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A-Trak is more than just a turntablist. He’s a producer, a tastemaker, co-founder of the Fool’s Gold record label and a curator of all things good music. The 32-year-old studio maverick is known for blending rap and electronic music and adding his own production skills to the mix. The Grammy-nominated DJ/producer opens up about his creative process in a new collaboration with Grand Marnier.
“I blend out by mixing a classic approach to DJing with newer music,” he says. “You know, just kind of connecting between scenes and generations. Constantly breaking things open.”
As a DJ, he’s traveled all over the world. First, as Kanye West’s personal tour DJ in 2004, and now as global superstar. Through his experiences and learning about different cultures, he’s been able to blend all of those together and produce a worldly sound in his music.
“My inspiration comes from a lot of different places,” he explains. “This sort of, like, mixed influences, mixed cultures definitely had an effect on my music especially in the early years of my DJing.”
“They used to be the New York style, L.A. style and even San Francisco style. I was watching these VHS tapes of DJs that I idolized and I would take a little bit from one guy and from the other guy,” he added. “So I kind of put those things together and created my style.”
Although A-Trak is still passionate about DJing, the ‘Duck Sauce’ creator believes it’s necessary for him to wear many hats in the music business. “I think if I only did one thing in my life, I would find it mundane. I need to mix it up,” he says.
After a long day at work, A-Trak enjoys his Grand Marnier like his music — simple but classic. “On the rocks,” he states.
How do you #BlendOut? Tell us on Twitter at @theboombox, Facebook or in the comments below.
