There's an old notion that good musicians graduate from schools like Berklee College and the Juilliard, but great ones never make it through. The really special ones often drop out for a major record deal, tour, or other opportunity to pursue their dream of stardom. Gallant proves that there are exceptions to every rule.
Three years after he graduated with a music degree from New York University, Gallant's debut album, Ology, earned praise from around the music world, with legends like Elton John, Seal and Sufjan Stevens all professing their fandom. Ology itself feels somewhat like an academic work, the name itself is the suffix commonly used to denote a field of study (Sociology, Biology, etc).
As The Fader noted, the album feels like the culmination of years of careful music research. R&B, soul, funk, blues, and rock are expertly mined for their most elemental features: Lithe melody, thick bass, crunchy guitar. And though it leans into our expectations for R&B providing an emotional ride, it's structured with such precision that it feels like the final draft of a thesis, with nothing out of place. This is a stark contrast to recent album releases we've been seeing in this streaming era, with extra songs and skits thrown in to keep us listening and the royalties flowing.
Gallant has always been a student at heart. When The Fader wanted to see where his creative inspiration came from, he brought them to NYU's student centre. He credits his love for music coming from hours of research and downloading on the file sharing network Kazaa. He's built up years and years of knowledge and practice, trying to perfect his craft. On our track this week, "Weight In Gold", Gallant takes us through this journey, where he carries this weight of the musical legends who influenced him, as he tries his best to make them proud. We think he's well on his way.
You can learn more about Gallant here:
About the curator - Cormac McGee
Cormac McGee is a DJ, artist manager and concert promoter based in Toronto, Canada. He’s played in front of crowds from 10 – 1,000 people and has run concerts with some of today’s top hip hop artists, including Drake, Future, Mac Miller, 6lack, Ab-Soul and more. He also runs the Music Den at Ryerson University, a business incubator for entrepreneurs in the music industry.
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