Cover art by Studio Tanna
Tom Trago is returning to his roots with a new series of club-focused EPs full to bursting with tried-and-tested tracks that recall the disco-sampling rush and release of some of his biggest dancefloor hits.
The ‘Pearls for Pleasure’ series sees the Dutch artist dip into his vast archive of previously unreleased “secret weapons” – cuts made at different points over the last decade which have been doing the business in his DJ sets, and more recently those of his closest musical confidantes and collaborators.
The music showcased on the series will feel familiar – despite its’ previously unreleased nature – for those who have followed Trago’s career since he made his debut on Amsterdam institution Rush Hour in 2006. While the Voyage Direct, TT and JNL label founder’s musical output has evolved and expanded considerably since then – taking in multiple albums, countless collaborations and aural explorations that stretch beyond the dancefloor – some of his greatest hits, most notably timeless summer anthem ‘Use Me Again’, blur the boundaries between disco, house, and his love of colourful synths and kaleidoscopic electronics.
‘Pearls for Pleasure Vol. 1’, which will appear on Tom Trago’s own TT imprint, offers a sweet and potent taste of what’s to come across the series. Sparkling and stunningly summery opener ‘Hotballs FM’ sets the tone, with the former Trouw and De School resident wrapping silky disco strings, rubbery bass, starry synths and heady vocal snippets around a hot-stepping, swing-soaked rhythm.
The energy levels lift on ‘All Right’, where Trago expertly works a handful of tight, chopped-up disco loops in classic tease-and-release fashion before he doffs a cap to his love of electrofunk and boogie on the colourful and pulsating ‘Take a Chance’. Another peak-time treat that builds in waves, the track impressively updates a little-known dollar bin gem for 21 st century dancefloors. Like the rest of ‘Pearls for Pleasure Vol. 1’, the track sounds like a summer anthem in the making.
