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Sykotic is Making Tracks

Posted on: Monday, 8 August 2005, 21:00 CDT

Aug. 8--Above an empty storefront on Hamilton Street and a few doors down from the Allentown Parking Authority is a recently completed, state-of-the-art recording studio where local hip-hop, R&B and reggae artists are laying down tracks in the hopes of making it to the big time.

Sykotic Inc. spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars to renovate the space, and about five months ago, moved to the studio in the 1000 block of Hamilton Street in Allentown. Sykotic's owner and the studio's producer, Iman Trek, has been involved in music since the mid-1980s, and has created local records since 1999.

Trek, an Allentown native who began rapping as a student at Allen High School, recorded seven albums plus countless singles in his home studio. Now, in the new space, he has dedicated himself to launching The 7th Brigade, a local hip-hop group.

Indeed, Trek, whose real name is Sydney McKenzie, said there is an abundance of musical talent in the Lehigh Valley. His mission is more than building a recording business. He wants to put Allentown on the map for music.

"Allentown is the equivalent of Compton, [Calif.] before NWA and Dr. Dre," Trek, 34, said in an interview at his studio last week.

He was referring to the hometown of the pioneering rap group, NWA, which featured Ice Cube, whose successful solo rap career led to movie roles, and to Dr. Dre, now well-known as Eminem's mentor.

In the music he produces, Trek wants to get beyond many of the violent and materialistic themes that have come to dominate mainstream rap.

"We want to talk about love, feelings, politics," Trek said of the label's music. "We don't just want to talk about drugs. We don't just want to talk about how many diamonds are on someone's finger."

Sykotic, which is the name of the studio as well as Trek's independent recording label, specializes in hip-hop, R&B and reggae music, but artists working in genres as diverse as techno, Middle Eastern and salsa have recorded there.

The company also is involved in promoting musical events and providing graphic design for album covers. Trek says the traditional recording label is no longer a major outlet for up-and-coming rap music. Sykotic posts many singles and samples on Web sites that provide a direct connection between artists and fans. He also uses mix tapes to get music out there.

Mix tapes, which have become the vehicle of choice in the hip-hop community, are tapes and CDs that producers compile to provide exposure for underground artists who won't get radio airplay. The burgeoning self-released music format is typically unpolished and meant to give just a flavor of an artist's potential. The rise of the mix tapes and the release of songs via the Internet has provided an opening for independent musical producers such as Trek.

Trek hopes to sell advertising space on the mix tapes. He also is producing DVDs that feature performances by musicians and interviews with unknown artists.

The studio consists of three main rooms: a control room where Trek records and mixes the music and makes rap samples of previously-recorded music; a main vocals recording room where the artists perform; and a drum room that is specially designed to record percussion.

Sykotic recently reduced the hourly rates to $25 to make it more accessible to local artists. The second-floor studio includes a kitchen and a lounge where the families and friends of the artists can relax while recording is under way.

The studio is outfitted with nonstatic carpet, top-of-the-line microphones that can retail for as much as $2,000, and the equipment that has put rap on the map: a sampling machine and a mixing console. Trek, who studied computer science at Alvernia College in Reading, also uses his laptop to manipulate sounds.

The new studio represents a milestone for Trek, who has already made a name locally through mix tapes he has produced. The studio and recording label have attracted the interest of some heavy hitters, including Freedom Williams, who hit the charts as part of C&C Music Factory with the song, "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)." Trek said Williams recently recorded some music at the Allentown studio.

"My goal is to fly big stars to Allentown to record," said Trek, who believes the Lehigh Valley is a good place for well-known musicians to record in peace.

Trek has built a network of contacts that he hopes will pay off now that he has a professional music studio. He worked for a year for Jamaican Dave Production, a Philadelphia promotions company. While there, he said he helped promote an event in Atlanta that featured well-known reggae artist Sean Paul.

He believes The 7th Brigade could be his chance at success.

"It's good enough to compete with anything on the radio, or better," Trek said.

THE DETAILS: Sykotic Inc.:

--What it does: an independent record label and music studio specializing in hip-hop, R&B and reggae music

--Employees: 1

--Year started: 1999

--Biggest success: collaborating with Dr. Freeze, who has recorded songs with Michael Jackson, other artists

--Ambitions: become well-known in the recording industry

--Contact info: 1015 Hamilton St., Allentown; e-mail: imantrek@gmail.com; Web: www.imantrek.4t.com.

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Source: The Morning Call, Allentown, Pennsylvania

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