Stelios Phili

Stelios Phili^[1] is a Cypriot-American songwriter and record producer based in New York, New York.^[2][3] He has produced tracks featuring artists such as A$AP Ferg, Big Sean, SZA, MIA, and Danny Brown.^[4][5][6]

Career

In 2013, Stelios Phili composed the runway music for En Noir's Spring/Summer 2014 show.^[7][8] In early 2014, he composed the music for designer Mark McNairy's Fall/Winter 2014 show.^[9][10]

According to an interview with MTV Rap Fix,^[11] Phili met the rapper A$AP Ferg while working at GQ in 2013. The two began collaborating after fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Nast passed along one of the producer's beats, which would later become the A$AP Ferg song, "Ja-Rule," featuring Big Sean. In 2014, Phili produced the first single from A$AP Ferg's mixtape, Ferg Forever. The song, "Doe-Active," was met with positive reviews.^{[12][13][14][15]} Pitchfork Media described the song as "a minimalist beat that could've slid right into Yeezus," Stereogum called it "a total nutso banger," and Complex named it a "certified banger, with club-destroying drums." Phili's production was featured on four additional tracks on Ferg Forever.^[16]

In 2015, Phili produced DonMonique's debut EP, Thirst Trap. The New York Times described it as "full of transfixing slo-mo production by Stelios Phili somewhere between modern-day Internet-rap sparseness and the hard, murky slap of mid-1990s New York street rap."^[17]

Musical Style

Phili's production style is described as fresh and understated. In the article, "10 Rap Producers You Might Not Know (But Should)," Pigeons & Planes writes: "Stelios Phili is one of those producers you can recognize from the jump—he utilizes a unique collection of sounds that is both muted and aggressive: murky synths and pillowy cymbal taps are cut by a fierce snare, or a saxophone seamlessly transforms into an electric guitar. It's all about subtlety with SP, and he's got it down to a science."^[18]

Discography

Production credits

• A$AP Ferg – "Doe-Active" (Co-prod. By Yektro) (2014)
• A$AP Ferg (featuring Big Sean) – "Ja Rule" (2014)
• A$AP Ferg (featuring SZA) – "Real Thing" (2014)
• A$AP Ferg – "Dope Walk" (2014)
• A$AP Ferg (featuring MIA and Crystal Caines) – "Reloaded (Let it Go pt. 2)" (Co-prod. By Crystal Caines, The Understudy) (2014)
• Donmonique (featuring Remy Banks and Wara from the NBHD) – "UNTLD" (2015)
• Donmonique – "Drown" (2015)
• Donmonique (featuring Noah Caine) – "Fifty Kay" (2015)
• Donmonique – "ION" (2015)
• Donmonique (featuring Danny Brown and Slayter) – "Tha Low" (2015)
• Donmonique – "Jada" (2015)

References

External links

• Official website
• steliosphili on SoundCloud
• steliosphili on Twitter