Introducing: Tom Trago + His fabric Promo Mix

The biggest street parties across the Netherlands are kicking off today for Queensday their national holiday and in case you missed the news Queen Beatrix has officially abdicated in favour of a "new generation", with her son Willem-Alexander becoming king. So there's a lot of excitement going on this week for native Dutchman Tom Trago who will no doubt be out in the commotion today celebrating at some of the public events on offer, maybe even playing at some underground party thrown in for some midweek fun. After all, Trago has been operating for the youth culture and cultural integration of his capital Amsterdam, bringing together a broad community of house and techno artists throughout the last decade who are now largely at the forefront of the Dutch electronic music scene. Immersed in the city’s various around the clock fluid medium for underground beats whether it's at the premier Rush Hour record store or at the famous Amsterdam clubbing institution, Trouw, where he regularly spins and enjoys its recently implemented 24 hour license. Oh and did we mention Tom's very own studio is next to the club, engulfing him in music on those rare occasions the club does shut. In what feels like one of the busiest times in his career to date we sat down to talk to Trago about the buzz that's growing around him by the day. Read on to find out what's new with his Rush Hour inspired label series Voyage Direct, why he used to think Kraftwerk were 'real' robots and how he escaped to a house deep in the forests of Holland to take a new perspective on life to create his third album project due this September. In the build-up to the colliding techno rhythms he'll be creating live on stage this Saturday as part of Eats Everything 'Edible' Tour, listen and download this full on floor-burner promo mix he's put together for us. DOWNLOAD: Tom Trago fabric Promo Mix Can you remember how you first got into electronic music? What parties did you first go to? Who did you share these experiences with? My parents used to have Kraftwerk records laying around and I was really into the sleeve-art at first but later also discovered I liked the catchy melodies and way of arranging. I always thought it was 'real' robots making this weird music. Until my father ended that dream and told me that it was arty German people dressed as robots.I try to stay in close contact to the Amsterdam underground scene as my goal for Voyage Direct is to be a platform for what is happening around me in terms of Dutch electronic music. Next to that it was Quincy Jones his productions for Michael Jackson. Although you might not consider it as electronic music, I was really drawn into the more electronic side of his songs. Something you can hear in the intro of "Rock With You" for instance. I remember asking myself: "which instrument produces these sounds?” Later on I was really influenced by Rednose Distrikt, Moodymann & Carl Craig. The first parties I went to were more on the hip-hop side of things, although I remember being 14 and raving to Jeff Mills at the legendary parties in the Melkweg (venue in Amsterdam). As soon as I started living in Amsterdam I got in good contact with the whole Rednose Distrikt & Rush Hour crew, which consists of: Aardvarck, Awanto 3, Kid Sublime, Antal, KC the Funkaholic, San Proper and many others. On parties like Paradisco 3000 and Black disco Bust, amongst others, we used to dance till the early morning to DJ's from all over the world. Mostly to different genres and actually, I still do so. Trouw in Amsterdam got its 24 hour license this year. What sort of impact has that had on the city? We know you get to play there regularly. It definitely gives more freedom to the whole nightlife experience. Sometimes you can have a better party or vibe on Sunday morning/afternoon than on Saturday night. Also, it shows that the politicians in Amsterdam respect the nightlife and are allowing more freedom (although still quite strict). For me it means I can play longer sets into the morning and obviously I really like that. How much time do you get to check out new musical talent in Amsterdam? Where do you like to go to go to check out new sounds and be inspired My studio is next to Trouw and we hang out there often. People like Overlast, who released his latest single on my label Voyage Direct recently, came by in my studio and so I got to hear his music. Also, through Trouw & Rush Hour I meet a lot of new cats, like Olff for instance, who is releasing his first single on Voyage Direct this summer. I try to stay in close contact to the Amsterdam underground scene as my goal for Voyage Direct is to be a platform for what is happening around me in terms of Dutch electronic music. Voyage Direct is the label series run by yourself under the infamous ‘Rush Hour’ imprint. The label focuses on Dutch house and techno artists only. Tell us about that? Voyage Direct started out because I had this track of fellow Dutch artist Dexter called ‘Junofest’ which he had given me to play out. An amazing track and I was surprised it still wasn't released a year down the road. I gave him a call and he told me I could release the track as I loved it so much. I told him it really fitted my idea of the ‘Voyage Direct sound’ I tried to reach on my first album. So I came up with the name Voyage Direct Series. Actually it’s all about tracks of my friends and people around me. Most of the time it goes like this; they let me hear a tune they made and I wish I had made it and I am like ‘WTF’. You made this? DAMN! I want the world to know about this track. We got a bunch of new releases coming up over the next year: Maxi Mill, Olff and Overlast, San Proper, Makam and Melon will all come through with new material. William Kouam Djoko released on Voyage Direct with his ‘Enforce YS / We Are Your Brothers & Sisters EP’ and he’s playing here at fabric on the same night as you this Saturday. What’s the story behind your friendship? We met trough the vivid nightlife of Amsterdam, he played me some tracks at a crazy loft party and I loved them. As he had a studio in the same building (VKG) as I, we used to meet up for a tea or two and listen to each others music more and more. I now consider him as a close friend and I really respect his style. And he is a great entertainer, so I'm looking forward to his show. We are also working on his new single for Voyage Direct. Tell us about your next album project, out in September. What’s the vision behind it in comparison to your previous albums? Actually, my vision hasn't changed. The new album will be more of a club album than 'Iris' was. Most importantly, I have the feeling that I can get into it more now. I mean, I reach closer to what I have in mind. I am still on a long journey in discovering how music and sound work, but on this album I tried to reach back to my love for dance floor music, as I also tried to show on my first album ‘Voyage Direct’. The difference is that I now used more synths instead of samples and that the way things are mixed have progressed quite a lot. What’s the album making process like compared to your first album and Iris? For this album I approached it more as a project. I retreated to a house deep in the forests of Holland, and took my time to look at my life from a different perspective. It was more produced in a certain amount of time, than with my other projects. Also it uses less song structure in songs so I was a bit more free in arranging things. And because most featuring on this albums are also my friends it was a more relaxed and pleasant way of working. Can you describe for us the way you like to work when you’re in the studio? Is it always a therapeutic process? Most of the time things flow really naturally. I get inspired by music or a movie or something that I experienced over the weekend for instance. My neighbour A001 also inspires me a lot. He keeps banging techno 24/7. Down the hall there is San Proper who is always pleasantly happy when I arrive. In the studio process I usually make me a cup of tea, smoke me some cheebah, and then the machines just do all the work. I also have some Oompaa Loompa's running around to connect some midi cables if needed. We have fun. In what ways have Rush Hour allowed you to have free reign in what you do as an artist? They have always supported me and I am very happy at that. We have come a long way together and it feels good to have such a strong relation and dedication to one label instead of many. They always help me with selection of tracks and feedback in mixing or arranging. Antal, Boye and Christiaan are three music lovers and I appreciate their taste and respect their ideas. I never felt like making music that wasn’t honest just to get a deal or so. What’s your live gear set up? I always bring ‘small’ hardware, like a MFB 522, a Memory Man, MPC200xl, SP404, Nord Drum, an Alesis 3630 for the drum compression. Then I use Ableton and a MPD 26 for controlling. I also use a RNC compressor on top of all to get things sounding a bit more mastered. How are you preparing for your live set in Room Two on 4th May. What can we look forward to hearing on the Martin Audio system? Any sneak previews of the new album? As I just finished my new album, I will definitely be testing some of the new tracks out live for the first time. I am also developing a way to play live more playful to where the set goes so its also about the people who come visit the live show. I adjust my music to the energy they give me, and also on the surroundings the venue brings. So playing in Room Two is fantastic because the sound system is truly amazing. What else are you looking forward to about this year? I got some things lined up: my project Night Voyage with Bok Bok. Some exciting remixes are on their way. I will be playing a lot of festivals this summer, club DJ sets & also I’ll be touring with my new album after the summer. Tom Trago plays live in Room Two on 4th May. More info and tickets go, here