TRAKA is a project that defies boundaries, blending electronic music, graffiti, and visual art into a cohesive and striking identity.
What began as an ambitious idea during their university years has since evolved into a dynamic duo, known for their gritty, genre-defying sound.
With roots in Serbia and now split between Europe and the US, TRAKA’s music reflects a fusion of influences.
In this interview, the duo delves into their origins, the evolution of their project, and the unique fusion of music and visual art that defines their work. They also share insights into their creative process, the thriving bass music scene in Belgrade, and what’s next for their ever-expanding sonic journey.
Hey guys, how’s it going?
Hello STUDIO, All is well on both sides here.
First, we wanted to know where the name TRAKA comes from, and how the project came to life?
TRAKA originally came as an idea that was way overwhelming and kind of incoherent during our Uni years in Belgrade. Our former collaborator and his colleague proposed the idea of a brand promoting youth culture with all of our interests combined, but over time, the idea about what TRAKA is about had to be clarified. We would spend time together, work on our production and visual art, and after we had our first body of work done, it kind of all clicked. TRAKA translated means many things, but the most obvious one is the slang for TRACK.
Originally a four-horseman collective, TRAKA is now down to two. What led to this change, and how has the project evolved since its creation?
It’s really nothing more than creative differences. We all creatively matured while contributing to TRAKA and supported each other’s passion, and both of our former collaborators are continuing to pursue individual success in various forms. Obvious change would be from the visual standpoint, since one of our former collaborators was the focal point of our visual presentation. We continue to contribute to our visual catalogue as much as possible. Production value is intact, there hasn’t been a change of pace, rather than a shift of perspective.
A defining trait of TRAKA is the fusion of electronic music and graffiti. What inspired you to bring these two art forms together?
It’s what brought us together in the first place, and we still encounter many collaborators through graffiti. It’s predominantly a youth-driven culture, so through it you get to meet a whole spectrum of characters and personalities, and you all share a bond to a form of expression. Reflecting on the time when we were coming together – It was a perfect-timing situation as everyone was incredibly focused on their craft, no matter the medium, and through mutual interests and creative drive, it all turned out as it did.
You have a very clear and unique visual identity. How do you approach this side of your artistry? Do you collaborate with other artists for visuals and covers, or is it something you handle internally?
A release visual carries a lot of weight in our opinion. A lot of iconic bodies of work have that instant connection which can make you remember the cover art or a music video for it, and it leaves a scar for life. In a way, we chased down a certain aesthetic which is closely related with the work that 384K has done. We recognized that within 384K, and found his work as a great balance to our sound. We tend to keep the visual work within our reach if possible, but collaborating or requesting other artists is not excluded.
One of you is based in Europe, while the other is in the US. How do you navigate the distance when collaborating? What does your creative process look like?
We have our assortment of folders, which we share and pick out each other’s projects for further production. Sometimes it’s pre-arranged to work on a song by a theme of some sort, which one of us would try to turn from a discussion into a loop and work from there. Since we have different workflows, we have to bounce stems. In a sense it’s a question-answer game between us and it goes either way. We are fond of bass and anything related to it, so there’s a vast majority of things that could spark an initial idea towards a tune.
Speaking of Europe, you both come from Belgrade. Is that correct? What’s the bass music scene like there right now?
Neither of us is from Belgrade, but both have spent a significant amount of our time living there. But we still have a great insight of the scene in Belgrade, and it’s really thriving. As observers, we feel there’s a newfound love for leftfield bass music among younger audiences, which is fruitful for the diversity of appearances of foreign DJs and producers that have happened over the past several years. A lot of young ambitious people have shown genuine interest in familiarizing the local audience with certain sounds that are not considered mainstream.
Has the Serbian music scene shaped you as artists? If so, which artists or movements have influenced your sound?
We would consume the “surface level” of electronic music, hip-hop and metal during our childhood through a variety of video games and bootleg CDs. We were in similar crowds, but one of us was more involved with recording and following the rock/jazz scene of the City as well and was involved in the recording of a few artists and bands as a whole. Therefore, the influence of guitars, saxophones, live drums, and percussion recording comes to fruition in our tunes. We re-discovered our passion with sound system music and the wave of grime that was going on at that time. One track in particular that dragged us down the rabbit hole of dubstep was Commodo – Space Cash. In the following years, we got a chance to dance to many acts in the venues around the city, but the most prominent nights that we recall would be Mumdance and Kahn playing in Drugstore.
From the very beginning, you’ve worked closely with the YUKU label. What makes this partnership so strong?
Jeff and Ilda (Oolongbru and Kumquat Tang) of YUKU have welcomed us from the beginning, and gave us the opportunity to showcase our work and embrace our creativity among a larger audience than we could achieve independently at the time. Their vision of how a release should feel matches up with ours, and we have creative freedom from top to bottom. YUKU is a warm recommendation for anyone willing to delve into all-genre collision of electronic music.
What’s next for TRAKA? Any upcoming releases, collaborations, or live shows we should keep an eye on?
Yes, so many releases this year! First upcoming is our 8-track release for YUKU, featuring MUADEEP and COIDO on two of the tracks. This one will be gritty, rhythm machine oriented and just raw production, dancefloor based.
Second one is a System108 release with BLOCKLAB and ODDKUT, a vinyl release that will be announced officially any day now. These two are in March. Later on, we have long awaited FKOF vinyl TBA. 7 tunes. 4 originals (featuring Rider Shafique, ODDKUT) and 3 digital remixes from Abstrakt Sonance, TRIPTA and BLOCKLAB. these two releases will be for our 140 lovers, halftime business that we are very fond of..
We will be back soon with a 4-track for Satellite Era, a Chicago-based label. These are party shakers we can’t wait to hear the masters for.
Then also, something that has been long awaited internally is a RENRAKU 4-track. This one will be a great surprise to our listeners. Of course there is gonna be a gritty element to it (featuring our dear JuLo) to spice it up, but our general focus for this is sound design and DJ material for a different crowd.
It’s a busy first half of the year regarding releases. Few gigs are upon us as well.
Euro side is getting ready for March gigs in Belgrade (KC Grad) and the big FUCHS2 event in Prague, YUKU takeover, 29th of March. Alongside Hassan About Alam, Pruvan, Prayer Kumquat Tang, oolongbru and a very spicy Secret Guest will show the full force of YUKU crew (aka YUKREW) to the nightlife of Europe.
Currently discussing a few gigs with Austin, TX and Denver crews in the USA, end of this year.
For this Adrenaline episode, is there a specific vibe or mindset listeners should bring to the mix? When’s the perfect moment to tune in?
This one serves a nice palette of sound, energetic breaks, tech-breaks and twisted four-to-floor repetitive patterns, great to get you in a speeding mode down the highway, on your walk, or just a mass-hype to assist your irresistible dance mood. Definitely, it’s a constant energy ride, with some slides into dub near the end, before the grand fiasco.
Do you have a favorite track in this episode? What makes it stand out to you, and why did you choose to include it?
35 minute mark. Our ID that we are so happy about, juicy and wavy. Very minimal and positive mood. Something that we tend towards these days more and more. We are almost out of our twenties and left a lot of rage in our music from personal life. New tunes reflect our growth and future sound, yet to come.
TRACKLIST
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- Aagentah – Stack Monoid
- Fearful & Mtwn – Twelve Over
- Stones Taro – To Rave
- K-65 – Threats
- French II – Shot Caller
- Oddkut – Matrix
- Sir Hiss & Toura – Vermona Cycles
- Pépe – Grane Drum
- Noise Casino – Siquiera
- Sir Hiss & Sam Binga – ADLR (COIDO Remix)
- Nic Baker – Make That $
- Lake Hills – LATENIGHTWALK
- Headland – Half Tek
- Dual Monitor – Cuth Ta
- Hyas & Argo – Double Standard
- ENÉBI – FREEK’N JU
- TRAKA – ID ft Grim Sickers
- Pruvan – Dumpster Fire
- Stolen Velour – Ulysses
- TRAKA – ID
- TRAKA – ID
- Hedchef x TRAKA – ID
- TRAKA – ID (TRIPTA Remix)
- TRAKA – ID
- TRAKA – ID
- Jamz – Picture This (TRAKA Bootleg)
- TRAKA – ID
- ODDKUT – My Lazer ft Outselect
- Bodysync – 6 Million
- Badista – VEM PARA ZONA LESTE (DJ Marfox 3 de la manana remix)
- Thirzty – Runaway People
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Listen to the previous episode by Sorza here.
