It’s a shame that artists like John T. Gast are, at best, gonna draw a collective shrug from the media who cover them; y’know, the let’s-call-him-“shadowy”-and-“mysterious”-and-move-on approach. Fortunately, we here at TMT do have a vested interest in the guy — after all, he was the uncredited co-producer of our #2 album of 2012 — and it seems that the powers that be over at Planet Mu are also amongst his admirers. The label is putting out his debut LP, Excerpts, on February 23, which follows a small-but-substantial clutch of material in the form of limited-release CD-Rs, a collaborative 12-inch with Inga Copeland, as well as a memorable mix for Blowing Up The Workshop last year. Stoked! But he wouldn’t be a Hype Williams affiliate if there wasn’t some sort of riddle surrounding what would otherwise be a straightforward album announcement, and it comes in the press release:
The majority recorded early 2014 in SW England.
A particularly fierce winter.
Woman reasserting power.
Man fighting in the dark.
The Cold War continues.
Talk about some serious SAD! It’d probably be totally useless trying to dissect it, but I reckon there’s got to be some sorta fleeting reference to Dean and Inga in there. I mean, Copeland positioned herself as a leader giving “advice 2 young girls” on Because I’m Worth It, and Blunt tussled with the preconceived notions of black last year, so it’s possible. As for the rest, I have nothing, so instead I’ll let the music do the talking:
Excerpts tracklist:
01. Shanti-ites
02. Infection
03. Congress
04. £
05. Ceremony
06. Green
07. White Noise/Dys
08. Claim Your Limbs
09. Sedna
10. White Noise (Reprise)
11. Torch
• John T. Gast: http://drith.co.uk
• Planet Mu: http://www.planet.mu