PHILIP DE VILLIERS
Director: Planet Pip Music
A passion for music, teaching, and the music business would sum up Philip de Villiers in a nutshell. Coming from a strong artistic, business-orientated background, he is thriving today as one of South Africa’s busiest music entrepeneurs.
Until May 2006 he headed the music department at AFDA, South Africa’s leading film school, where he also graduated with an honours degree in live performance, doing extensive research on the South African music market. In 2007 he launched his own range of self-empowering music courses, which was deployed nationally in 2008. It included a scholarship programme for previously disadvantaged musicians, which delivered artists such as Nomfusi & The Lucky Charms and Thirteenth Street (“Rue 13”).
In 2007 he discovered Die Blinde Boereorkes, a group of visually handicapped musicians from Worcester. His collaboration with the band attracted a lot of media attention, which featured on prime time TV shows like Carte Blanche, ETV News and Kwela. In the same year he discovered century old songs from a musician in the Bo-Kaap, which he combined with traditional boeremusiek to come up with a unique “Boeregoema” flavour.
In 2009 he formed a joint publishing venture with Universal Publishing South Africa, and produced his first album for Universal Music, Kwazibani.
An artist in his own right, his compositions enjoy significant rotation on South African radio and television, with his debut release “Ek hoor jou” praised by the media and his striking music videos featuring regularly on SABC and DSTV.
In 2010 he produced the Suid-Oosterfees Jazz Festival in Cape Town, which incorporated a joint venture music development programme with his Vivcious Voice academy.
With an eye for talent, a passion for artist development and a flair for marketing, he is slowly waking up areas of the South African music industry which have been kept secret to the world at large. Building bridges internationally and offering polished acts to the global market place, keeps him in the forefront of an exciting new revolution.
© Copyright Planet Pip Music 2010
