Alston Watson is a multimedia artist from rural North Carolina, currently residing in Baltimore and producing electronic music under the stage name "gum.mp3". He was a Leslie King-Hammond Graduate Fellow during the 2024-2025 academic year at Maryland Institute College of Art, and was awarded the Fred Lazarus Award for Social Change.

As Bandcamp said so well, “[he’s] a self-described noise machine, digital pirate, and technomancer—embodies the spirit of Akomfrah’s Data Thief in both his music and his persona, acting as a connector for different elements of Black dance music history.” Resident Advisor named his album Black Life, Red Planet as one of the Best of 2024. Through his Gum Studio imprint, he’s released music by FiFi Zhang, Dazegxd, and Raegun. Gum Studio is an amorphous artist-led company that realizes bespoke projects. Recent productions include a bespoke gin, a magazine, and a community bike ride.