Unfortunately, like most things in life, all good things must come to an end. One of the groups I've steadily been supporting at DAD during my tenure here is The Al Gore Rhythm Method, or TAGRM, which they are widely recognized as. Their sound was intense and gritty and always aimed to punch you in the gut a bit as you wyle'd out on a given dancefloor. It's with sadness that we're the first outlet to ultimately tell you the news that this project is now done...at least for now. These two dudes has split amicably, and now it's time for the rest of the EDM world to know and simultaneously get excited about one of the new solo projects from the guys in Mr Gat. Red from the crew has branched off in a very different direction that's part Jersey club and party vibes, but much more rooted in song development and overall creative flow. Now known to all as Mr Gat, he's opened up to DAD about the split, what essentially caused it and where to go from here.
So TAGRM is officially done now right?
That is correct. TAGRM will no longer be producing music, or performing as of a few weeks ago. The shortest way to say it would have to be musical differences. However the real nitty gritty truth? I think that like many people at this point in our lives, we were trying to find ourselves not only musically, but as people in general. A lot of things changed over the course of the last year, with traveling, housing changes, love lives, financial things and so much more. I think time and all of these things I mentioned above play into every little bit of your output, creatively speaking. And I think that with all of the different personal experiences and changes we had gone through and are still going through, things just really became apparent that we are two very different musicians and people in general. Ultimately resulting in doing what we both thought was best, which is disbanding TAGRM for now and pursuing things separately.
Creative differences tend to happen a lot to any group of musicians as time develops. Do you think this was a rather natural chain of events for you guys to make the split?
I think that it is in fact a natural progression to desire more and different things from your creative medium. I have in fact been antsy for an opportunity to share my opinion on this topic for some time. Like music in general (specifically pop/mainstream) the "cool factor" changes and rotates throughout the continuation of time. Me personally, I hope that six months from now I am on to something that I believe is fresh, tantalizing, and incredible but maybe it's something I never would have ever in a million years thought I would gravitate towards. Diversity, I think, is one of the coolest things any artist can do and give back to their music. It's unfortunate that in today's day and age, a lot of artists attempt to try something new, and it's almost always shot down and scrutinized so instantly. It's really no wonder why so many people stick to their ONE established sound or feel.
When an artist loses their fan-base because they decided to try something new, it makes me believe that we are cheating ourselves out of taking advantage of one of the biggest and coolest gifts we've ever received so far in art. That being access to do literally whatever you want musically. All you need is a laptop and the Internet, sometimes even less depending on how you go about it, and BOOM you are on your way. I guess I have to ask everybody else, do you want to do the same thing you're doing, whether you love it or not, EVERY day for the rest of your entire existence? If so I totally commend you, and rock on! Personally, I believe writing music will always be a constant in my life, but the type, style, and direction will forever be changing and growing. I love that, and I hope I can encourage some of you to consider experimenting a little further with your sound or style then perhaps you ever thought to do before. It's pretty fucking awesome. You might totally be surprised. Working off of the beaten path, and throwing the middle finger up to the formula is one of the most liberating things I have ever done so far in my career.
Is there anything else you like to say about the TAGRM project ending?
TAGRM was and will be forever one of the greatest and most intriguing experiences of my entire life. If I can give back anything from what I learned in this project, I would like to share these few things with y'all. Also a HUGE shout out to all of my mentors, and my family and friends, colleagues and everyone else who taught me and showed me these lessons. All of these things have been the key points of my personal success, and I hope they can help you with your own pursuits as well!
- There is only one rule in music. NO FUCKING RULES. You are your own universe of creativity. There is literally no right or wrong when it comes to whatever music you want to create. There are no limitations, and while your homey might master a track strictly by the book...only you can ALWAYS end up finding your very own special way of achieving the sounds you desire, without ever picking up a handbook/manual.
- Always remember, do what YOU love. And if you love it, someone else will, guaranteed. Your musical success begins with you and your belief in your music.
- Learn, every day about music/life/relationships/how to properly cut the grass and anything else that might interest you. I will never know everything there is to know about this stuff, and probably never will. But any and all new things you can pick up be it technically or in general goes right back into the tunes you create, and like anything knowledge is an unbelievably powerful tool.
- Last but not least: Music is not a race, it is a journey. As cliche as it sounds, what makes it even more radical is that it's your very own journey to play with, and mold any which way you want. You have the entire rest of your lives to make music. SO DO IT and remember to have fun :)
Your solo project, Mr. Gat, has been steadily releasing tunes over recent months. Are you planning on fully developing this project and really going in on a more vibey, Jersey club type sound?
Mr. Gat is for certain going to be pursued full time! This project will always, front-to-back, be about me pushing myself musically to make things I never even fathomed I could create, things I truly love and enjoy. Really making songs over tracks is a huge part of what I am aiming for with this project. If I can promise you all anything about my future, it's that my music will always come from my heart and be made with love. It may not always follow the trend, but it will always be me.
Any collaborations or secret upcoming Mr. Gat news you'd like to share with us now that the news of the creative shift is out?
I have a bunch of fun stuff that I am cooking up right now! A collaboration I did with my good friend Noer the Boy will be out soon through the homies over at Fresh Taste! Man, along with that I really just have a ton of new music that I am finalizing and prepping for release. I am also working on filling up my weekends and weekdays for the fall with lots and lots of performances around the US and who even knows where else! It's exciting, and I'm in love with having the ability to start fresh and further my own abilities not only as a producer, but as a musician entirely.
Just want to take the moment to thank the homies at DAD for your continued support of my art and what I love, and to you all out there for yours. I make a lot of my music for myself, but without y'all it really just wouldn't be the same. See you all soon, and much love <3
