Phillip Boa

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December 10, 2008

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Phillip Boa

He's the enfant terrible of Germany's indie scene: Phillip Boa can be relied on to stir things up, whether through his extraordinary music - melodious anthems interrupted by sudden jarring mood changes - or the prickly way he treats his audiences and the movers and shakers of the music industry.

Phillip Boa is the enfant terrible of the German indie scene.

"Stubborn and wilful" is how the Dortmund-born performer describes himself in an interview with MINIInternational, in which he otherwise comes across as surprisingly grounded and close to his roots. "People in the Ruhr have a low-key attitude. We don't make a big fuss over our intellectual and creative strengths. That's why I like living here," says Boa. "It's typical of us Ruhr denizens to stick to the decisions we've made. In Dortmund I feel a warm homeyness. Once the people here have accepted you, they are very friendly and sincere. They are there for you when you need them."

Pia Lund and Phillip Boa & the Voodooclub

Though strongly influenced by British punk and new wave in the mid-eighties, Phillip Boa has always struck out on his own. Early on he drew inspiration from the club scene in the Ruhr district, where a lot of British troops were stationed. "My favourite club, Old Daddy in Dortmund, reeked of teargas because the police raided the place every other week," says Phillip Boa. "Only about 50 people in Old Daddy belonged to the inner core of the music scene. But most of those are still there today, and now they're pulling the strings: DJ Westbam was one of them."

Boa is not uncritical of current developments: "There isn't such a lively music and arts scene now. There's a lot going on here, but the overall thinking is one step behind. I feel the structural change from an industrial region to a service and cultural one just isn't quite happening."

Read the whole interview Hendrik Lakeberg had with Phillip Boa in "The Ruhr Metropolis" issue of MINIInternational.