Odds are when you pick up the phone and call Amber's newly
minted executive producer Phil Mossman you won't recognize his
voice. The soft-spoken Londoner's speech bears little resemblance
to another version of his voice that's likely familiar to you?the
one rapping the lyrics to Nomis' "Damn Boots" spot that earned a Gold Lion for
Best use of Music at Cannes last year.
From Disco-Punk to Deadlines
Mossman was stricken with double pneumonia at the time, and stepped
in at the insistence of Amber composer Will Bates. "I was feeling
dreadful," Mossman says. "I think that's why my voice is so gruff."
Mossman went through the agency's lyrics in one take, wrapped it up
and went home to rest.
Mossman came to the advertising industry in 2006 after
collaborating with some of the brightest in the music industry.
From creating "post-rave electronic stuff" (as he puts it) with
Andrew Weatherall in Sabres of Paradise, Mossman met David Holmes,
then a techno DJ. Soon, Holmes and Mossman were getting soundtrack
work, including Out of Sight and Ocean's Eleven as well as album
work, like mixing and production on Primal Scream's
Exterminator.
From there, the guitarist-turned-multi-instrumentalist, who had
been living in England, met James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy, who
were working with Holmes in the nascent DFA studios in New York.
DFA, widely credited with pushing dance-punk hybrids forward in the
early '00s, includes artists like the Juan Maclean, Hot Chip and
Hercules and Love Affair. Push came to shove and after Mossman's
work with Holmes was done he decided to stay in New York (there was
a girl involved). Murphy offered him a spot in his "new punk band,"
LCD Soundsystem in 2001.
From there, it was five years of touring and playing guitar with
the band before slowing down to spend more time with his family,
enabled by Amber creative director Michelle Curran, who had an
empty composing room. Mossman turned his creative chops to writing
music for spots. As time progressed, Mossman found himself taking
to a production role as adeptly as composing for ads.
While playing guitar on the road for a highly successful band and
executive producing are on opposite ends of the management
spectrum, Mossman says he's adapted. "When I was touring, you
didn't even have to think of dinner," Mossman says. "Coming back it
was a terrible culture shock; I'd freak out at a phone bill. It
takes a couple of weeks to learn how to dress yourself again. But
now it's a grown-up job, which is why I'm enjoying it so much.
"It's the first time Amber's had someone from a musical background
doing this job. The biggest key to doing it right is making sure
you understand the brief and translating that to all the guys. I
loved playing with that band; it was heartbreaking having to leave.
But I try and put that level of excitement into what I do now."
So far, that hasn't been difficult. The list of big brands he's
touched is impressive. Mossman oversaw Amber's work on Burger
King's "Whopper Virgins" campaign as well as Old Navy
work from Crispin Porter and Bogusky, the Brooklyn Brothers' Kayak
work, Converse for Anomaly and Nike and ESPN Nascar for Wieden
& Kennedy.
Additionally, he's keeping in touch with old friends, including the
DFA crowd. "Those types of artists are getting more and more
interested in doing commercials work; I've got mates that wouldn't
have pissed on an ad three or four years ago, now they're calling
me up and asking how you get into these things."