A-Trak grew up with being labeled a child DJ prodigy by many, but despite that heavy label, he’s been able to deliver above and beyond anybody’s expectations. Constantly coming up dopness to give us eargasms on projects like Sunglasses is a Must, to Dirty South Dance and now Infinity + 1 and his Fabriclive mix. Expanding beyond his own music he co-founded record label Fool’s Gold Records with friend and fellow DJ, Nick Catchdubs and discovering KiD CuDi. He’s currently on his 10,000lb Hamburger Tour which features Fool’s Gold DJ, Treasure Fingers and Theophilus London, which is stopping throughout various cities in North America.
Killahbeez: A-Trak, thanks for taking the time to do this interview.
A-Trak: All good…
KB: Lets’ talk Infinity +1, how does this project differ from Dirty South Dance, which was a personal favorite on repeat for a straight year.
A-Trak: Thanks man. This mix CD is completely different. The whole concept of Dirty South Dance was based on bootlegs that I was making with rap acapellas and electro tracks. That was a new sound in 2007 but I can’t do that anymore. Infinity +1 is much more based on the montage of songs itself, rather than the individual songs. And musically it’s in another vein.
KB: It seems that this new release features more of an electro/disco/house vibe to it. Is that reflective of your personal taste has evolved over the years?
A-Trak: Yeah that’s correct , it’s got a sort of spacey vibe to it. Of course my taste and my selections evolve with time. Up until 5 years ago I was mostly playing hip hop. Around the time that I put out my DVD (Sunglasses Is A Must) and did that tour with The Rub I started playing more party sets. When I made the Dirty South Dance CD I was getting interested in electronic music. I’ve dug deeper into that since then and now I think I pick and choose from all those areas and pick my selections depending on the context.
KB: In an interview that our writer, AJK, did with your brother, Dave 1, they touched on how Chromeos’ sound and your sound are starting to fall in line. Growing up how much of an influence did your older brother play in the music that you listened to? Do you two still bounce material off of one another?
A-Trak: Dave played a huge influence on me when we were growing up, in terms of listening to music. Basically I would listen to whatever he and his friends were listening to. Now we share a lot of music. Yes he’s definitely the first person to hear my demos and give me feedback, and vice versa for Chromeo.
KB: Switching topics to fashion. It’s clear that you have an appreciation for fashion, you’ve modeled for Sixpack’s lookbook, what was that experience like and are you doing more stuff down the road?
A-Trak: Doing the Sixpack lookbook was fun, I’ve collaborated with that brand many times over the years so I’m always happy to do more stuff with them. I’ve been asked by more brands but I turn down a lot of things. I actually wear Sixpack tees so it made sense for me to do that shoot.
KB: Staying on the topic of fashion, you hit up Paris for fashion week. Which shows were you able to take in and were there any pieces that stood out in your mind?
A-Trak: Yeah I went to Paris fashion week with Kanye. It was women’s fashion week though I can’t really recall specific pieces, it was more about taking in all the creativity. I saw Givenchy, YSL, Hussein Chalayan, Viktor & Rolf and Sonia Rykiel.
KB: Going back to music, I’ve heard that you and Solange Knowles are working on some music and a record between yourself and Armand Van Helden. Are there any other collaborations or remixes that you have planned next?
A-Trak: Yes I worked on a track with Solange and I’m sure we’ll do more. She’s a great writer and has a very open mind. Sure there are more collaborations planned but I won’t tell you everything! I will tell you that I just completed an EP with Armand Van Helden which is coming out on Fool’s Gold.
KB: What else is on the agenda for A-Trak?
A-Trak: Wrapping up a few remixes and I’m going to start on an A-Trak record soon.
KB: Any departing words for the readers out there? Thanks again for taking the time.
A-Trak: Support Fool’s Gold! Kid Sister album coming soon. Thanks for the support.
Photo: Matt Barnes
July 25th, 2009 at 11:48 am
tight