Hailing from Newcastle, Australia, Just A Gent is yet another Aussie artist taking the world by storm. His style is hard to pin down. He can produce within any genre, showcasing his talents in the realms of future bass, trap, house and most recently rap. He crafts stunning originals and is responsible for some of the wildest remixes to date. The latter allow his creativity to roam freely with Just A Gent taking on everything from Kid Cudi to Phantom Of The Opera, Tears For Fears to Grand Theft Auto and everything in between. The creative approach isn’t just limited to his reworks, his originals explore the same diverse expanse. Just look the hard hitting dubtep vs. trap energy on ‘404’ and the chilled rap aesthetic that is ‘VIBE.’ This range is sure to be on full display on his upcoming EP http://EP which due out early November. With the EP just over a week away, we had the pleasure of connecting with Just A Gent to discuss the project, producing across genres, his love for video games and much more. He also breaks down what makes a gentlemen and what it would take for him to get rid of his mustache. Check out the full interview below.
What makes you a gentleman? Do you have any advice for average guys who want to become gents?
I don’t think what makes someone a gentleman has changed, chivalry still lives on but I guess in the modern day something chivalrous might even be just simply to be nice and not have their head stuck in their phone haha.
You’ve produced across a wide-array of genres. What draws you towards creating within a certain sound?
Well I think it depends on the mood I’m in and what I have been doing. If I have just got back from a nightclub or hectic show I’ll be in the zone and wanting to make something that people can go nuts too, but if I’m just depressed and bored at home I will end up making something melancholy and uplifting to try and lift the mood. I don’t really set out to make a particular sound it more or less just happens.
What makes you happy outside of music?
I love to hang with my dog Ernie and my girlfriend Molly. We watch a lot of TV and binge Harry Potter at least once a month. We also see every single movie that comes through the cinemas. I also love video games and I also make raps with my mates which is pretty fun.
You seem to be a pretty big gamer. What’s your favourite video game of all time and why?
My favourite video game of all time. That’s a tough one. It would probably have to be Mass Effect 2. I love the Mass Effect universe and I love Bioware (the developer) and that game just takes me places. I actually wrote a lot of the songs from stories to tell while on my 3rd playthrough of the game. If you haven’t played the Mass Effect series you should definitely do it, the original game is pretty clunky but the story is so thick that it’s totally worth pulling through.
Your mustache has become an essential part of your brand. What would it take for you to shave it off? A certain super power? The ability to cure world hunger?
Not a lot of things could make me shave it. However a super power or curing world hunger would most definitely suffice. If this is an offer though can I please have the ability to teleport because that would make my life the bomb.
I love remixing tracks and the more successful the Just A Gent originals become the less I get to put out remixes. So I created Just A Tune to pretty much allow me to do that…
What prompted the creation of your secondary Just A Tune account? What importance do remixes have in your creative process and place as an artist?
Remixes have been what I was making from the beginning. I love remixing tracks and the more successful the Just A Gent originals become the less I get to put out remixes. So I created Just A Tune to pretty much allow me to do that, put out basically unfinished, unmixed edits and remixes of tunes that I love.
You had the opportunity to tour with San Holo last year. Are there any important insights or lessons you learned from him during your time together?
For sure, San is an amazing person and that tour was incredible. I have never been on a tour of that scale so it was a totally new experience for me. Touring with him I got to see what it’s like being a person who tours almost all year and honestly it’s tough and San is a pro for being able to do it and it was super inspiring to see that he still loves it and can make music in such uncreative environments like sketchy hotel rooms and such.
From early support through Unearthed, to performing on Like A Version, you have a long history with triple J. How impactful has their support been on your career?
In Australia it’s been monumental. The Aussie audience finds a lot of their music on radio and it’s really helped me reach a way bigger audience. The Like A Version was especially huge, I have never received so many messages about a track haha.
The EP concept is that humans have created an AI and they went bonkers (error 404) and we had to go to space to escape it.
Can you tell us about the upcoming EP? What’s sound direction? What are some of the stories contained within it?
The new EP is more or less an evolution of the Just A Gent sound. I have been working on some of these tracks for quite a while now and I think I’m finally happy with the final product. The sound direction is a tad darker than Stories To Tell but it has a few upbeat tracks like ‘Space Odyssey’ and ‘Vibe’ (which are both going to be on the EP) so it’s got that variation just like how Stories To Tell had. The EP concept is that humans have created an AI and they went bonkers (error ‘404’) and we had to go to space to escape it.
