Philly Moves

Philly Moves: I think that our “it” factor is familiarity. On the one hand, we are really identifiable dudes. We don’t have Bieber hair or “Situation” six packs. We like music and beer and our moms cooking. We’re both broke (too much of the time) and we’ve both been dumped and cried about it (in a really manly way).

We’re just regular guys, talking about regular things. We have both lived life to the fullest in our relatively young 26 years and as such our music is very easy to relate too for a wide variety of people from all walks of life, we don't leave anyone out!

On the other hand, our sound is also familiar. It has an old school flavor that reminds you of growing up. It has sentimental value. The soundscape we generate reminds you of block parties, swimming pools, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and the first hip hop album you copped.

Isaac: Why should music fans listen to your music? Describe what they are going to get when they listen to your music?

Philly Moves: They’ll get an orgasm, that’s what they’ll get. No, just joking… maybe? Quite basically, it’s an old school sound with charismatic content, but what each listener gets from it is their prerogative. We make it and they interpret it. That’s the way the penny drops.

Isaac: Briefly describe your humble beginnings that led you to where you are at musically now.

Philly Moves: Well we were both essentially raised by our moms, Tynan never met his father and grew up in a single parent home, him and his mother were never well-off and moved around a lot but he never wanted for anything, poverty might have been where they were but it was never how they felt. Jon's parents were divorced at a young age, although he has always remained very close to his father and he is and was always very involved in his life. 

Philly Moves

Their upbringings were similar in that the most important person in their formative years was a very strong mother. How these experiences shaped their music is not something that can be easily quantified or measured, better left to be interpreted by the masses!

Isaac: You have some strong iconic influences. Of these influences, which artist/band do you relate to the most and why?

Philly Moves: Philly Moves is heavily influenced by a number of early and current hip-hop artists, but it is hard to decide who we most relate with on a personal level without having met them. Musically, I think we are very similar to Gangstarr, not only because of our MC/producer dynamic but in the message behind our music and in the way we present ourselves; never trying to be something we're not and stressing the importance of honest and fun hip-hop.

Isaac: Do you feel that Indie music gets the respect it deserves? Why or why not?

Philly Moves: I definitely think that Indie music gets a lot of respect. Canada, especially, put indie music on the map. People realize that Indie music, is music for the people by the people and they respect that. However, a lot of the times people don’t know where to look to find fresh indie music in their region. We need to work on furthering our visibility and then Indie music will, really get the heat it deserves.

Isaac: If you could change one thing about the music business, what would it be and why?

Philly Moves: I would change the lack of lyrical responsibility. I understand that sometimes, in order to keep that flow, you need to rhyme nothing with nothing, but really though, some rappers spit anything just to say that they’re producing. It worries me that hip-hop artists can release a thousand songs a year, most of them complete BS and still sell millions of records.

Wouldn't you rather release 10 really good songs? Making music is like having a good conversation. If someone is just saying nonsense at you and a series of phonetic sounds – it’s not interesting. In fact, you wonder if that person’s all there. There’s a lot to be said for maintaining a narrative or not losing sight of the subject at hand. It’s about demonstrating maturity and a certain amount of artistry. I’m not saying every song has to be a lyrical masterpiece but it seems like the majority of hip-hop artists these days are LAZY, recycling rhymes, song concepts and beats or just simply not trying!

Isaac: What type of feedbacks have you been receiving about your music from fans and music critics?

Philly Moves: The vast majority of feedback we have received has been very positive. Most critics, listeners and other artists agree that our music manages to get a message across without alienating people. Philly Moves straddles the line of mainstream and underground with ease; catchy and fun without seeming poppy and hollow. Also, it is unanimous that our music is heavily influenced by the "golden age" of hip-hop in the mid 90's, our sound brings one back to those days without seeming redundant.

Isaac: If you knew that you would never gain fame and fortune with what you are doing now, would you continue to make music? Explain.

Philly Moves: Yes definitely, we have no false assumptions of grandeur. The type of music we make is making a comeback and if "boom-bap" or "golden age" hip-hop ever does creep back into the mainstream we feel we are at the forefront. That being said, if we remain on the outside looking in, music will always be our passion; when or if we are able to make a living from it, awesome, but if not its not like we will just quit. 

Philly Moves will always have OUR sound, but that sound will grow and change as we do the same, to stay stuck in one particular rut is stupid from a business standpoint but also boring from a musical standpoint. As well, we are both involved in a variety of musical side-projects aside from Philly Moves and regardless of how successful we become as far as making music goes, being involved in music is a life-long commitment!

Isaac: How do you handle negative feedback or negative energy about your music?

Philly Moves: No one likes to hear that they, or their product, suck. Try as you might to separate yourself from the music you make, it’s always a reflection of you. So when cats come at you with negativity sometimes it stings, but then you look for the constructive inside their criticism and you apply it to your next track.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to please everyone, as we get more successful and acquire more fans we also find more haters popping out of the wood-work. It hurts every time, in fact attacking our music is even more painful than a personal attack, but it gets easier to cope with as we experience it more.

Isaac: What role do your family and friends play in the equation of your pursuant of a music career?

Philly Moves: We are both very blessed to be surrounded by supportive friends and family. They can see that what we are putting out is an honest reflection of ourselves and as such they respect what we are doing. Having a support group behind us is what drives us every day to succeed; we are trying to show them that their belief in us and our music is not unfounded.

Isaac: What is the best site/s that you can be found on the Internet?

Philly Moves:

http://www.philly-moves.com  

http://www.reverbnation.com/phillymoves

http://www.youtube.com/613tragic

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philly-Moves/74500366810

Isaac: The floor is yours; final words…..

Philly Moves: Philly Moves' mission statement is simple...we want you to dance, smile and think! We love to hear from fans, artists, promoters, anyone in the business who wants to work with us towards our goal, hip-hop is supposed to be about community and we love to build relationships so don't be shy! Hollar at us!