CMU Approved

Approved: LA Priest

By | Published on Thursday 5 February 2015

LA Priest

LA Priest is Samuel Eastgate, and Samuel Eastgate is Sam Dust, the once frontman of the ONLY band from the late-2000s I’m happy to admit I still like today (and I always will), long-gone East Midlands psych-borgs Late Of The Pier.

Some approximate years on from LA Priest’s last release – the Erol Alkan-assisted ‘Engine’ EP – and more than six years since LOTP’s one and only LP, 2008’s off-world oddment ‘Fantasy Black Channel’, a re-activated Priest/Eastgate has this week, via a new deal with Domino, delivered a new single in ‘Oino’.

As well as playing in Connan Mockasin’s live band (the pair’s collaborative “soft hair album” circa 2010, it looks like, still isn’t finished), Sam has spent his post-Late Of The Pier time schooling himself in Greenland, where he looked into “the effects of the Ivittuut region’s electro-magnetic phenomena on recorded sound”. Oh, and we’re told he’s been working on five additional secret projects, and, possibly, directing videos for the likes of Kindness and Adult Jazz.

Logically a realisation of all Eastgate’s findings, ‘Oino’ trips brightly on linear beams of Arthur Russell-ish disco light, giving way occasionally to spacey codas, Prince bits, and general ‘experimentation’ of the kind that defies my trying to define it. In brief, it’s great to have him back.

Aaanyway, hear the track below, and experiment with ‘Earth Window’, the specially-made interactive site that goes with it (designed by visual artist Leon Sadle) here. And for 2008’s sake, watch all Late Of The Pier’s presentable videos here, and then finally, switch over here to Spotify to hear all of ‘Fantasy Black Channel’.



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