Sunglasses Is A Must | Amalgam Digital Blog

Sunglasses Is A Must Artist: DJ A-Trak Interviewer: ENIG MUE

Sunglasses Is A Must

DJ A-Trak interviewed by ENIG MUE 03-05-09

AmalgamDigital.com: What were your first turntables? Your first gig?

DJ A-Trak: Well, I started scratching on my dad’s turntables at first. When I first tried, it was bad, because it was on an old belt drive. When I took it more serious and practiced, I went and found these old Technics 1200’s second hand, those were the first pair and I used them for many years.

As for my first gig, my brother had a band, a high school band, he was around 17. They used to play funk & instrumental hip-hop; this is like when acid jazz was cool, they did gigs uptown. The first time I played in front of the crowd, was when they let me setup my tables and play like as an accompaniment. Then I did a few shows around Montreal, and I did a DJ thing at a talent show.

Then I submitted a tape to DMC, I found these flyers where you could submit a demo. You recorded a set on tape and send it to their office, I was picked as an entry.

AmalgamDigital.com: When and why did you pick the name A-Trak? I know your name is Alain, is it some obscure reference?

DJ A-Trak: Nothing like that, when I was around 12-13 everyone used to write graffiti. I was too young to do any of that so I used to doodle on paper, I just wanted a tag so I used to write A-Trak, I thought it looked cool. When I started DJing it stuck with me.

AmalgamDigital.com: Since you’ve been working with Kanye, how welcoming has the hip-hop crowd been to you?

DJ A-Trak: It’s been good, I previously did the Block Party with Dave Chappelle, and I did the Be album with Common, but the turntable in hip-hop has become marginal, because it specializes in showcasing the emcee. Your typical artist or fan didn’t know the technical side of turntablism that has evolved since Juice.

I’m used to working with independent rappers, I had a group from back in the day called Obscure Disorder. So when I met Kanye, I had some sort of reference for performing for a hip-hop crowd, I have done a ton of shows already.

Overall that world was really receptive, especially in this context; it’s been so many years since a rapper gave the DJ that much presence since back in the day. I give Kanye a lot of credit for giving me so much exposure.

I think it’s because one of his first touring experiences were with Talib Kweli, Common and great performers like them, and their live shows were focused more around the DJ. So when Kanye did his first tour, it was only natural that he got the best DJ for the best show possible. Then there was this one moment in music, for people who knew Kanye, who knew me, who knew us, when we did the hip-hop honors and it was just me and Kanye on stage doing our thing, we got a lot of exposure off that.

AmalgamDigital.com: Do you have a favorite scratch/technique that you pull off?

DJ A-Trak: There are really not names for everything I do, and its not about a particular thing I do, its more about my patterns and how I put it together…like its more in the phrasing of it than the actual words, you know?

AmalgamDigital.com: Do you have any other hobbies besides the music? What do you like to do with your gasps of free time?

DJ A-Trak: (laughs) there’s not enough of that, I run a label too, plus I am very involved in my career…keeping up with if there’s a tour or if there’s anything. So everyday there’s a couple of hours where I do emails, then productions…I am trying to fit everything in these days off that I have.

As a dj, even if I’m not touring, there’s the label, I have to keep up with what’s going on in music, trends, do my blog, etc. it doesn’t leave much time for free time.

AmalgamDigital.com: What are some tracks you’ve been feeling lately?

DJ A-Trak: I’m always listening to a bunch of different stuff, but on the rap side; there’s this new Yung Joc song “Well Damn” – I don’t even know if it’s out yet but I got the promo. It’s kind of like that Juvenile song but where he says “Well Damn” after every line.

You know I play that Kanye shit, that 808’s, um, that new Q-Tip, some new MIMS. I listen to a lot of house, electro and everything that’s coming out on Fools Gold, the records I like I put out on Fool’s Gold, so they are my personal favorites, groups like Zombie Nation.

AmalgamDigital.com: Speaking of Kanye, have you heard this BP3 beat he is claiming is the best piece of music he’s ever done?

DJ A-Trak: I don’t know, but he says that every time he does something new.

AmalgamDigital.com: What roles do you and Catchdubs play in the everyday business of Fool’s Gold since you both stay active, how do you conduct business always being so busy?

DJ A-Trak: I don’t really go to the office, I may go a couple days a week, but everyday Catch (Nick Catchdubs) is there, and Dust (Dust La Rock), I talk to them everyday. We split a lot of the tasks and just consult everything. In general with the day to day business, I talk to the distributors, planning, sending masters, setting up artist deals, the more artistic decisions. Me and Catchdubs do accounting together.

I try to do as much as I can through emails, out of convenience to my schedule.

AmalgamDigital.com: Does dating and producing for Kid Sister ever cause a ‘conflict of interest’ or make it difficult to tell her no? Are you two able to separate business and personal life enough?

DJ A-Trak: Well she’s not on Fool’s Gold, she’s signed to Downtown now, that helped a lot. The first year or so I was putting it out, if she was worried about something she told me then we would go back and forth. Then she hired a manager which helped out a lot as a buffer.

I didn’t want to put the album out myself because I didn’t want to wear too many hats, and be unable to give all areas the attention needed. So we have a joint venture with Downtown, I’m there a lot anyway so now we (Kid Sister & I) talk just about the music itself, which is cool. She can do all of the creative process herself and I just help shape the demos and give advice.

AmalgamDigital.com: So are you on hiatus from the Infinity +1 tour right now? What have you been doing with the month long pause in this tour?

DJ A-Trak: The tour itself I think of as just the March dates. It’s been my first time off in a looong time, it’s been a while, I went to see my family and do new tracks. Now that it’s approaching I’m getting back into it (tour mode), starting new sets, practicing routines. I went to Australia in the middle and this is like my vacation, now I’m getting back into the zone.

AmalgamDigital.com: What other projects are you currently working on? Any surprises?

DJ A-Trak: Yeah probably, of course there’s Kid Sister this summer, and I’m ready to start working on my own album, I’m real excited about it. It’s gonna be cool, I think I’m gonna do a whole bunch of weird stuff, I don’t have to make it DJ friendly. I don’t have plans for the sound; I want to do whatever I didn’t get to do on remixes. I am pushing the production side this year. I don’t wanna go too heavy with the guests, because I don’t want the guests to define the record. It’s more about the way I’m going to piece together the music, it’s not going to be a record where there are guests on every track.

Catch up toDJ A-Trak:

myspace.com/djatrak

twitter.com/atrak

djatrak.com

A-Trak Infinity +1 Tour Dates:

02-13 Chicago, IL – Smartbar
02-14 Vancouver, British Columbia – Mountain Festival
03-13 Toronto, Ontario – Circa
03-14 Brooklyn, NY – Studio B
03-17 Boston, MA – The Estate
03-19 Austin, TX – Palm Door
03-20 Los Angeles, CA – Avalon
03-21 San Francisco, CA – Paradise
03-22 Los Angeles, CA – LAX
03-26 Miami, FL – Beatport Pool Party
03-26 Miami, FL – Louis Club
03-28 Miami, FL – Raleigh Hotel
03-28 Miami, FL – White Room

Sunglasses Is A Must4.054

Tags: Interviews

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 1:00 PM and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.