A-Trak

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Watch A-Trak Explain How He Produced ‘Believe’ Feat. Lil Yachty and Quavo

A-Trak

While fans often get to see A-Trak perform DJ sets, they rarely get to see his creative process as a producer.

However, the former Grammy nominee has showed Genius how he produced his latest single “Believe” on a new episode of Deconstructed. The track, which features Lil Yachty and Quavo, currently sits at No. 7 on DJcity’s Hot Box chart.

In the video, A-Trak says he recorded the song a year ago but stored it away for a few months. He breaks down the changes he made to it over time, including adding a playful sound inspired by the Rugrats theme song. A-Trak also recalls getting advice from his brother Dave 1 from Chromeo and Fool’s Good artist Promnite.

Watch the video above.

Related: Watch 1Mind Explain How They Produced French Montana’s ‘Unforgettable’

| Music Tech, Videos
A-Trak, Lil Yachty, Music Production, Quavo,
Thursday, August 3, 2017

DJ Brace Enters A-Trak’s Goldie Awards Battle

DJ Brace

After recently winning the DMC Online Team Championship with Vekked, DJ Brace has set his sights on A-Trak’s Goldie Awards battle. The Canadian turntablist is doing something different though, this time competing as a producer.

The Goldie Awards is a new DJ and producer battle that will take place in New York City on September 7. Competitors will be judged by a panel that includes Diplo, DJ Craze, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, and Destructo. The winning producer will get to release a song on A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold label while the winning DJ will get to perform at the Fool’s Gold Day Off festival.

To be considered for the live final, entrants must upload a one-minute video on the Goldie Awards website by August 6.

Watch Brace’s entry above.

Related: Vekked Enters A-Trak’s Goldie Awards Battle

| Turntablism, Videos
A-Trak, DJ Brace, Goldie Awards, Routine,
Wednesday, July 26, 2017

A-Trak Encourages DJs to Be Creative and Open Minded

A-Trak

With the release of his new single “Believe” and upcoming Goldie Awards battle, A-Trak stopped by Shade 45’s Sway In The Morning to catch up and drop a turntablism-friendly mix.

During the convo, the Fool’s Gold boss explained that he created the Goldie Awards to push the art of DJing forward.

Scratching with current sounds:

“… I don’t want scratching to be an old school thing. I don’t want people to look at the way I DJ and be like ‘Oh you brought it back.’ To me, scratching always sounded futuristic. There’s subtle choices you can make as a DJ whether it be the sample that you actually scratch. We don’t have to still scratch on the ‘ahh’ and the ‘fresh’ from ‘change the beat’ and some James Brown shout. Music sounds more synthesized now so the samples that I scratch on, I’ve been choosing sounds that are more synthesized too.”

Adapting to modern DJ technology:

“A couple of years ago I started using the CDJs for those shows where maybe there’s strong winds and crazy vibrations or confetti being blasted on the stage. I remember just standing and thinking, ‘Why am I removing a confetti from the vinyl and the needle when I should just be performing for this crowd.’ And it just made me realize that I had to adapt to the evolution of equipment…”

Being creative and open-minded overall:

“I personally love turntables, and I hope turntables stay available to people for a very long time. But I also don’t want potentially, aspiring kids, people who want to become DJs, to think that they have to have a Technics 1200 to scratch. … Or even if it’s not literally scratching, [people should] learn how to come up with their own tricks. To me, it’s all about scratching and turntablism and just like the hip-hop approach to DJing that’s very subversive and taking equipment that was made to be used one way and using it another way. It’s always about that creativity and flipping what’s in front of you. … I wanna challenge the new generation to come up with new, original tricks on any kind of equipment because I don’t want [DJing] to be a legacy art form.”

Watch the full interview and mix below.

Related: Vekked Enters A-Trak’s Goldie Awards Battle

| DJ Culture, Turntablism, Videos
A-Trak, Interview, Sway In The Morning,
Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Vekked Enters A-Trak’s Goldie Awards Battle

Vekked

With under two weeks left to enter, Vekked has submitted an entry for A-Trak’s Goldie Awards battle. The five-time world DJ champion made the announcement on his Facebook page.

“Currently on a coast to coast Canadian tour, but I decided to come out of solo DJ battle retirement one last time to take a shot at A-Trak’s Goldie Awards. I put a little spin on a routine you may have heard before… this time with even more Mortal Kombat, some Street Fighter, Earthworm Jim, and NBA Jam.”

Vekked told us that he connected an Xkey Air keyboard to Serato Pitch ‘n Time via Bluetooth to control the pitch of the Sega loop.

The Goldie Awards is a new DJ and beat battle that will feature six DJs and six producers competing in their respective categories. The competition will be judged by a star-studded panel that includes Diplo, DJ Craze, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, Destructo, and Mija. The deadline to enter is August 6, and the live battle will take place at Brooklyn Steel in New York City on September 7.

Watch Vekked’s routine above.

Related: Watch Vekked and DJ Brace’s Final DMC Online Team Routine

| Turntablism, Videos
A-Trak, Goldie Awards, Routine, Vekked,
Tuesday, June 6, 2017

A-Trak Launches New DJ and Beat Battle

A-Trak

A-Trak
A-Trak at the We the Future Festival in Puerto Rico. (Photo credit: Steve Garfinkel)

A-Trak has launched a new DJ and beat battle called the Goldie Awards. The Fool’s Gold chief first announced it on DJcity’s MikiDz Show back in May 2016.

“The Goldie Awards isn’t the same old DJ battle,” A-Trak says in the trailer for the event. “We’re allowing literally any piece of equipment you want to bring. We’re welcoming anything that’s part of the art form of DJing now in this day in age.”

The competition is “designed to reflect the genreless, borderless, and limitless nature of music today,” according to Thump, which is a co-sponsor of the battle.

The Goldie Awards will feature six DJs and six producers competing in their respective categories. The DJs will be judged on originality, creativity, technical ability, music selection, crowd response, and stage presence. The producers will be judged on originality, creativity, technical ability, musical range, and crowd response.

Judging the categories will be a star-studded panel that includes Diplo, DJ Craze, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, Destructo, and Mija. Harlem rapper Dave East will host the event.

The winning DJ will get to perform at the Fool’s Gold Day Off festival, and the winning producer will release a song on the Fool’s Gold label.

To enter, entrants must upload a one-minute video to their Instagram or YouTube accounts with the hashtag #GoldieAwards and fill out the application on the contest’s website by August 6. The judges will then select six DJs and six producers to be flown to the live battle, which takes place at Brooklyn Steel in New York City on September 7.

Get more information, including the competition’s rules, at the Goldie Awards website.

Watch the trailer below and grab your tickets for the event on June 9.

Related: A-Trak Reacts to Possibility of Expanded of Laptop Ban on Flights

| DJ Culture, Turntablism, Videos
A-Trak, Goldie Awards,
Monday, May 22, 2017

A-Trak Reacts to Possibility of Expanded of Laptop Ban on Flights

A-Trak
A-Trak performs at the 2016 We The Future Festival in Puerto Rico. (Photo credit: Steve Garfinkel)

Expanding the ban on electronic devices in airplane cabins to more countries could force A-Trak to change the way he DJs, the Fool’s Gold chief wrote in a op-ed for Mass Appeal.

“If I had to check in a laptop, which my entire DJ profession resides on, the risk of that bag being delayed or lost is high enough that it would probably force me to rethink the whole way that I DJ,” A-Trak said. “There are obviously different set-ups for DJing. There are DJs with just a flash drive or [an] SD card. I could fit that in my pocket, and I wouldn’t need my laptop as much for that.”

A-Trak’s article was in response to a recent meeting between US and European officials to discuss expanding an existing ban to European countries.

In March, the US and UK banned devices in cabins for flights from a number of Middle East countries. The ban was based on intelligence that the Islamic State was developing a bomb that could be hidden in electronics.

US and European officials have since decided to forgo a ban for European flights, but A-Trak’s commentary is still insightful.

“There was a point about three years ago where I decided to start using CDJs for some of my shows,” A-Trak wrote. “I still [use a laptop] with Serato as far as the song selection, but as far as the hardware equipment, I started using CDJs more because I had to accept and realize that there were certain conditions and certain venues where it became so cumbersome to be the only guy asking for turntables. It’s a handful of us still asking for turntables; it’s me and DJ Snake and Craze and Jazzy Jeff. That’s it.”

A-Trak added that he, like many DJs, has a backup plan in case there’s a problem with his laptop.

“I can just plug in an SD card and play a set. Maybe it’s not quite as technically fancy as what I’ll do with my preferred set-up, but I can play. At least I can give people a show.”

Yet, despite his ability and willingness to adapt, A-Trak recognized that ditching his laptop all together would be difficult.

“I spent years and years and years and years already converting my turntablist meets party-rocking style from vinyl to Serato. To have to rethink that to yet another technology, essentially, that would represent a lot of work.”

Updated on May 22, 2017 at 6:02 p.m. PDT

Related: US and UK Ban Laptops and Other Devices in Cabins From Some Flights

| DJ Culture, Music Tech
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