Philip Kay is a prolific and versatile UK based contemporary composer. His compositions have been featured on a number of high-profile and award-winning projects including advertising campaigns for Puma, Coca-Cola, Stella Artois, Apple and others; video game music for the hit Playstation 3 title, 'Infamous'; and a number of television shows including Breaking Bad and CSI NY.
Born in Manchester, UK in 1982, Kay found his way into composition by less than conventional means. Eshewing a formal musical education, he instead taught himself all aspects of traditional music theory whilst at the same time satisfying a burgeoning passion for cutting edge experimental pop music.
In 2001 he formed the band Working For A Nuclear Free City whose debut record, Businessmen & Ghosts received ecstatic reception on it's release in 2007, culminating in a nomination for the International equivalent of the Mercury Award - The CMJ Shortlist Prize.
Since then he has been a sought after composer for projects which require a careful balancing act between the traditional scoring approach and the musical idioms of the 21st century.
April 2012 : I am honoured to be working with up-and-coming director Misha Vertkin on very exiting film project entitled
Brief Intermission. Please click here
for more information.
March 2012: Currently producing solo record for Gary McClure (guitarist and songwriter for Nuclear Free City) You can hear some of the recordings here.
Phil Kay is currently seeking talented film-makers working on exciting projects to collaborate with.
If you have a groundbreaking film in planning or production requiring a unique, ambitious score please
get in touch. Impressive zero budget films always considered.
Monument
Nine Months
Hearts
Equilibrium
Striding Edge
Airstrip
Paper Planes
Pacifica
"I've worked with Phil for a few years now, starting with 'Hovis' and I have to say he has never disappointed. What sets him apart for me is that he really understands the stories I'm trying to tell and how the music can enhance them without ever overwhelming the picture. The 'Guardian' piece is something I don't think many people could have nailed, the music needed to be exciting and really drive the spot but there's so much going on visually that I had no idea how it could achieve that without it being a mess. The answer was to give the brief to Phil."
Ringan Ledwidge, Rattling Stick
“I became interested in scoring films digging through obscure old records looking for samples for the hip-hop beats I was making as a kid. The world of film scoring of the 1960's and 70's soundtracks I was hearing were a millions miles from the formulaic approach that has now become largely the norm.”
“What captured me was the diversity of sounds; a harpsichord counterpointing a synth line; electric guitars screaming above a string ensemble; vibraphones supporting the screeching of bowed cymbals; they used everything and anything to convey the emotion they required. Composers like Morricone, Lalo Shifrin, Bernard Hermann, Roy Budd, David Shire and John Carpenter were at that time truly pushing boundaries as musicians and artists.”
“And when I finally heard the scores against their pictures it was a revelation. The color and emotion that this diversity of sound helped create made it more than just music, more than just film.
And it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
“Of the modern composers whose work I really admire, composers like Jon Brion, Mark Mothersbaugh, Clint Mansell, Yann Tiersen and Michael Andrews come to mind. They represent a school of film composing that, like their 1960's and 70's predecessors, is willing to take risks and be innovative – values which I too always strive for with my work. In a bland world of Williams wannabe's and Newton Howard sound-a-likes, it's artists like these which continually remind me what initially excited me about film music and films in a broader sense. I hope to carry on this tradition to help make films which go against the grain, break conventions, and ultimately stand the test of time.”
