Tom Trago (b. 1983, Amsterdam) has been operating at the forefront of electronic music for the past ten years. Started playing records as a local Amsterdam DJ – and soon abroad – holding down residencies and making underground radio to promote new music, he quickly moved to producing his own sound. Now one of Rush Hour’s prominent producers, Trago debuted in 2006 with his first single “Live” with the BBQ, whichbrapidly gained cult status, got picked up by many key players in the scene and ended up on a Playboy Mansion compilation.
Early 2009 Trago released “Voyage Direct”, an 8-track EP which highlighted his love for disco and house music. This release gained him worldwide acclaim and launched his international career. He spent the last two years traveling the world over both dj’ing and performing his “Voyage Direct” in a live setting. Besides touring he has worked on remixes for artists such as Franz Ferdinand, Laidback Luke and Philippe Zdar. He was also invited to conduct with the Kindred Spirits Ensemble during ADE 2009, performing orchestral renditions of techno classics, like “Strings Of Life”.
April 2011 saw the follow up album to “Voyage Direct”, entitled “Iris”. It took him most of 2010 to records and it embodies a personal journey in which Trago fuses electronic music with his earlier inspirations. From starting out as a hip hop dj to learning classical composition at music school, studying old jazz records, playing in various bands and entering the Amsterdam nightlife. Besides reading like a personal lifeline, the album also saw Tom traveling to the USA to work with some of his musical heroes, like Tyree Cooper, Romanthony and Om’mas Keith of Sa-Ra Creative Partners.
Over the past year Tom is mostly dividing his time between touring his three-piece live set around festivals in The Netherlands and dj’ing in clubs worldwide. He is also running his boutique label cum club night Voyage Direct, which acts as a platform for Dutch electronic talent. Most recently he has raised his profile with the re-release of his club hit “Use Me Again” which got a remix treatment by Carl Craig. Both versions are currently the highlight of many a club night.
Tom Trago is holding down residencies in Amsterdam (Paradiso/Trouw) and as part of Parra Soundsystem in Bern (Club Bonsoir/Wasserwerk) as well as Paris (Le Paris Paris/Regine). He has been invited to play in cities like Berlin, London, Los Angeles and Sydney and promises to continue.
Tom Trago Top 10 October 2012:
01. Omar-S & L’Renee- S.E.X. (Conant Gardens Posse remix) (FXHE Records)
02. Shoebox – Roam No More (Rush Hour Recordings)
03. Nikola Gala – Only (Ryan Elliott remix) (Rekids)
04. Karizma – Twist This (Simbad Dub)
05. Jump Chico Slamm – Galactic Alignment (Rush Hour Recordings)
06. Overlast – Range Rover (Voyage Direct)
07. Tom Trago feat. Cinnaman – Rise Up (Rush Hour Recordings)
08. Audiojack feat. Kevin Knapp – Stay Glued (FCL Weemix) (Gruuv)
09. Duke Dumont – Street Walker (Turbo Recordings)
10. Steffi – Tank (String Version) (Ostgut Ton)
