Premiere: Producer Ted Jasper Dissects Throwaway Culture On Jazz-Inclined “Don’t Want It”

Born and raised in Cornwall, but now based in London, Ted Jasper has been steadily making a name for himself with his jazz-inclined, downtempo electronics. His latest single, written in collaboration with producer Beni Giles, is “Don’t Want It”, a subtle new track about wanting something just for the sake of it. Initially, Jasper tells us below, the track was born of a producer’s desire to always long for the newest bit of kit, whether or not they needed it, but let’s be honest, it could well apply to any of us in this consumerist, throwaway culture. So while you take in the track’s meandering jazzy melodies and the rich, nostalgic visuals from A/V artist ja-m-es, maybe thing twice about buying whatever it is that’s on your mind — because there’s always something.

Speaking with Complex via email, Jasper told us: “Me and Beni [Giles, co-writer] were writing it together and coming up with the hook using computer-based software, and throughout the session we were talking about how there’s always this ‘new’ thing you need as a producer. When it comes to software and technology, it moves so fast and certain technology that you’ve just acquired becomes obsolete so quickly. There’s this constant change, and that’s where the chorus came from -— ‘Need it but don’t want it.’ It’s about the necessity of having to have this thing to continue, even if you don’t particularly want it.”