Tom Trago

Amsterdam-based DJ/producer Tom Trago trades in upbeat house and disco with a penchant for big hooks and understated grooves. His 2009 debut full-length, Voyage Direct, was a hit with the neo-disco crowd, and he continued refining his style with the more vocal-heavy efforts Iris (2011) and The Light Fantastic (2013), which featured guests like Tyree Cooper, Romanthony, and Steffi. He's since released more atmospheric and sometimes experimental albums like Bergen (2018) and Deco (2023).

Brought up in a musical household, it wasn't long before Trago realized he wanted a career in music, taking up DJ'ing early on. Initially he worked as a coffee shop DJ, using his paycheck to buy records and in his spare time, produce his own tracks. He was lucky enough to have a lot of support from the DJs in Amsterdam, with people such as Aardvarck and Awanto 3 acting as unofficial mentors for his early work. His debut single, 2006's "Live with the BBQ," was picked up by local label/record shop Rush Hour, which he developed a close association with. His first album, Voyage Direct, arrived in 2009 through Rush Hour, and he decided to create his own label, also called Voyage Direct, to help promote local talent. Trago enjoyed collaborating with other artists, even if there are significant stylistic differences between them, for example, his EPs with U.K. club producer and Night Slugs label owner Bok Bok.

His next two full-length records, 2011's Iris and 2013's The Light Fantastic, also saw release on Rush Hour. Both albums evoked various eras of house, funk, and disco, with the former featuring guest vocalists including Romanthony, Olivier Daysoul, and Om'mas Keith, and the latter included appearances by San Proper, Ben Westbeech, and Steffi. His fourth album, 2018's Bergen, was his debut release on Dekmantel, and showcased just how far he had come as a producer, with some of his most textural productions to date. Shoebox, his long-running collaboration with Maxi Mill, released their debut full-length Falling in the Right Place in 2020. The EP You Deserve Better appeared in 2021, followed by Tide Will Turn in 2022. 18, a hip-hop-oriented archival collection released in collaboration with the clothing store Patta, and the more techno-influenced Trembala EP, were also issued in 2022. Trago returned to Rush Hour in 2023 with the serene and reflective full-length Deco. ~ Liam Martin & Paul Simpson, Rovi