Sometimes you have to lose yourself in order to find a better way. It's not a conscious decision, it can't be forced - it's just the way of the wanderer…the hobo. Joel Boychuk knows this more than most, having travelled halfway around the world in search of musical inspiration only to return home and find it waiting on his doorstep…

Growing up in Sarnia about an hour's drive from Detroit, Joel first connected with electronic music through Kraftwerk who in turn stimulated his interest in the rich techno landscape just a stone's throw away. Jeff Mills and Juan Atkins were particularly influential but it was Plastikman's Sheet One that really sealed the deal, inspiring him to start building his own loops and samples. He was soon hooking up for laptop jam sessions with Adam Young after high school and the pair gradually evolved into Tractile.

Regular trips to Untitled at Detroit's Shelter club followed and it was there that he tentatively handed Clark Warner the first Tractile demo. Richie Hawtin soon got wind of their potential and suddenly the prospect of a Minus release was on the table. For an 18-year-old kid this was mind-blowing and a deal was eventually struck at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival in 2005. Tractile's Silent Movie EP on Minus was a memorable affair of action packed tunes that hurtled forward, effortlessly shifting from rough angular beats to flowing, floor-friendly grooves at the flick of a switch. After relocating to Berlin, spending a whirlwind 13 months touring Europe, soaking up the city's electric atmosphere and collecting invaluable experience, Joel felt the constant traveling around, from show to show seemed to be disrupting the collaborative process. Soon after, Joel decided to follow his instincts and return home to pursue his own musical vision and develop his own identity.

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