Artists with a style hard to pin can often get overlooked in many respects. I struggle to write about music that just needs to be ‘heard’, especially. It takes a certain talent to translate music into words that hasn’t really been referenced or penned before without resorting to poor comparisons at least. That’s not to say that Phil Tortoroli aka James Place is under the radar by any respect, given his releases on the admired Umor Rex Recordings, but his releases from the past few years include some of my favorite and most surprising discoveries. Phil’s albums are a unique blend of electronic music, and after chatting with him quickly and asking a few questions, I (and you) can read why. This is where I believe an isolatedmix can help to unearth and discover a specific angle on an artist. Seeing how they approach a mix, the inspiration and styles they pick, and in this instance, isolatedmix 99 really captures the “ghost” of James Place. ~Are you still in NY? How are you coping with the lockdown? Yes, still here ~ born and raised in NYC so no way a pandemic will force me out. I’m lucky to have a nice apartment with a wonderful partner and a fat cat and no shortage of food, for now, so i’m coping with a lot of love and a lot of cooking. I’m coping less well with the concept of video chats. I’m more of a traditional phone to the ear kind of conversationalist.What role has music played in it for you so far? Have you been more productive because of it? Productivity and creativity fluctuates in this new lockdown / static mode. I experimented with new compositional styles and approaches way more than before now that I finally have the time.Can you tell us how it all started, and how you got into making music?| Age old tale, I s’pose – started to write horrible rock music in high school with my close friends, then discovered electronic music through the back alleys of post-rock and Kazaa searches. going to university in the UK planted me firmly in an electronic / club scene that i’ve yet to leave (emotionally)Interpretations of Superstition by James PlaceYour productions often vary in style and approach, blending ambient, techno, house +more - how would you describe your style? I tend to focus on the atmosphere more than genre / style. I like to think of my music as songs heard in rooms adjacent to the listener; barely-there, or non-distinct, or haunted, yet the core emotion understood through the gentle vibrations shaking through. Anything I write oriented towards movement sounds more like an ambient dj performing while a techno dj plays in the venue next door. the sounds within that shared wall is James Place.I notice a lot of samples in your music, and often vocals, how would you describe your process making music? Predominantly sample based. A lot of my vocal samples come from a British singer-songwriter named Sam Sally, who graciously sent me a bunch of vocal takes in the early 10’s. her voice has abstractly guided my composition process for the past decade, and I’m happy to put them to rest and explore new textures for the future.Vanishing by James PlaceUmor Rex has been a home for your past 4 albums, what is it you look for in a label for your own music? Discerning ears that understand my references and predecessors without having to spell them out. A shared listening history.Till human voices wake us by Siavash AminiWhat's your favorite release on the label outside of your own? Siavash Amini’s Till Human Voices Wake Us was the first entry to UR I heard, and loved. I wrote to Daniel immediately after my first listen. LXV and Kara-Lis’ collaborative record is another top choice.Sirens by Kara-Lis Coverdale and LXVYou run your own label too, (Styles upon Styles) and are a part of RVNG International. (Funny I just bought the Pauline Anna Strom repress last week). What's your role across these two? I founded Styles upon Styles in 2011 with my friend, Cam Curran. We’ve been “exec producing” / “a&r’ing” records together si