34
A BROADER WAY OF
THINKING
Always at the forefront of underground music, the Knowledge cover CD is as synonymous with the drum & bass scene
as the rewind or the Amen break. It should therefore come as no surprise that this month sees a break from the label /
agency mix CDs that we are normally graced with, to instead offer a complete album of new, unmixed material from
DJ Trax featuring 11 tracks written especially for you lucky blighters. What is surprising though is that DJ Trax’s last
album was only reviewed in our March issue so he’s clearly been busy in the studio.
We thought we’d better ring him to make sure he forwards. I’ve got a track lined up to come out audience in mind, to the constraint free process
was of sound mind and see if we could stop him on Lightless which features him and I’ve written of creating ‘1,000 Pictures’. It sounds like Trax
producing music for at least 20 minutes. “I ini- a couple of other tracks that feature him. This is is just happy to get out of bed every day and write
tially talked to Dev Paradox about it,” explains the first one that’s actually coming out. He sends what he feels, something which is clearly coming
Trax. “His first reaction was, ‘What! You’re go- me exclusive beats. He was sort of influenced by easy at the moment.
ing to give it away?’ I told him that sales are so myself and Dev in his drumming, so he was really
bad these days that you are virtually giving it away happy to be working with me and I’m really happy “Although I write lots of different stuff, I hope I
anyway but this way the music will reach a lot more to be working with him. have my own sound and if anything I would say it
people. After I chatted to him for a bit he saw was thought provoking. I want tracks to have or
what I meant. I would much rather make music “Steve and Chad are in a band called Morning provoke some sort of emotion from someone.
that can be heard on a broader spectrum. That’s Parade. I saw them live and really liked Steve’s Either it’s a bit edgy and dark or it makes you
more important to me than sales. So, I came voice. They came in and we literally wrote the feel warm inside or whatever the emotion is. If it
up with the idea of writing an album exclusively song in a day at a piano. I’m going to be work- doesn’t provoke any emotion, then it’s not really
for Knowledge.” ing more with Morning Parade and now that this anything that I would write. I can appreciate some
album is finished I’m doing some remixes for electronic stuff that is just drum machines and
There was a time, not so long ago, when the sug- them. Becki Biggins is a really talented jazz vocal- sounds. I just like music to have a bit of soul and
gestion of giving away new music for free would ist and saxophonist. She also featured on ‘1,000 feeling to it.”
have been greeted with howls of laughter or a flash Pictures’ and had an album out recently which was
visit from the men in white coats. However, times number one in the jazz charts in America. Manu In line with this Trax has started putting together
have quickly changed and the era of healthy album Delago plays the hang drum. You should check it an audio visual PA, to be able to take a live show
sales and plump advances from labels are not only out if you haven’t seen it. It’s an amazing instru- on the road without resorting to standing behind
past but dead and buried. With live music reve- ment. I thought it would be good to collaborate a laptop using Ableton. “I had four different
nues starting to exceed takings from music sales, with someone using a new instrument.” videos done for the ‘1,000 Pictures’ album and
it actually makes good marketing sense to give there is going to be three or four videos for this
music away, especially given that music piracy is so Whilst it’s admirable to heap praise on your fel- Knowledge one. I use Serato and have a TTM
rife that it’s almost impossible to protect intellec- low artists and write wicked music to be given 57SL mixer which can scratch video. I will play all
tual property completely anyway. away to the general public, we all still need to my own stuff but will do it through one turntable,
put food on the table. Is Trax a secret million- a mixer and an effects pedal, as well as some of my
Whilst the recent LP ‘1,000 Pictures’, released aire or the lynch-pin of a large smuggling cartel? own videos as well. I’m looking at using a pedal-
on his new imprint Audio Buffet, encompassed No. He ends our suspicions with a straight for- board and effects and stuff like that. Already some
a wide range of music genres, the cover mounted ward answer, “Most of my income is from do- of the guys at Ichi One in Amsterdam, where
‘Thoughts in Widescreen’, a joint release between ing music for TV and film. I’ve produced a track I’m resident, have contributed doing a couple of
Knowledge and Audio Buffet, is aimed firmly called ‘Cataclysmic’ which features in a film called the videos and I’ve always liked the stuff they do
at d&b listeners. As well as Trax’s considerable Shifty, out now. A friend of mine, Rich Beggar, as VJs.”
production talents, honed over a career that now is in the film and said that they were looking for
spans more than 20 years, the new album features music. They described a scene and I sat down and Trax is currently working on a downbeat album
a host of talent in collaborations. Trax is keen to wrote something that I thought would match it. with Cryme of The Fix as well as collaborating on
make sure they get the recognition for their con- Then he came in and added lyrics.” a new project with Nookie. He has a collabora-
tributions. One such track is one of the album’s tion with Nucleus coming out, a track featur-
stand-out tunes ‘SemiConversational’ on which Trax admits that besides the music he is sent by ing KJ Sawka plus various tracks on Outsider.
Trax is joined by Steve Sparrow, Chad Thomas his peers, he doesn’t really listen to much of the He’s keen to work with new people and any in-
and beat-meister KJ Sawka. mainstream drum & bass on offer. With a re- terested singers, musicians, directors or labels
cord collection reputedly in excess of 10,000, can get in touch via www.myspace.com/dave-
“I first contacted Kevin [Sawka] after seeing him his drum & bass library is merely a drop in a sea trax. For contact info and to see the videos from
on YouTube,” explains Trax. “He’s been send- of styles. We argue back and forth about the ad- this project or the ‘1,000 Pictures’ album visit
ing me beats for about a year. It’s quite strange vantages and disadvantages of writing an album www.djtrax.wordpress.com
cos I’ve never met him. We just email back and like ‘Thoughts in Widescreen’ with a particular
www.kmag.co.uk
K34-36_DaveTrax.indd 34 29/4/09 12:35:26
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68