A-Trak (Alain Macklovitch) is a Canadian DJ, turntablist, producer, and label executive — widely regarded as one of the most skilled and influential DJs of his generation.
Born March 30, 1982, Montreal, Quebec, Canada,
A-Trak began DJing as a teenager and quickly made a name for himself on the battle DJ circuit. At age 15, he won the 1997 DMC World DJ Championship, becoming the youngest winner in history. He also took home titles from the ITF and Vestax World Championships, eventually earning five world championship titles in total.
In 2004, A-Trak became Kanye West’s tour DJ, performing with him during the pivotal College Dropout era. This period exposed him to large mainstream audiences and allowed him to blend his technical turntablism skills with hip-hop and pop performance contexts.
In 2007, A-Trak co-founded Fool’s Gold Records with Nick Catchdubs. The label became a cornerstone of the late-2000s electro house, hip-hop, and indie dance scenes, launching artists like Kid Cudi, Duck Sauce, and Danny Brown. Fool’s Gold is known for blurring genre boundaries and fostering a unique underground-meets-mainstream culture.
In 2009, A-Trak formed Duck Sauce with fellow DJ/producer Armand Van Helden. Their single “Barbra Streisand” (2010) became a massive international hit, reaching the top 10 in multiple countries. The project playfully mixed disco, house, and pop sensibilities, bringing retro sounds to modern dance floors.
A-Trak has released numerous EPs and singles, often blending house, hip-hop, trap, and disco. He’s a sought-after remixer, working on tracks for artists like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Justice, Digitalism, and Kanye West. Known for his genre-bending DJ sets, he moves fluidly between hip-hop, house, electro, and experimental club music.
A-Trak is often credited with helping bridge the gap between turntablism culture and electronic dance music. He has remained a respected figure both in underground DJ circles and mainstream festivals. His technical skill on the turntables continues to influence younger DJs, and his label work helped define a generation of hybrid club sounds.