A-Trak Reflects On 1 Year Of A-Trak & Friends

Q: It's been a year since you launched A-Trak & Friends. What has been different about running a genre-specific label vs. a label like Fool's Gold, which covers numerous genres?

A: Well, I’ve always been super proud of Fool’s Gold’s eclecticism — we modeled FG after labels like Mo' Wax, Stones Throw, Nervous & Sleeping Bag. But we also like to keep things fresh and it’s not the first time we launch a sub-label. Some might remember Fool’s Gold Clubhouse (quick fact: Tchami’s first release was on Clubhouse!). 

A-Trak & Friends is even more of its own thing, and what’s been fun there is that we came up with a very streamlined approach to our releases. Yes it’s more genre-specific than FG, it’s mostly House music. But even as far as artwork, mastering, promos etc, we have a pipeline and it’s been really fun running releases through it. It feels like it’s moving at the speed of the DJs and the scene that it targets. 

Q: How do you decide if a release is the right fit for A-Trak & Friends?

A: It’s pretty simple: would I play it in my sets? That’s all. I’m trying to keep human curation alive!! It’s important for labels to not get too reactive, I’m not trying to follow what’s going on with other labels’ releases. I’m just trying to catch stuff that I’m excited to play. If I’m psyched, there’s other people out there who will be psyched too. That’s always been my belief.

Q: What's been the most exciting aspect of starting this new label?

A: I just love building a project from the ground up. That’s so much fun, figuring out the identity and the targets, working with my brother Dave on the overall direction, with Nick Catchdubs on the artwork, getting the whole team focused and presenting it to the world. I love doing that.

It’s also been really cool to have friends and peers send me music for releases. It’s super flattering when someone I know and respect hits me up like “hey I’d love to release this on your new label.” That’s real trust!

Q: Tell us about the A-Trak & Friends parties.

A: So the parties actually started before the label. The first A-Trak & Friends party was in Miami for Art Basel 2021. So we’re already going on 5 years. Most have been in Miami and New York, but we had amazing ones in Paris and LA in the last couple months, and we’re about to do London later this month with ChaseWest and Sasha Gigi. It’s super fun to curate these parties, I literally get to put all my favorite DJs in a room, like Danny Tenaglia and Boys Noize and Todd Edwards.

Q: Do you have any advice for other producers or DJs who are looking to start their own label?

A: What’s changed the most in the last 10 years or so is that the back end of setting up a label is easier than ever. The mechanics of releasing music, especially if it’s digital, are incredibly accessible. So it really boils down to 2 things: 1, defining your targets and your priorities. Do you want to get on DSP playlists or do you want to focus on Beatport and give them exclusives? What’s the identity of the label? If someone is telling their friend about their label, how do you want them to describe it? And 2, making sure the business is tight. Contracts, accounting, all that needs to be buttoned up. You have to really make sure all that stuff is completely fleshed out, and then you can start having fun with it.