We are super stoked that the first ever exclusive mix, #001, hosted by Okayfuture is brought to you by Drew Conley and Eddie Sergi who together make up Tripletrain.

The producers/DJ duo are based out of Brooklyn, New York and have been making music and Djing together for the past year or so. Conley and Sergi might be new to the scene but have been making their presence known by hosting a video podcast called www.skylinesessions.tv as well as hosting their Low Key party playing at various venues around Brooklyn and NYC (which you should definitely check out if you are ever in the vicinity!).

We interviewed Tripletrain and discussed how they met, what’s it like trying to make it as a new artist in NYC, and why they love footwork so much. Read the interview below and stream Tripletrain’s mix here.

Who are you?

Drew Conley and Eddie Sergi

Where are you based?

Brooklyn, NY

How did you get into making music?

D: I started playing guitar at 13 yrs old and immediately became obsessed with making music and coming up with terrible/awesome sounds from every type of instrument available to me. Ive been making electronic music since the first Reason program was released.. Ive also been in to Djing/Turntables since I was in High School, so sampling is a huge part of my creative influence. I graduated from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2009 and my sound has been evolving ever since through the use of DAW’s like Ableton and Logic.

E: I’ve been making little loops/mashup stuff since I was about 17, but never was serious about actually composing tracks until I met Drew. His technical knowledge combined with my natural curiosity rapidly became a fruitful and positive environment in which to explore new sounds.

How did you both meet?

E: Haha, we were both at a mutual friend’s surprise birthday party. As we were waiting for the guest of honor to arrive we struck up a conversation about electronic music and realized we were both on our way to a Shlohmo show later that night and decided to split a cab there. When Drew first brought me to his studio we immediately started fucking around on everything, and it quickly became a regular thing.

What’s it like trying to make it as an artist in New York right now?

E: The hardest thing about NYC especially is that you have to get people to genuinely care about what you are doing, which is exceptionally hard when you are in a city saturated with so much talent. We just keep our heads down and put out quality tracks as much as possible. We knew that starting from the bottom would be difficult, so to get the word out about what we do, we started our semi-regular video podcast (think Just Jam) called Skyline Sessions, where we broadcast live dj sets of some of our favorite dj’s/producers and close friends. We also started our own live NYC party called Low Key. It’s all still in the early stages, and has yet to evolve to the point where we want it, but we’ll get there soon.

D: Its a lot of fun and a lot of work. We have endless amounts of talent in NYC so going out is an awesome experience because you get to meet so many different types of artists from Musicians, Djs, Visual Artists etc. It can be a bit daunting as well when you are trying to find your niche and gain a foothold in any given scene. Once you find the right parties and shows tho its cool because it starts to feel a bit smaller and you start seeing a lot of familiar faces in the crowds. But ultimately I think NYC is a combination of standing out from the masses as an artist and trying to do so without being gimmicky or watering down your vision, whatever that might be.

What is it about footwork/juke that you love?

E: The raw energy and repetitive sampling nature of juke/footwork are what first grabbed me. When I was in art school, I was constantly drawn to Dada and Pop Art, and I can hear those manufactured, rapid production, and absurdist tendencies all within footwork music. I feel like it was made for people like me.

D: I was attracted to this entire genre through my love of sampled music. Before I was making Juke I was only making hip hop beats ala JDilla, Madlib and MFDOOM so when I first heard DJ Rashad’s music I couldn’t stop listening to it and started trying to make that sound pretty quickly after… I feel like part of me doesn’t fully understand or appreciate the culture/history of all of it, but I’m just a music nerd that can’t get enough of it right now.

Where can we hear Tripletrain?

www.soundcloud.com/tripletrain

http://tripletrain.bandcamp.com

Anything you want to add?

E: This mix combines the latest footwork tracks on the scene with some of our old favorites, and a few originals as well. We hope you all enjoy hearing it as much as we enjoyed making it. Thanks for listening!

Tracklist:

RP Boo – Speakers R-4 (Sounds)

DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn – Broken Hearted

DJ Rashad – I Ain’t Juked All Week

Massacooramaan – Aww Shit (ft. DJ Rashad)

DJ Manny – Just Want U

DJ Roc – That Girl Can’t Juke

Dj Rashad – CCP

Hesk & Paveun – Just To See Her

Tripletrain – It’s Not Over (MoonDoctoR Teklife Remix)

DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn – Let Me Baby

Dj Rashad – Walk For Me

Tripletrain – Nobody

DJ Rashad & Freshmoon – Wah Wah

Hesk – Wont Be Satisfied (DJ Chap Remix)

LiL JaBBA – OiL

DJ Manny – Dancefloor (Remix)

DJ Omega – For Ever and Ever Amen

DJ Godfather – I’m Everywhere

DJ Rashad – In Da Club Before Eleven O’ Clock

DJ Rashad, DJ Manny & DJ Spinn – Let’s Roll Out

TRG – Broken Heart [Martyn DCM Remix] vs. DJ Rashad & DJ Manny Edit

Elsa Hedburg – Open the Door (Deejay Earl Footwork Remix)

DJ Rashad & DJ Phil – Everyday Of My Life

Deejay Earl – Get Up Hoe

Traxman – Itz Crack

DJ Rashad & DJ Manny – House Your Body

DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn – Rollin

Tripletrain – Downtown (snip)