By: Jamie Reysen

Montreal-native Alain Macklovitch, better known as A-Trak, stopped by Boston’s Royale on May 2nd to spin his unique blend of bangers for a packed room.

When it comes to music production, A-Trak is a jack-of-all-trades. He’s been running the successful Fool’s Gold record label since 2007, and he even joined Kanye West as his tour DJ back in 2004. He has a gift for finding talent, as well as for enhancing the work of others.

Given his resume, it should come as no surprise that he knows how to give the people what they want, and his Royale performance didn’t disappoint. A-Trak’s remix of Daft Punk’s “Robot Rock” kept the crowd moving, and hip-hop mixes like Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” brought east coast swag to the set.

The audience was beyond thrilled when A-Trak dropped his popular edit of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll,” a song that cemented his name in the mainstream consciousness back in 2009.

That same year also marked the debut of A-trak’s Duck Sauce collaboration with Armand van Helden. As A-Trak spun the duo’s track, “aNYway,” I could barely hear the original vocals over the audience sing-along it prompted.

But the excitement over “aNYway” was nothing compared to the extended edit of Duck Sauce’s infamous “Barbra Streisand.” I remember the crowd’s excitement in 2010 at Ultra Music Festival when A-Trak premiered the track. Since then, you’d be hard pressed to find an electronic set without some version of the song mixed in. I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t want to hear it ever again.

That is, until A-Trak drops it, and I’m singing and dancing along like a fool. Watching him spin “Barbra Streisand” makes it feel less played-out and more like a classic.

Therein lies his greatest skill—A-Trak knows how to be catchy, yet original. Above all, he knows how to keep his fans singing, smiling, and having a blast.

Ray Ban Vision (feat. CyHi Da Prynce)