Kicking off this weekend the massive Parklife festival is set to bring electro back to Australia in a big way. ITM caught up with New York by way of Canada wiz-kid A-Trak to talk about his constant balancing act, touring around the world, working with Armand Van Helden and what the in demand DJ is looking forward to on his Australian trek.

Hey there, appreciate you taking the time to answer some questions. You’ve released records on Fabric, Kitsune, Fool’s Gold (naturally, as it’s your own label), done the Nike mix, remixed everyone from Digitalism to Boys Noize to Tellier and Kanye West. You seem to be able to fit into all these different styles and niches and appeal to all sorts of different people. What do you think is behind that? Is that conscious on your behalf?

I think that’s just the nature of what I do. Let’s not forget Stones Throw, I did a record with them 10 years ago. I’m originally a hip hop DJ and throughout the years I’ve gotten into different styles of music. Even within one genre I try to bridge a lot of gaps. So when it comes to labels or collaborators, inevitably that variety is reflected. I can never sit still!

Following you, or rather your output and exploits as a DJ, producer, wiz-kid, I’ve always been fascinated and wondered how exactly you manage to successfully balance everything you’ve got going on. You’re touring, you’re producing, you’re blogging, you’re Fool’s Golding, it seems pretty hectic from where I’m sitting. How do you do it all?

I think the key is not stopping…haha. If you just keeping going like an octopus at a switchboard, there’s a balance that can be kept. I don’t know…I’m a little obsessive.

Being so busy do you ever yearn for some down-time, where you can just stop thinking about everything and watch Rock of Love or something?

It’s pretty rare but it happens. I went on a two week vacation last month. It was wonderful. I have to make a conscious effort to take a breather, because the reality is I love what I do! So I don’t necessarily have this urge to take breaks.

Because Australian readers are dying to know, what’s a typical day in the life of A-Trak like? Curveball sub-question: what’s your favourite part of your job?

If I’m home (in New York), I wake up around 9, check the internets in the morning. Go to the Fool’s Gold office from noon to mid-afternoon and do the email thing. Then come back home to work on music for the rest of the day. I usually catch up on more work/blogging in the evening and go to bed around 2.

Fool’s Gold has been going strong for a while now, are you happy with how it is? What were your initial motivations behind starting your own imprint?

Yes I’m thrilled with Fool’s Gold’s growth since we started in ‘07. Of course I want us to get much bigger and I rarely sit back and think we’re doing good because that’s just how I work… but in reality yes, I’m happy. I’ve been involved with labels for a long time. Before FG my brother and I ran an indie hip hop label, Audio Research.

The main idea for Fool’s Gold was for Nick and I to have a platform for this music that was all around us and create a strong brand that people can trust.

You’ve got the Bag Raiders boys signed to FG in the US, what was it about their stuff that made you want to work with them, besides their affection for Pellegrino and burritos (in that order)?

Yes! Bag Raiders! I met them on a trip to Australia when the label was still pretty young. I liked “Fun Punch” and a few of their remixes. Chris came to my show and we kept in touch. I just liked those guys and thought we could do some cool stuff together. That’s how a lot of our signings start.

Still keeping on the Fool’s Gold side of life, what is that you look for when you’re sifting through demos that makes you want to work with someone?

We look for songs that are game changers, songs that transcend the scene they come from and can appeal to all sorts of people. We also look for artists that we can help develop, people who we think can fit well with our brand and where we want to go collectively.

Let’s talk a little bit about Duck Sauce, your new project with Armand Van Helden. How did you guys connect originally to work on the EP? Was their an underlying theme or concept that you wanted to put into it when you were writing the tunes?

It just started with Armand and I becoming friends, hanging out. After about a year, he brought up the idea of making a record together. Of course I was down. I knew right away what kind of sound I wanted us to go for.

The songs seem to once again straddle a few different styles like disco, house and electro, was that the intention?

To me it’s pure disco house. Duck Sauce is the most easily definable music I’ve ever made.

Armand is a living legend of the club scene and is someone who’s enjoyed both underground and mainstream success consistently for so many years now; is that something that you’d like to have too, say in like 10 years time?

Absolutely. He’s a model of longevity for me. I can only wish to have a career as fruitful, successful, respectable and (from what it seems) enjoyable as his!

You obviously come from a musical family with your brother Dave being one half of Chromeo, so whilst he went down the band route, what made you choose to pick up some decks instead of a guitar?

I used to play the piano when I was younger. Basically Dave picked up the guitar really young, then I tried the piano. Then I quit. Then one day I tried scratching and was pretty good at it right away. For the first time I found something that I could do better than my big brother! So I stuck to it… And he became my biggest supporter.

Last question! You’re no stranger to Australia but what’re you excited about doing/seeing whilst down here for Parklife?

I’m hoping to go check out the Great Barrier Reef! We’re checking the schedule now to see if it’s possible. Also, gotta have some oysters.

The national Parklife tour is proudly presented by ITM! Keep your eyes peeled to our Festival Page at inthemix.com.au/parklife and check out the national tour dates below…

Sat 26th Sep – Botanic Gardens & Riverstage, Brisbane (SOLD OUT)
Sun 27th Sep – Wellington Square, Perth
Sat 3rd Oct – Birrarung Marr, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
Sun 4th Oct – Kippax Lake, Moore Park, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
Mon 5th Oct – Botanic Park, Adelaide