GOTH-TRAD
A unique producer with a unique style, Goth-Trad has emerged from the Japanese electronic scene in the last decade as one of the most arresting artists from his generation. ‘The Sound Originator,’ Goth-Trad creates remarkable dance music with an abstract approach.
Goth-Trad’s music career started in 1998. He soon formed Rebel Familia in 2001 with Takeshi ‘Heavy’ Akimoto (ex-member of Dry & Heavy) while continuing to work on his own. From abstract electronica to noise, from dub and reggae to jungle and rave music, grime to dubstep, Goth-Trad has always experimented and in the process developed his own unique style: blending influences and delivering music that is constantly evolving.
Between 2001 and 2004 Goth-Trad grew his notoriety on the Tokyo underground and went on his first European tour. He also released his first album, Goth-Trad I, and opened for The Mars Volta during their 2004 Japanese tour. His second album was released in January 2005, titled The Inverted Perspective it focused on the improvisational live style he had been developing in previous years and which he would continue to refine to this day. In March he played in Korea and in the summer established a new style called Mad Rave. ‘Mad Rave’ is Goth-Trad’s own take on dance music, refined and musically distilled through years of work.
From 2007 onwards Goth-Trad received increased support, respect and interest from across the dubstep and electronica scenes worldwide with people like The Bug, Kode 9, Blackdown, Juju and Skream all playing his music and sharing stages with him. Mary Ann Hobbs was also an early supporter on her Breezeblock show on BBC Radio 1.
In 2008 he released singles on both Skud Beats and Soul Jazz Records and for the first time he toured China in April. At the same time he continued to grow the Back To Chill nights in Tokyo providing a platform for the burgeoning Japanese dubstep scene. Over the coming years the night would see new Japanese talent added to the resident line up and play host to both local and international guests.
From 2009 to 2011 Goth-Trad continued to tour in Europe, Japan and Asia and released singles on Deep Medi Musik as well as remixes for European and Japanese artists leading to the Babylon Fall EP in late 2011, the precursor to New Epoch his fourth album. New Epoch was released on Deep Medi in early 2012 and marked Goth-Trad as one of the most important voices in dubstep. The album received praise from around the world with the UK’s FACT Magazine heralding it as one of the best dubstep albums of the year.
Not only do Goth-Trad and his team organize and curate the event with cutting edge, stunning visuals but Goth-Trad also provides the sound pressure with his very own soundsystem. In 2014 he collaborated with Red Bull Music Academy Tokyo for “Back To Chill - A Red Bull Music Academy Special Party” which invited American sludge metal band “The Body”.
In November 2014, he started his own Back To Chill label.
In 2015, GOTH-TRAD found a dubplate cutting studio “Was Alchemy” near his house, and he restarted cutting dubplates. As can be seen from his approach like the remix for Japanese noise core band “ENDON” and a collaboration with Heavy Rock Band “Boris”, his music was becoming more alternative. In 2016, his Back To Chill night had the 10th Anniversary, and he released very limited Dubplate & USB digital album “PSIONICS”. He featured “Boris” and American Experimental Hiphop MC “Dälek” on the limited dubplate.
In 2017, his Back To Chill had the first international show in Taipei.
He formed new band “EARTAKER” with vocalist “Diesuck” and noise artist “Masayuki Imanishi”.
EARTAKER released their debut album ”HARMONICS” via Bedouin Records in September 2018.
In March 2019, GOTH-TRAD & JK FLESH (from GODFLESH) “KNIGHTS OF THE BLACK TABLE” Split Album was released on Daymare Recordings. They described unique style called “Slow Motion Industrial Dub Techno”. It sounds like a continuation of PSIONICS.
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