The Rise of TREKKIE TRAX: A Journey into Tokyo’s Underground Music Scene
The label’s first big break came later in 2012, when m-flo producer ☆Taku Takahashi played Seimei & Taimei’s track ‘Everlasting’ on TCY Radio. The crew would get a regular show on Takahashi’s block.fm the next year, which ran until 2024. In 2014/15, they gained global attention after Finnish label Top Billin released ‘Trekkie Trax Japan Vol. 1’ and ‘Vol. 2’. “Our mentality kind of opened to outside Japan more, because we realised that there’s people who listened to our music overseas,” says andrew. Riding the SoundCloud future bass wave, TREKKIE TRAX received props from labels like Mad Decent and Skrillex’s erstwhile media outlet Nest HQ. Concurrently, the netlabel began the transition into a proper label.
Expanding Horizons: Global Recognition and Evolution
“Since we got more followers, we got more chances to connect with Western labels and artists, and we started learning from them little by little,” says andrew. In 2015, the label dropped its first official CD release, distributed in brick-and-mortar stores, a collection of warm future garage tunes by Carpainter titled ‘Out Of Resistance’. “Around that time, we stopped calling ourselves a netlabel,” says Seimei. Worldwide recognition was cemented in 2016, when Pitchfork featured the V/A ‘Trekkie Trax the Best 2012 – 2015’ and the crew toured the USA, culminating in an afterparty spot for Porter Robinson and Madeon’s Shelter tour.
Tokyo’s Diverse Music Scene
All the while, the label has maintained a presence in the Tokyo underground. “I think in Tokyo, it’s not so much divided into underground and overground,” says andrew. Seimei agrees, “LOUNGE NEO had an underground vibe, but people still played overground music. You could listen to future bass and minimal techno at the same time. I have friends who are rappers, drum & bass DJs, minimal tech-house DJs, big-room trance DJs, EDM DJs, DJs who only play super underground outdoor psytrance raves. I like that. It’s really Tokyo–ppoi [Tokyo- esque].”
FAQs about TREKKIE TRAX
Q: How did TREKKIE TRAX gain global attention?
A: TREKKIE TRAX gained global attention after the Finnish label Top Billin released ‘Trekkie Trax Japan Vol. 1’ and ‘Vol. 2’ in 2014/15, showcasing their music to a wider audience. This led to recognition from international labels and media outlets like Mad Decent and Nest HQ.
Q: What was a significant milestone for TREKKIE TRAX in 2016?
A: In 2016, TREKKIE TRAX received worldwide recognition when Pitchfork featured the V/A ‘Trekkie Trax the Best 2012 – 2015’ and the crew embarked on a tour in the USA, concluding with an afterparty spot for Porter Robinson and Madeon’s Shelter tour.
Credit: djmag.com
