Local muso makes his mark in Los Angeles
Prism Tats was written and recorded in its entirety by Garett van der Spek, featuring his own extraordinary vocals, drum machine, guitar and bass synth.
FORMER Hillcrest resident, Garett van der Spek, is following his passion for music in America.
He was recently signed up by ANTI Records in Los Angeles and released his first album on Friday, 15 April.
Garett grew up listening to his father’s collection of rock records from the UK and US – The Beatles, David Bowie, Jimmie Hendrix and The Kinks, but the unique influence of his homeland burns deeply too.
“There’s a strong element of invention and resourcefulness that permeates all aspects of life in South Africa, almost a punk ethic, a will to do it your own way, and if there isn’t a way, invent one. I think I’ve consciously and subconsciously absorbed those qualities and applied them to the way I make my music,” said Garett.
Garett started his musical career as the frontman and guitarist for Durban band, Cynosure. He then formed a band called Super Hot Joy and they were becoming Durban’s hottest act. Garett at that stage was just into his last semester at UKZN and selected to do his final semester at the University of Washington in Seattle. While there, he met and married an American girl, Laura. He relocated to Seattle after getting married.
What followed was nothing short of total perseverance on his part. Playing gigs as a totally unknown musician, he slowly made his way into the Seattle music scene.
Unfortunately the couple had to move to Los Angeles so that Laura could continue her studies. This meant starting over again for Garett. Never daunted by a challenge, Garett played gigs and played his way into that music scene. Last year, he was invited to play at The South by Southwest Festival by the organisers, which had opened doors for him.
ANTI Records published this on their website: “ANTI is excited to announce the signing of Prism Tats, the rock ‘n roll creation of the deceptively-sophisticated musician, Garett van der Spek. Using guitars, vocals and sparse electronic elements, Prism Tats pulls from various visual and musical inspirations to create waking dream sub-realities that devastate and elate. Garett is from Durban, South Africa but recently relocated to Los Angeles.”
Prism Tats was written and recorded in its entirety by Van der Spek, featuring his own extraordinary vocals, drum machine, guitar and bass synth. Follow Prism Tats on the following link: https://www.anti.com and https://www.anti.com/artists/prism-tats/.
