DON PHILIPPE

Sonar Kollektiv proudly announces the new album by lo-fi veteran Don Philippe. Titled Velvet Breaks, the fully instrumental record drops October 10th, 2025 on vinyl and digital formats. With its textured production, broken rhythms, and a distinctly analog warmth, Velvet Breaks is a slow-burning, introspective work – a meditation on fragility, erosion, and beauty in decay.

Don Philippe, real name Philippe A. Kayser, brings decades of musical experience to the project. A professional drummer in the 1980s and later active as a pianist and guitarist, Kayser has worked since the 1990s as a composer and producer from his own studio. He is also a co-founder of the legendary German hip-hop group Freundeskreis, a pioneering act that helped define the sound and culture of German rap.

Since 2015, Don Philippe has focused on instrumental hip-hop, releasing over ten solo albums across various independent labels and building a global fanbase on streaming platforms. His music bridges the soulful subtleties of jazz with the grit of classic boom-bap, always delivered with a delicate, cinematic touch.

On Velvet Breaks, that mastery is on full display. From the crackle of dusty drum loops to the hazy elegance of Rhodes melodies and tape-saturated fragments, the album builds a fragile world where silence and space are just as important as sound. 

The album unfolds like a narrative, with each track title suggesting a step in a process of unraveling:
“fibers displaced,” “edges,” “a rupture,” “tension,” “entanglement” – culminating in the title track, “velvet is broken.” There is no need for words here. The beats speak for themselves, telling a story in fragments, textures, and ghostly grooves.

With Velvet Breaks, Don Philippe delivers a deeply personal and musically rich addition to his catalog – a record for late nights, long walks, and quiet reflection. It’s an ode to imperfection and emotional precision. 

For fans of: Nujabes, J Dilla, FloFilz, Wun Two, Knowsum and mellow instrumental hip-hop with soul and substance. 

Tracklist

Side 1   1. "Velvet Breaks"   2. "A Rip"   3. "Fibers Displaced"   4. "Displacement"   5. "Edges"   6. "Torn"   7. "Unraveling"   8. "Exposed"

Side 2   1. "Tension"   2. "At The Seams"   3. "Stiff"   4. "A Rupture"   5. "Of Composition"   6. "A Clear Thread"   7. "Entanglement"   8. "Velvet Is Broken"