Student Events will be hosting A-Trak, a Canadian DJ and turntablist, for the winter concert on Jan. 26. A-Trak is also the owner of the record label, Fool’s Gold, and is known for his album, Dirty South Dance. As recently as Wednesday, A-Trak performed on the David Letterman Show, and has been celebrated at concerts worldwide for his unique combination of club music and dirty-south sound.
A-Trak was carefully selected to perform at Brandeis this winter by the Student Events concert department.
“Student Events plans and holds two annual large-scale concerts, the Fall Concert and the Winter Concert. In September, Santigold and Theophilus London put on a great show for 900 students in the Shapiro Gym,” said Suwei Chi ’13, adding that A-Trak will perform in Levin Ballroom for the winter concert.
According to Chi, the Student Events concert department takes the price and the availability of performers into consideration when deciding the type of show students will see each semester. The concert department also considers the performer’s success and reputation.
For instance, performers like AraabMUZIK and Super Mash Bros have been hosted at Brandeis in the past years, yet did not draw large crowds of students, as Student Events had hoped they would.
“For our Winter Concert this year, we wanted to find an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) artist who would appeal to the students on our campus, and would come at a reasonable price,” Chi said.
Unlike AraabMUZIK and Super Mash Bros, A-Trak has collaborated with big-name artists such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Mark Foster and Kimbra.
In addition to collaborating with well-known hip hop stars, A-Trak has also made an international name for himself by posting recap videos and pictures of concert tours on his blog and by providing live access to Fool’s Gold Radio—his record label’s radio station—on his website.
“Students should definitely be excited to see A-Trak come to Brandeis! A-Trak was Kanye West’s personal tour DJ in 2004 and the two have been collaborating ever since. He is also the co-founder of the Fool’s Gold Record label, which released the well-received Crookers’ remix of Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘n’ Night” in 2008. Other artists under the label include Laidback Luke, Danny Brown and Chromeo. In addition, A-Trak is one half of Duck Sauce alongside Armand Van Helden. Under the name Duck Sauce, they released hit singles such as “aNYway” and “Barbra Streisand,” Chi said.
According to A-Trak’s website, “after years of schlepping vinyl, accumulating air miles and dressing smart, A-Trak has finally become the man to call to make the kids dance. Ask him and he’ll tell you that this is the moment he’s been waiting for his whole career.”
“A-Trak knows how to put on a show that makes it worthwhile for people to attend, as opposed to just listening to his tracks on your iPod. Make sure to check out his EP “Tuna Melt” which came out in December,” Chi said.
The Student Events concert department also plans Springfest along with a few members of WBRS. The concert will be held on April 28.
A-Trak tickets are $5 for Brandeis students who purchase tickets in advance, $10 for Brandeis students who purchase at the concert door and $15 dollars for non-Brandeis students at the door.
