For Generation Next – real name Tre Strickland - a career in music always maintained an air of inevitability. The son of Detroit legend Big Strick (himself a cousin of FXHE boss Omar S), he grew up in a home where jazz, disco, house and techno reigned supreme. Inspired by contemporary hip-hop and RnB as much as he is the music of family friends Amp Fiddler, Kenny Dixon Jr and OB Ignitt, he’s enjoyed a musical upbringing like few others in modern-day Detroit. But don’t be fooled. While his influences span both near and far, Generation Next maintains a sound that’s very much his own – and one he’s been busy cultivating for quite some time. A prodigious talent since his early teens, his production career began in earnest when he first picked up his father’s MC808. The two have fostered a unique musical relationship ever since, with Tre ultimately working as sound engineer across much of their label, 7 Days Ent’s discography. In 2012, he released his first solo EP on 7 Days courtesy of a self-titled release that featured some of the label’s finest moments to date. Picked up by numerous DJs and in-the-know house heads, tracks such as “October Oasis” and “Lamborghini Dreams” emphatically reminded listeners of a producer on the rise.