It’s not everyone that enjoys a profession then takes a sabbatical to improve upon that craft.
But that’s what DJ AFTR, Alone For The Ride, did as he took a break from DJing in the South Side of Chicago. Then known as DRAC, he primarily spun house, retro new wave and industrial.
After the break, he came back, reinvented as AFTR and with a new repertoire—techno and tech house.
On behalf of StripJointsMusic.com, ED Magazine spoke with AFTR about life since the break, including his newest single “Humboldt Swagger (Wanna Go Down)”.
ED: What did you do while you took a break from DJing? What brought you back as AFTR?AFTR: I focused on the producing side of the scene, once I had a solid EP and was signed I came back as AFTR and took the production and DJing more seriously.
ED: What do you enjoy most about your residency at Chitown Techno Radio? What’s been the most memorable show?
AFTR: The fact that I was able to play techno from melodic to hard techno. As for the most memorable, definitely was a homie takeover on my birthday, we had a 16 hour session and had some of Chicago best DJs and producers mixing on the show.
ED: How did you become involved with cars?
AFTR: Ever since I was kid, I loved cars and at the age of 18, I was offered a job working in car at a local Firestone shop, then a new car dealership and I’ve been doing it ever since.
ED: Talk about the theme of all sizes being beautiful for the video — how is that your reflection of Chicago?
AFTR: Chicago is full of beautiful people from all sizes and walks of life.
ED: How did you link up with Pepper Gomez for “Humboldt Swagger (Wanna Go Down)”?
AFTR: A mutual friend linked us up together on Facebook. I had a track that needed a good vox. I sent it over to WUM and when it came back for me to hear it I was amazing at how perfect it sounded.
ED: How is this track a precursor to the rest of the EP “May”?
AFTR: it sets up the prefect groove for the rest of the album’s tech house/house vibe.
ED: With COVID ongoing, how is your summer/fall schedule looking?
AFTR: For the summer, I’m actually picking up another Livestream residency hosted by Samantha Rose (ROAZ). Other than that, I cancelled all my bookings and am not taking any gigs till everything is back to 100%, I feel we shouldn’t rush to do parties with crowds yet. I would feel bad if someone got sick at an event I played at.
ED: StripJoints services DJs at gentlemen’s clubs nationwide, so why would “Humboldt Swagger (Wanna Go Down)” be a good choice to play at a gentlemen’s club? What would your reaction be if you were at the club and the song came on?
AFTR: The groove of the track and the sexy vox I believe are perfect for a dancer to move to.
Check out “Humboldt Swagger (Wanna Go Down)” and more on stripjointsmusic.com.
