Interview: Tom Trago

by Juno Daily on 26.04.2011 at 11:14am.
Last edited: 23.05.2011 at 16:36pm.

Those of us who expected Tom Trago’s second album to follow the same trajectory as his first opus, 2009’s Voyage Direct, were sorely mistaken. The sample based Detroit-meets-disco vibe is largely non-existent on Iris, replaced by a diverse stew of styles that range from vocal hip-house workouts to ambient interludes, via a spot of garage and late night electro-funk. The end result shows a producer clearly comfortable in his own skin, prepared to experiment and challenge himself musically. While Voyage Direct had no original vocal contributions, Iris has six – including Chicago house legend Tyree Cooper, Romanthony (the man behind the vocals on Daft Punk’s “One More Time”), and emerging star Olivier Daysoul. There’s even room for an unexpected vocal debut from well loved Amsterdam producer San Proper.

Perhaps the biggest legacy from Voyage Direct exists not in sound but name; the Rush Hour-backed Voyage Direct series has seen Trago turn his hand to the world of A&R, curating releases from the incredibly deep pool of Amsterdam based talent. Trago’s close working relationship with the Rush Hour empire is obvious – all of his original 12″s and albums thus far have been released on the Amsterdam based imprint or labels directly affiliated with it. Indeed he is arguably now just as entrenched in the city’s music scene as the label itself, acting as a linchpin for the city’s network of emerging producers and DJs. Juno Plus called on Trago to dissect the making of Iris, and discuss the Amsterdam electronic music community and what the future holds as DJ, producer and label chief.

Juno Plus Ones To Watch in 2011

by Juno Daily on 11.01.2011 at 15:19pm.
Last edited: 07.09.2011 at 16:33pm.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about last year was the flurry of creativity among some of electronic music’s brightest young minds: names like Space Dimension Controller, Nicolas Jaar, Ramadanman and Kyle Hall gained global recognition. Taking matters to an extreme, the Optimo guys even released an album of post punk covers from some pre-teen musicians! Not only are these young producers making their own material – they are spreading their wings across genres, releasing on wildly different labels and even, in some cases, running their own imprints.

It’s hard to think of a previous time when electronic music has crackled with this much prodigious creativity, and it’s against this exciting backdrop we have selected the following ten artists whose music we will be watching with a decidedly hawkish eye during 2011.

Bakey USTL – EP 1 review

by Juno Daily on 24.11.2010 at 19:29pm.
Last edited: 25.11.2010 at 11:43am.

Even if you weren’t privy to the news that Firecracker had launched an sublabel, your immediate thought when grasping this inaugural release on Unthank would be that the Edinburgh imprint were involved to some degree. Arriving in bespoke purple hand stamped sleeve art pressed on 10 inches of clear vinyl and covered in Japanese style plastic wrapping, it’s one of this year’s most attractive propositions for vinyl obsessives.

This is all without even approaching the music, a debut peek into the musical mind of the Amsterdam dwelling Estonian producer known only as Bakey USTL. In “A Tender Place” Bakey has delivered one of the most disjointed, flagrantly risqué, thumping eight minutes of house music your senses might be exposed to this year. There’s a dizzying momentum to the track, with several blunt and deranged sonic right turns, such as the brief silent interlude before the main glorious hook drops, which prove nothing less than stunning. A less than worthy soundbite would be to call it Moodymann on Viagra. A more than worthy summation comes from Jackmaster, with the Numbers honcho calling it one of this year’s best house tracks, with support from the likes of Ben UFO and joy Orbison adding credence.

In contrast to the sleaze on the A Side, the opposing proceedings open with the shuffling future soul abstractions of “Nose Candy” minimalist beatdown at it’s finest, whilst “Heroin” marks a swift descent into the depths of South American narcotic noise. Thus the schizoid brilliance of the A Side is matched by the slightly menacing strangeness of the opposing side on a record which is limited in numbers and high on demand.

Tony Poland

Firecracker offshoot debuts with Bakey Ustl

by Juno Plus on 14.09.2010 at 16:56pm.
Last edited: 15.09.2010 at 11:42am.

Fresh from helping Juno Plus to celebrate a year in existence in fine style down Curtain Rd, our friends Firecracker have sent out fresh details of their new sub label Unthank, with the first release a three track EP from the mysterious Bakey Ustl due next month.