One of Australis's premier electronic artists-producers (200M Spotify streams and climbing), Just A Gent has spent the past half decade working on his newest studio album, 'Planet Oasis'.
Six years removed from the release of his debut record 'Stories To Tell' (that featured the bangers 'Rolling Dice', 'Heavy As A Heartbreak' and 'Sounds Of Her Mind'), Just A Gent recorded 'Planet Oasis' in Mindaribba on Wonnarua country (Maitland).Released today, he's teased the album with the singles 'Who Would Have Thought (feat. Arno Faraji)', 'Sleeptalking (feat. Greta Stanley)' and 'Trip To Mars (feat. Sammi Constantine)' that highlight his ability to weave and arrange electronic patterns fused with elements of hip hop and EDM flavours.
"Creating this record spanned over five years. It's changed a lot over the course of that time. I've sat on various versions of the album but felt this version was the strongest," Just A Gent says.
"Most of the tracks on 'Planet Oasis' are collaborations with some of my favourite talents from around the globe. Some of my best mates in the scene like Lani Rose, Jacknife and Samsaruh.
"It just felt right to be working with people I cherish and admire everything they do.
"I worked with Jon Hrubesch on the artworks, he has helped tell my story for the past eight years, his mind and creativity is unmatched.
"Wiese.world was the other leading hand in terms of visuals, we have also worked together for years and he is the animation GOAT.
"It feels so good to finally be able to share this with you and I hope it takes you to places you have never been before."
Here, Just A Gent shares a few lessons he's learned from the making of 'Planet Oasis'.
1: Don't Force It
So many days I would sit down and try and work up one of the tracks of the record to perfection.I feel like I wasted days upon days doing this. It is fun to create new ideas in that forced mindset, but when it comes to finishing a track forcing myself to work it could sometimes be detrimental to the song itself.
I found the perfect balance was to listen to the track after a few days and then pinpoint what really bothered me/ what I thought it really needed rather than just sitting down and telling myself I was gonna finish it.
2: Don't Do Everything Yourself
I've always loved trying to tackle everything by myself. The one thing I could never handle was the artwork, which isn't a problem because Jon Hrubesch is a goat.However in terms of composing, production, mixing, mastering, promoting, releasing and managing the whole release? It can definitely get a bit much.
For a single, no worries but for an album it was just a whole other ball game. I don't regret handling it all myself, but maybe outsourcing some of these things isn't always a bad idea.
3: Trust Your Instincts
Majority of my life I have always trusted my gut feeling on things and just gone with the flow. But when creating this record, there were definitely moments where I really questioned certain decisions and would overthink the sh.t out of them.In the end, I always went back to my original first feeling and the rest of that time could have been used more appropriately.
4: Allow Myself Time
Some things take time, like albums. I wanted to finish this so much sooner than I did and I almost forced myself to just call it a day. But with a good night's rest and a bit of inspiration from Kanye, I realised people can wait.I'm only putting this pressure on myself and the album will be done when it's done. I think that was one of the best things I could tell myself because it allowed me to take a breath and slow it down a little.
5: Be More Organised
I'm a creative, my brain doesn't stop and I don't have time for organisation. Or maybe that's exactly what I need.I still can't say this lesson has been learnt, but I have definitely gained some organisational skills from this album experience and hopefully that continues to improve into the future.
Just A Gent 2022 Tour Dates
Fri 24 Jun - Manning Bar (Sydney)Sat 25 Jun - The Cambridge (Newcastle)
Fri 1 Jul - The Brightside (Brisbane)
Sat 2 Jul - Howler (Melbourne)
