Prism Tats
Photography and interview by Heather Hawke
Garrett van der Spek, or Prism Tats if you use his stage name, is originally from Durban, South Africa. He spent 23 years there before heading off to Seattle as part of a university exchange program. Once in Seattle he worked a day job as a demolition man while building up what Prism Tats would become.
Now, Garrett is based in Los Angeles and has since released his self-titled debut LP (May 2016) followed up by his “11:11” EP last July. His sophomore LP as Prism Tats – entitled Mamba – will be released on March 2 via ANTI- Records. You can stream their first track “Daggers” off Mamba below.
Tell me about your musical upbringing. When did you first become aware that music was going to be a part of your life?
On a family vacation when I was 4 or 5 I encountered Elvis, a roadside busker who single handedly made me want to play guitar. I believe it was after that trip that I got my first toy guitar and started putting on concerts on my jungle gym for the neighborhood kids. Every “show” consisted of an emotional 10 minute jam-out song about clouds. Trippy.
What was your childhood like growing up in Durban, South Africa? Was creativity a part of your childhood?
My childhood was a pretty typical suburban experience. It felt boring at the time. It became less boring once I learned to drive and I could escape the suburbs and get down to the city. Durban is kind of similar to my current home, LA in that respect, you really need a car to experience it. Creatively I was only interested in sound, I was always experimenting with noise in some way, whether it was harmonizing with the vacuum cleaner or annoying the neighbors with hours of guitar feedback. A real pleasure to be around I’m sure.
What was your formal / not formal music education like growing up?
I took guitar lessons when I got my first real guitar but quickly dropped those once I started my first band figuring I didn’t need to learn anymore. I became very single minded about not learning the mechanics of music so as not to “steal the magic” out of how I experienced it. So I resisted formal education, which has its liberties and limitations. Sometimes I wish I knew more music theory, but then I think it’s like wanting to be good at calculus when all I use math for is calculating the tip on the dinner bill. My crude musical tools seem to be working for me and making music still feels like “magic”.
When did you start writing songs? Do you remember the first song / piece of music you wrote?
The first song I can remember writing was a direct rip off of Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” which impressed my older brother mainly because he’d never heard “Hey Joe.” My song was undoubtedly awful. I think I was 11 years old. “Hey Joe” was the most provocative song I’d heard up until that point and I remember wanting to replicate the feeling I got when I heard it for the first time.
What’s was your writing process like for both your Prism Tats LP and your 11:11 EP? Where were you at physically, mentally when you wrote them? Was there an event or a specific timeframe where a large chunk of the lyricism came out?
I was living in Seattle when I wrote the debut LP. I got laid off my construction job for a month and decided to use the time wisely by writing a record. I was feeling inspired and invigorated by being able to record myself for the first time so I would set up all my gear in the living room and enjoyed an idyllic summer in Seattle working on those songs and recording that album. After writing and recording the first LP I moved to Los Angeles and started writing for the 2nd record. Used to be Cool, Prole Pop and Modern Future Noise I remember coming quickly as a reaction to my new environment in LA.
Since your 11:11 EP follows 20176’s self-titled LP, did you have a certain set of rules / limitations you felt needed to be maintained / discarded when writing or recording it?
I just continued using the same set of limitations that I had before, keeping it simple with guitar, vocals and a drum machine during the writing process. I didn’t really have the time or budget to be tempted with messing with the formula. I live in a tiny one bedroom apartment so time and space to be noisy is scarce. I would walk around the apartment with my guitar working out the songs and found they sounded best in the kitchen, so I ended up writing a lot standing in the kitchen. When I started tracking the demos I discovered that I got the best results closing myself in the coat closet. After I had accumulated enough material I took those demos to a studio to record, which opened up more possibilities than what I’d been used to before, recording myself for the debut LP.
Are there tracks on the EP that date back to when you were creating the LP or even before?
Actually, the song “11:11” was the first Prism Tats song I ever wrote when I started the project. It never really worked for the first record so I put it on ice and decided to revisit it for the 2nd record. It’s a special song to me, hence the EP taking its name as the title, so I’m glad I finally got to record and release it.
Are you ever intentional when you sit down to write? Is there ever a “I’m going to write a song now” moment or is it more ephemeral, like you’ve been kicking something around in your head for days, weeks, months, and then suddenly it comes spilling out?
Having a day job can be a drag but it also forces you to be productive whenever you get a spare second, so usually I make the tools available when I have time and start with a drum beat and see where it leads. I’ll also jot down ideas or record voice memos whenever I am unable to work on music so I’ll have them available as a head start on a song when I am able to sit down with an instrument. I always try to end a day of writing with a finished song or completed idea. I find it helpful to finish an idea while I’m excited about it rather than having to revisit it and try get that excitement back.
Does traveling influence you as an artist? Are you inspired by the places you go, or do you think your work would sound about the same no matter where you created it?
I’m a believer in environment playing a role in shaping the sound of music. David Byrne actually gives a brilliant TED talk about that exact subject. So I love to travel and be on tour and accumulate experience that contributes to shaping the sound of my music.
What was your favorite part about the writing / album creation process of both the LP and the EP?
Sounds like a cheesy cliché but seeing the finished product and sharing it with people. Having people share how much they have enjoyed something you’ve made is always the best part of any creation. It completes the creative cycle that makes you want to do it all over again.
With your artwork, how did you interact with the artist/designer? Did you contribute ideas or remain hands-off? Was there a revision process?
I like to set the vibe, do my best to communicate a general idea and then have an artist take it from there with their own interpretation. It’s exciting to see someone else’s visual interpretation of the music. For the EP I used a painting by a friend Catherine Casias. I loved it the second I saw it and decided to use it for the next few releases. Stay tuned for my next release for the full reveal of the painting.
How do you think of ideas for your album artwork? How important is it to you for the art that accompanies your music to represent the sound and the lyrics? Do you aim for a conversation between the two, or are you more interested in an aesthetically cool package?
It’s always nice when there is a conversation between the two and it’s aesthetically cool. Generally, I aim to work with designers who get the aesthetic of Prism Tats which makes getting something that looks good and visually representative of the music much easier. The cover of the debut LP was an idea I had to write Prism Tats on my face that I pitched to a photographer friend Laurie Clark. We got together and improvised until we got that image with Prism Tats written on my eyelids. It feels slightly awkward sometimes touring the country peddling records with my face on it but I do love how personal the artwork for that album feels.
What is your perspective on how you want to be represented throughout your band’s visuals (press photos, music videos, album artwork)?
I always see music videos and photography as an opportunity that music affords me to explore other mediums. They’re extracurricular projects that happen to fall under the same name and ultimately relate back to my music. So I always try to work with directors and photographers to create something that goes outside of the music and expands the world that I create with my music.
