FRET12 SESSIONS
RACETRAITOR
–Live Performance
Racetraitor has been pushing musical and political boundaries since the late '90s, shaping the Chicago hardcore scene. We were lucky to have them at the FRET12 shop, where they performed tracks from their latest album, “Creation and the Timeless Order of Things.”
Broadcasting from our shop at The Salt Shed, FRET12 Sessions invites musicians of all genres and styles to come in, perform, and share their work with the world.
FRET12 SESSIONS
RACETRAITOR – LIVE PERFORMANCE
Racetraitor has been pushing musical and political boundaries since the late '90s, shaping the Chicago hardcore scene. We were lucky to have them at the FRET12 shop, where they performed tracks from their latest album, “Creation and the Timeless Order of Things.”
Broadcasting from our shop at The Salt Shed, FRET12 Sessions invites musicians of all genres and styles to come in, perform, and share their work with the world.
F12-SESSION 008 // RACETRAITOR
Despite the band’s original run only lasting a few years, Racetraitor has left an indelible impression on the hardcore genre. Unequivocal in their political beliefs and unafraid to experiment with instrumentation, the band’s progressive politics and brash lyrics about institutional racism and white privilege made them outliers in the 90s — now, they’re legends who’ve paved the way for a new generation of anti-fascist, anti-colonialist punk and hardcore bands.
After their performance, we sat down with Racetraitor to talk about their reunion, integrating orchestral instruments into a hardcore sound, and how the mainstream’s awareness of racial issues has grown since the band’s formation.
"There's been a rise of anti-fascist punk bands and metal bands, and we kind of fit in with them because when we played originally, we played to the hardcore scene...it wasn't really well-received by most people. Now, as an older band, we’re not the ones setting the tone of the culture, but we are fitting in and being supportive.”
— Brent Decker
"There's been a rise of anti-fascist punk bands and metal bands, and we kind of fit in with them because when we played originally, we played to the hardcore scene...it wasn't really well-received by most people. Now, as an older band, we’re not the ones setting the tone of the culture, but we are fitting in and being supportive.”
— Brent Decker
“When the Black Lives Matter movement started, and the issues were being discussed around the criminalization of black and brown folks, police violence, and systematic racism as opposed to a sort of attitudinal racism — that was what the band was about. And we were in an era where, I think it's fair to say, not a lot of people were talking about those things as readily as they are now. There was no internet when the band first existed... those kinds of ideas were totally underground.”
— Mani Mostofi & Dan Binaei
“When the Black Lives Matter movement started, and the issues were being discussed around the criminalization of black and brown folks, police violence, and systematic racism as opposed to a sort of attitudinal racism — that was what the band was about. And we were in an era where, I think it's fair to say, not a lot of people were talking about those things as readily as they are now. There was no internet when the band first existed... those kinds of ideas were totally underground.”
— Mani Mostofi & Dan Binaei
HARD-WON TOUR TIPS
💥 "Get a good system...like where your passport and your wallet and your phone always are.”
💥 “Where possible, eat food that isn't just beige. Food with color is usually good for you.”
💥 “If you're lucky enough to go on tour, try to live your life as close to how you live your life at home. Try to exercise and crack all your grime, if that's what you do.”
“I think any time you can have the instrumentation, the lyrics, and your personal experience all coalesce into one piece, it always ends up being stronger.”
— Mani Mostofi
“I think any time you can have the instrumentation, the lyrics, and your personal experience all coalesce into one piece, it always ends up being stronger.”
— Mani Mostofi
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
“This is my favorite pedal I've ever owned, the Reverberation Machine [by Death By Audio]. I started using it for guitar because I like this really cool, dusty kind of distorted reverb... there are a lot of songs in Ganser where I use distorted vocals. It’s just a sound I’ve always wanted for vocals and it’s much more fun to perform as well.”
— Sophie Sputnik
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FRET12 SESSIONS – RACETRAITOR
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All video and photos by FRET12.
Venue: FRET12 Shop, located in the main lobby of the Salt Shed - Chicago.
FRET12 SESSIONS – mclusky
Welsh post-hardcore act Mclusky swings by the FRET12 shop to perform a career-spanning set.
