Malian music, hip-hop, cumbia, and R&B collide in a mix from one of Madison’s most seasoned DJs.
Photo by Katie Lowden Bahr
Philip Murray, aka DJ Phil Money, began his career as a DJ in his native Long Island in the late 1980s, spinning at house parties and eventually graduating to clubs in New York City. During his time there, and a later stint in Atlanta, he built up a pretty staggering command of R&B, jazz, hip-hop, house music, South Asian music, and West African music. Since he’s been living in Madison, that breadth has made him a local DJ treasure, and enables him to adapt to a variety of settings and moods at downtown venues like Maduro (where he plays April 8 at 10 p.m.), Nattspil (where he plays April 15 at 10 p.m.), Merchant, the Great Dane, and the Majestic. (PS, you should really read Joel Shanahan’s deep-reaching interview with him from 2014.)
When we asked Murray about contributing to our guest mix series, he sent us a 40-minute mix, titled “The Soup,” that he made while preparing for a March gig at Olbrich Gardens. As a working DJ, Murray prides himself on being able to read and shape the feeling of a crowd, but here we see him turned loose to cut a bold path across genres and continents. “The Soup” engulfs Afrobeat, steamy South Asian psych, hip-hop, dub, and a few hints of Latin dance music as well.
“This style is a little different than what you might catch me spinning regularly in the clubs downtown,” Murray explains. “It’s a good mix of music from Tinariwen to Mos Def to Chancha Via Circuito that I did in one take. Heavy with the Afro Funk grooves and relentless with the Latin horns, this mix will be sure to marinate your ear drums.”
Give it a listen below.
