Interviews

Philippa enters this new chapter with the confidence of an artist who has spent years shaping dancefloors and refining her craft. Panther Cuts isn’t just a label launch — it’s a declaration of creative autonomy, a space where her deep musicality and club-driven instincts can coexist on her own terms. With Volume One, she opens the door on a faster, freer release rhythm and a renewed sense of artistic momentum.

Panther Cuts is a brand-new chapter for you. What sparked the idea for launching your own label

This isn't my first self-releasing project — the first was At Peace, which I launched in 2019, and off the back of that project I got signed to Freerange and SlothBoogie. This time it's coming from the other side of releasing on bigger labels. I guess it's about having more agency in terms of release schedules, direct communication with mastering engineers, etc. It's also rewarding to come up with a concept and develop it yourself.

Volume One opens with -Second Nature”. What was the creative impulse behind that track

I was looking to make something I'd genuinely play to a full dancefloor. I make a lot of deeper, more musical tracks, but I also play a lot of peak-time sets as a DJ, so I was trying to bridge that gap.

The second track, “Motion State”, brings in vocalist and producer Séna. How did that collaboration come together

Séna is actually an ex-student of mine at Catalyst — Institute of Creative Arts and Technology in Berlin. She’s a wicked vocalist with serious jazz-intonation chops, and I knew she’d nail it. She also sang on Cloud Walking from the Local Talk / GAMM EP.

Your work has always balanced musical depth with dancefloor clarity. How does Panther Cuts reflect where you are creatively right now

Panther Cuts is built around a quicker release schedule — two tracks rather than four, more constant output, one track for the dancefloor and one deeper track. I’m in a period where I’m writing a lot of music, and Panther Cuts helps some of that see the light of day. For example, I’m currently working on an album for a publisher, and over the last year I’ve been putting out a track a month under a Bandcamp-only series called Quiet Fire. Neither of those things is going to have broad recognition, so Panther Cuts is about having some music out in the public and DJ domains.

You’ve been part of Berlin’s club culture for over a decade. How has the city shaped your sound

Obviously Berlin is an incredible city when it comes to techno, so living here I’ve grown an appreciation for techno — but beyond that, electronic music in general. The depth and breadth of electronic music here is astounding, from avant-garde electronic sound art to the roots of the city’s techno scene with artists like Maurizio / Basic Channel. It’s a very inspiring city in terms of what you interact with daily. I’d also say there’s a very particular German audio-engineering style — Germany has a sound, like the UK has a sound, or the US. It’s a very well-balanced, solid mix aesthetic. Broadly speaking, German mixes sound excellent, and I find that inspiring.

You’ve played major rooms like Panorama Bar and Glitterbox Ibiza. How have those experiences fed into your studio work

Less than people might expect — my work is self-expressive rather than reflective of environments. I’m rarely writing music that is purely functional, and honestly the most inspiring moments as a DJ often come from gigs that are not the big flashy ones. I’m appreciative of the privilege involved in playing those rooms — and very honoured to have done so — but my music production comes from inner states.

You also teach at Catalyst Berlin and hold a Master’s degree in Creative Music Production. How does your academic work influence your artistic practice

It’s a huge topic, but in short I’d say the two feed each other in that I spend all week, every week, working in the realm of music — thinking about it, reading about it, researching, teaching, developing, and making music. It’s bloody great — I feel very fortunate to live the life I do.

What can we expect from future volumes of Panther Cuts

I’m enjoying the format, so the plan is simply to keep writing and releasing music through Panther Cuts alongside my other projects.

Thanks for the chat, Dream Chimney!

Check out the latest release from Philippa.