A-Trak

1015 FOLSOM PRESENTS

A-TRAK
ARAABMUZIK
APE DRUMS

Friday June 19th | 10PM - 3AM | 21+

Tickets: https://atrak1015-lastfm.eventbrite.com

A-TRAK

At a time when the DJ sits firmly at the center of popular culture, A-Trak stands out as MVP, the key participant who holds together all facets of the craft. Very few share his mastery of turntablism while also sitting at the forefront of musical innovation, looking keenly to the future with history tucked in his back pocket. A true connector, Trizzy hops effortlessly from colossal festival stages to sold-out concert venues and sweaty underground clubs, building links between hip hop and electronic music while watching genre barriers crumble.

After spending years as Kanye West’s tour DJ and consigliere, he founded the celebrated record label Fool’s Gold in 2007 and developed the careers of artists such as Kid Cudi, Danny Brown and Flosstradamus. With its string of releases and parties, Fool’s Gold broke down bygone rules of the record industry, paving the way for a new wave of independents and helping to make North American electro a dominating force. As a Grammy-nominated producer, A-Trak’s seminal mix of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll” marked an entire generation’s introduction to dance music. Duck Sauce, his irreverent collaboration with Armand Van Helden, flipped the bird to chart-topping formulas and reached #1 in 12 countries with the ubiquitous “Barbra Streisand”, electronic music’s first true viral music video. A-Trak easily segues from working with EDM’s elite to revitalizing rap superheroes, launching Federal Reserve with Cam’ron and Low Pros with Lex Luger. He casually picked up 3 VMA nominations along the way.

Not bad for a kid from Montreal who was once known as a 90’s turntable prodigy. As a teenager, he brought home every DJ title known to man, starting with the 1997 DMC World Championships and holding a record-breaking 5 titles by the time he was 18. Meanwhile, as his older brother Dave morphed into the lead-singing lothario in the acclaimed electro-pop sensation Chromeo, Alain grew from a nerdy teen who created an elaborate scratch notation system to a bona fide style icon and one of the most recognizable figures in the DJ scene. He recently appeared in campaigns for Adidas, Grey Goose and Cadillac and graced the covers of Billboard and Complex. Based in New York for close to 10 years now, A-Trak’s interest in the lifestyle of his generation has certainly made its mark. As one of the first blogging DJs, he now regularly contributes to the Huffington Post and owns the travel website Infinite Legroom. Through Fool’s Gold, he cemented his reputation as a cultural curator: the label’s legendary events – most notably the Day Off series – are like a knighting ceremony for new talent; FG has its own clothing line and a Brooklyn storefront which doubles as an art gallery. It’s the accumulation of these projects that defines who A-Trak is. With this sort of breadth to his resumé, it’s no surprise that Rolling Stone named him one of the 50 Most Important People in EDM. Currently focusing on more solo recordings, the ever-young Trizzy continues to write new chapters in his storied career.

ARAABMUZIK

If you were to Google the name Araabmuzik, you would discover a lot videos showing this music producer hammering on an MPC as if he was Travis Barker on the drums. With his fast rhythmic touches on the machine – while donning a New Era fitted, some might call it poetry in motion, others might say it’s suicide on an MPC, but for the Dipset in-house producer it’s just another day on the job.

Born Abraham Orellana in Providence, RI, the middle child of two other siblings, he grew up with an affection to music starting at a very young age. “I’ve been drumming since the age of 3. When I was around 10, I started getting into keyboard and producing my own music.” Half Dominican and Guatemalan, he confesses that his Hispanic heritage has influenced his music to a degree. With his mom being a one-time professional singer he’s been around melodies and beats his entire life, however; growing up in Providence… it’s natural to assume Hip-Hop not having much of an influence in the city, considering that’s it sprawled so far away in New England. “There’s definitely a lot of Hip-Hop here. You’ll find a lot of local rap groups, solo artists out here that are trying make it, it’s just the fact that we’re not on the map like that just yet.” Having found much success working with Dipset members Cam’Ron, Duke Da God, Hell Rell and others, he’s also shopped beats to Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Cassidy, Gucci Man, Young Dro and Fabolous. With his rapid beat making techniques, it’s easy to understand why it’s getting him on shows from state to state because it’s amazing to see. “I’ve been getting booked by clubs lately to do shows performing on my MPC live. It’s something different, unique and it puts me in a position to be a trendsetter, but on the other hand – it’s allowing other producers in the crowd to hear my sound and see what I’m doing, but I don’t think you can really duplicate what I’m doing.” Putting a name on how to define his music and style is a daunting task, but under the fabric of his beats still lies a blueprint from the influences of Dr. Dre, Swizz Beats,Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, Hi-Tek, DJ Khalil and Beatmakers. These famous producers vicariously helped in perfecting his craft to the point now that it’s a full time job. “When I first started making beats, I went from the keyboard to a software program and to an MPC. My motivation at that time was just for the fact that I wanted to hear and make my own music. All my old beats on the keyboard where like a good 3-4 minutes long and as I got better, so did the beats.” Not really needing much for motivation when making a new beats is natural. “I’m not the type that needs to smoke a blunt or have a drink to be creative. “I just sit down and think of what I’m going to do or how I’m going to do it. It doesn’t take long – no more than ten minutes for me to complete a beat. It’s always like 10-15 minutes the most and then I’m done.”

As his talents continue to move him forward, don’t ever think leaving his hometown is in the plans. “Growing up in Providence, I was blessed because I didn’t have to go through a lot of the things that other people that I know in places like Boston and New York had to go through. I was raised by both my mom and my pops and their still together this day. Besides, it doesn’t matter where I’m from just so long as the people keep liking my beats that’s all that matters.”