Gong, Gongs & Shipping-VAT Updates

August means the release of Gong, the ninth fragrance from January Scent Project. This has been a particularly wandering path that suddenly met with great clarity in the process. I’d been working for some time on a “green musk” perfume, as I’d never before made a musk-centered fragrance. Musk is its own very peculiar material, something that’s often not discernible to some noses, so it has to be mixed in just a certain way to ensure that most noses can detect it. As it was evolving, certain other notes came and went, but the most prominent ones that stuck with me were blueberry, green pepper, and daikon radish. I developed separate accords for each of these smells, and they were like creating separate sub-perfumes in the process.

Gong also marks the first deliberately “warm weather” fragrance I’ve made, although I’m sure it could be enjoyed in any weather. I say warm weather with the idea that it’d be put on to be refreshing, somewhat sweet, uplifting, but also tenacious and lingering for a long while in bits and pieces over the day. I more or less knew it was in the right place when I’d tried on one of the last trials, went to bed with it on, and woke up very early morning the next morning and could detect this lingering, sweet berry-musk. It was precisely what I’d hoped would happen at the end of the process.

Gong 100 ml EDP, in a grouping with its inspired raw materials.

While creating this fragrance, I’d been struck by a kind of waking dream in the middle of the night. I was picturing a tall pyramid of objects, and atop it all was a large brass gong. From it emerged a loud, resonant boom. The name “Gong” was more or less set in that moment, but I also knew that I needed to find out a lot more about gongs in general. Soon I was listening to gong recordings online and then purchasing a few. Before long, the simple idea of “making a few MP3 files of gong sounds to send out along with the perfume” turned into a full album of music inspired by the fragrance. I talk quite a bit about the experience in a podcast that I recorded for American Perfumer a little while ago - in conversation with perfumer Charna Ethier of Providence Perfume Co.

It’s hard to describe just how liberating this experience was - it’s been a few years since I’ve done much music making, recording or engineering, so ideas were just boiling over in my brain. I was fortunate to find an excellent engineer, Murad Agha, who worked on the eight tracks to bring them a collective texture and resonance as a group. I’m happy to announce that the album, Gong, will be available for presale on iTunes on August 30, 2021, with release date on September 17, 2021. Later this year, a vinyl edition will also be available - this is in approximately 2-3 months from now.

Album cover for “Gong” by January Sound Project, digital pre-sale August 30 2021, sale September 17, 2021, vinyl album later in the year.

An important note to add about some changes in taxes, shipping, VAT, the EU and UK: As some know, JSP had to temporarily suspend shipping to the EU and UK in July and August as we unraveled the changes to shipping and tax collection laws in Europe. There are 3 specific points to discuss. First, shipping to the UK and EU has been reinstated. Second, it’s important for buyers in EU countries in particular to be aware that shipping to their countries has changed. The previous rule that allowed for VAT-free shipping for goods under a certain monetary amount is no longer in place. ALL goods shipped into the country, of ANY value, are now subject to VAT and, in the case of more expensive goods, VAT + duty. Processing time for oversees packages is said to be taking longer, and packages have to be marked more carefully than before, so be aware that shipping may be (generally) less timely than before.

Third, for EU-based customers, please be aware that you will need to pay duty on packages as they arrive in your country of residence. I’m sure that you are getting used to this already as it has now been in place since July 1st. There is an option that allows US businesses to charge for VAT on this side, and for them to forward those funds to a third party, but this is a cumbersome process and we have not yet decided if we will undergo it at this time. Future updates will be made available. The good news, however, is that EU and UK shipping has resumed.

Please return to the blog for more details about more interesting news as the year progresses - including more releases and a limited edition due out in November. I’m so grateful to have you along for this ride, as 2021 is proving to be a wellspring of creative ventures.