, if you want more than just an adaption of a musical style.

Who are the main people whove influenced you ?

Personally my parents, always supporting me and my visions. Musically there are a lot of influences. I listen to a lot of jazz, latin, african, funk and soul music from the early days. I would not say that my music is influenced by one or another musician. What really inspires me is the development and the expression of a musical form, based on people and their culture.

Listening to this jewel, it looks like you have a positive state of

mind if not festive. Any comment ?

Thanks for the "Jewel" appreciation ! Yeah, I always try to be and think positive. The people and musicians I worked with on this album are really good friends of mine. RAW ARTISTIC SOUL is like a big family, because there is a wonderful musical and personal understanding and I think this comes through when you listen to this music. 

How many people have been involved on this project at the end of the day and what’s been your work?

24 musicians have been involved on this album. My work is composing, recording, editing, arranging and mixing the tunes. I’m programming a lot, playing bass, percussion and keys. At this time I want to mention all musicians and vocalists who worked with me on this album: Mirta Junco Wambrug: Vocals (Cuba), Blain Paulos: Vocals (Ethiopia), Laygwan Sharkie: Vocals (Zimbabwe), Edisney Portales Vega: Vocals (Cuba), Khafrede: Vocals (Zambia), Metaphysics: Vocals (Zimbabwe), Rafael Cortés: Flamenco Guitar (Spain), Domingo Patricio: Flute (Spain), Christoph Eidens: Vibes (Germany), Michael “Nivalito” Ehnes: Rhodes / Keyboards (Germany), BIMA: Steeldrum (Germany), Bojan Vuletic: Guitar (Yugoslavia), Hanno Busch: Guitar (Germany), Nico Brandenburg: Bass (Germany), Michel Martinez Valdes: Backing Vocals (Cuba), Christian Fehre: Percussion (Germany), Jens Kerkhoff: Percussion (Germany), Pape Samory Seck: Afro Percussion (Senegal), Alfonso Poncho Valdes: Percussion (Chile), Tobias Kremer: Tenor & Baritone Saxophone (Germany), Christoph Titz: Trumpet / Flugel Horn (Germany), Michael Theissing-Tegeler: Trombone (Germany).

What have been the different steps to put shape to this album ?

It all starts with the beat. I’m programming the drums and percussion to have a nice flow first. Of course, in the very beginning, there can be some guitar chords or a vocal line for example that inspire me. On phase two, I work a lot with my keyboarder Michael "Nivalito" Ehnes, who brings my melodic and harmonic ideas in a certain direction. Then I decide what kind of instruments I need for this tune and bring the family and the featured artists together. I do all engineering, editing and mixing by myself. Later I arrange, play and program a lot of small  things which makes the music more lively. I think the listener doesn’t really know what’s programmed or played, even my musicians later don’t!

What’s your initial purpose ? Perspective ?

It’s very simple. I want to create and present my music to the people out there listening and making music. Sharing the joy of life.

Has it been kind of hard and have you got the feeling that you’ve

managed to do whatever you wanted to do on the construction of this album ?

It’s not always easy to produce an album like this. It needs a lot of time, you need a good concept, good songs and a lot of great musicians, then you have to coordinate, record and bring it all together.

Well, everybody involved in this album did more than just a great job and  I’m very proud to present this shining  piece of work with all my love and effort I put into it.

With Ralf Gum and GoGo Music, I’ve found a partner who understands my music like I feel it. And these are the two most important things: first to find musicians who share the same spirit and musicianship and second to find a guy like Ralf, who loves good music too and pushes it out ! Thanks to all that made this possible !

If I’m telling you that you’ve got the elements to (say) compete

with Dennis Ferrer and even Masters At Work, how do you react ?

A lot of respect goes out to this guys, they do something great for a long time now. I don’t think it’s about to compete with them, but just about trying to make good music. I think I have similar visions of producing and bringing music to the people.

Do you DJ as well ?

Nope.

Any live scheduled already ?

We have some gigs in Germany, and I hope that we do an album release tour in autumn 2005.

Already an idea about the follow up to this project ?

There will be a new 12", with remixes of "What About Love"  by S.U.M.O., the original version and "Felipes Dubstyle" too. I am already working on the new RAS album, collecting ideas, beats and think about new singers and features. The new tunes will be more soulful. I will also work with a real string orchestra for the new album. At the moment I work again with Rafael Cortés, the flamenco virtuoso.

Some other concepts/projects in mind ?

I’ve produced the album from Laygwan Sharkie, the singer who did "Kana" on my second 12" release on GOGO Music. It is a mixture of African elements and roots reggae. It’s called "True Khoisan, Mysteries Of The Forbidden Flow". And of course  I’m working out the concept for the RAS live performance.

The next step for you.

Producing new tracks, playing as a percussionist on a lot of festivals this summer and relaxing in the sun.

Congrats again and thank you for providing us with this hi quality

standard music of yours.

Thank you for supporting me and RAW ARTISTIC SOUL. Thanks a lot to Ralf GUM at GoGo Music, Christian Kessler, the whole RAW ARTISTIC SOUL Family, my parents, So Sue, Nicolas Montano Goertz  and all peolple out there, making this wonderful project getting started !

RAW ARTISTIC SOUL What About Love LP (GoGo Music)

More info : gogo-music.net / rawartistic.org