Philip G Anderson

Atlanta, USA

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ClassicalInstrumental

Behind the Music

Music has a special ability to convey emotion that words alone may not. Considering most don’t experience the sea the same way Ian did over the course of his reporting, music may help people connect to these moving stories and issues more than they otherwise would. The abuses, injustices and problems highlighted in this book need to be given higher visibility. The way for that to start is by informing the world on what’s happening. 

 

Some of the situations and conditions illustrated in the book are unlike anything I’ve ever heard of. I wrote and structured my songs after specific themes and moments in The Outlaw Ocean — making melodic and harmonic choices in my compositions that I felt best conveyed the emotions I thought those in the book might have felt. The chapter “Armed and Dangerous” especially jarred me. It’s difficult to articulate how it made me feel, but it was a story that deeply affected me and inspired the piece, “Witnessing Murder.” Overall I sought to capture the stress, horror, confusion and sorrow experienced by abused crewmen, who have been trafficking from their homelands and who were forced to work on fishing boats.

Philip G Anderson
About Philip G Anderson

Philip G Anderson is an American multi-instrumentalist composer. He combines classical and contemporary styles with cinematic sounds to create music with great detail and depth. He describes the music he writes as deeply personal, a collection of life experiences, events and emotions channeled into sound. Philip composes music for film and television in addition to the release of EP's, albums and singles as an independent artist.

After releasing a few trailer music singles early on, Philip's writing style shifted from epic and grand to a more delicate and pulled back approach, starting with the "Winter" EP, released in early 2017. The EP is an expression of his love for the cold, snowy season of winter and the beautiful imagery that comes with it.

"Portraits," released in March of 2018, is a film collaboration with friends Eric Waldron and Andre De Matheu. "Close," another 2018 release, is a reflection on the passing of Philip's grandfather, Carl Anderson, and how he wished he connected with him more. In 2019, Philip released his first full length album, "Wilderness," featuring lush and expressive strings paired with soft, ambient piano.

Winner of the 2021 Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Innovation in Journalism

The Journalism behind the Music

All music in this project is based on The Outlaw Ocean, a New York Times Best-Selling book by Ian Urbina that chronicles lawlessness at sea around the world. This reporting touches on a diversity of abuses ranging from illegal and overfishing, arms trafficking at sea, human slavery, gun running, intentional dumping, murder of stowaways, thievery of ships and other topics.

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