Yonatan Gat

Yonatan Gat is a producer, guitarist and composer based in New York. His cross-genre work was called "a vital new music form" by a "legendary live performer" by Magnet Magazine, "melding punk, improvisation, world music, and avant garde". [1]

Yonatan Gat
Yonatan Gat performing in FME Festival in Quebec in 2018
Background information
GenresPunk rock, psychedelic rock, improvisation, avant garde, free jazz, world music
InstrumentsGuitar, bass, piano, organ, drums, percussion, vocals
Years active2006–present
LabelsJoyful Noise Records, Drag City Records
Associated actsMonotonix, David Berman (Silver Jews), Max Almario, Thor Harris (Swans), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Tal National, Thee Oh Sees, Sun Ra Arkestra, Nels Cline, Os Mutantes, Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening), Eastern Medicine Singers, Gal Lazer, Sergio Sayeg
Websiteyonatangat.com

His performances were so controversial in his home country of Israel that his first band Monotonix got banned from playing shows in almost all venues of the country, leading Gat – a conscientious objector – to leave his country for a decade of touring in which he gave 1,500 concerts in 30 countries. Rolling Stone editor David Fricke celebrated the multiculturalism of Gat's sound, calling him "a citizen of the world," adding "Gat wields his guitar like a universal translator."[2]

After relocating to Paris, Porto, and New Orleans, Gat found a home in New York, where his work was profiled by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Wire, UNCUT, Pitchfork, NPR, Vice, The New Yorker and People Magazine.[3][4] The Village Voice named him "Best Guitarist in New York, 2013," and The Guardian listed his sophomore album Universalists in their top ten Contemporary Classical Music albums of 2018, while PopMatters called it a "Visionary New Album for Rock Music, rearranged electronically in unpredictable ways that suggest Teo Macero, DJ Screw, Yeezus-era Kanye West, but not much else in rock music".[5][6][7]

Biography

As Founding Member of Monotonix (2000s)

Gat first came to prominence as the guitarist and founder of punk band Monotonix.[8] After finding themselves banned from most venues in their country due to the wild and controversial nature of their concerts, the band decided to leave Israel and tour the United States and Europe. With Monotonix, Gat released an EP and two albums on Drag City Records. Gat's guitar was the only harmonic instrument in the drums-guitar-vocals power trio and was singled out by the likes of Pitchfork mentioning "guitarist Yonatan Gat slides in and out of solos without ever throwing the rhythm off the rails... The descending guitar line that follows is sweet and yearning enough to fit onto a damn Strokes record."[9]

During the band's 5-year existence, they played 1,000 concerts, collaborated with musicians such as Fugazi's Ian Mackaye and Guy Picciotto and Beat Happening and K Records founder Calvin Johnson, while touring as support for Pavement, Faith No More and Silver Jews. The latter's frontman David Berman would go on to co-produce Gat's 2018 sophomore LP Universalists.[10] Songs by Monotonix were used in TV, film and video games such as House, Grand Theft Auto and Better Living Through Chemistry. In 2008, Monotonix were called "the most exciting live band in rock 'n' roll" by Spin Magazine. By 2011, after completing a world tour for their final album, Not Yet, the band stopped touring, which allowed Gat to focus on his career as a solo artist.[11]

As Solo Artist

After Monotonix's final world tours in 2011, Gat settled in New York and began recording and performing as a bandleader and solo artist, engaging Gal Lazer (drums) and Sergio Sayeg (bass) as his core studio-collaborators while expanding his projects to include musicians such as Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) and Thor Harris (Swans).[12]

Gat began touring the United States and Europe both as headliner and sharing the stage with artists such as Thee Oh Sees and Sun Ra Arkestra, often performing his set on the floor in the middle of the audience.[13][14] He released his debut EP, Iberian Passage, written and recorded while he was living in Portugal, in the spring of 2014 on Joyful Noise Recordings and his full-length studio album debut, Director, followed in 2015. Within months of Director's premiere, an EP produced by Steve Albini titled Physical Copy followed.[15][12][16]

Gat's latest album, Universalists, was released through Joyful Noise Records on May 4, 2018.[17] In that same year he went on to release a split 7-inch with Os Mutantes, be featured as guest guitarist on legendary Nigerien band Tal National's new album, and premiere (on cinema outlet NOWNESS) a collaboration with a Rhode Island Algonquin powwow drum ensemble – the Eastern Medicine Singers. The album's release was followed by a world tour featuring an 8-piece band, which included members of his own ensemble of long-time collaborators, as well as the Native American drummers and singers of the Eastern Medicine Singers.

References
  1. "MAGNET Exclusive Premiere". magnetmagazine.com. March 30, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  2. "Rolling Stone Guitar Albums Reviews". rollingstone.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  3. Heigl, Alex (May 18, 2015). "Yonatan Gat: Director Out on Joyful Noise". People.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  4. Cohan, Brad (February 24, 2015). "Listen to 'Director,' Yonatan Gat's Free-Improv Psychedelic Shred LP | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  5. "Best Guitarist New York 2013 - Yonatan Gat,". Villagevoice.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  6. "Guardian Best Contemporary Classical Albums of 2018". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  7. "Yonatan Gat Universalists PopMatters review,". PopMatters.com. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  8. Gregory Heaney. "Monotonix | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  9. "Pitchfork Review Body Language by Monotonix". Pitchfork. June 25, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  10. Monotonix. "Monotonix Videos". Dragcity.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  11. "Monotonix". Spin. June 25, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  12. Weiss, Dan. "Ex-Monotonix Guitarist Yonatan Gat Gets Psychedelic on 'Iberian Passage' EP". SPIN.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  13. "Yonatan Gat readies new LP (stream a song), playing NYC release show, touring w/ Of Montreal & other dates". Brooklynvegan.com. February 13, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  14. Terry, Josh (March 12, 2015). "Live Review: of Montreal and Yonatan Gat at NYC's Webster Hall (3/11)". Consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  15. "Yonatan Gat | Iberian Passage | Joyful Noise Recordings". www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  16. Yarbrough, Marshall (March 4, 2015). "Music Features: Yonatan Gat Fuses Jazz Prowess with Punk Energy | Flagpole Magazine | Athens, GA News, Music, Arts, Restaurants". Flagpole.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  17. "Yonatan Gat | Universalists | Joyful Noise Recordings". www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
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