A-Trak has been a legend since he won the DMC World DJ Championship at the tender age of 15. Taking home the title launched his career into orbit—and he hasn’t come back down to earth since.
The Montréal native’s got a stacked resume: He was Kanye West’s tour DJ and collaborator, created viral remixes with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and helped cultivate artists like Kid Cudi and Danny Brown through his Fool’s Gold label. Aside from continuing to drop music on the regular, A-Trak is one of the many artist who maintains a residency at Drai’s Beachclub in Las Vegas. Complex’s own Natasha Martinez caught up with the Grammy nominee to tour his favorite spots in Vegas and chat about what makes the city so unique.
The duo began their journey at Feature, a streetwear and sneaker stronghold located at Wynn Las Vegas. The unassuming space is home to a collection of the city’s finest footwear, from Air Jordans to Common Projects, as well as sought after collabs. After checking out some rare grails, A-Trak introduced Natasha to 11th Street Records—a shop that’s been serving Vegas’ vinyl heads since 2015. As the iconic DJ dug through the crates, he spoke about the challenges of finding universal songs and beats that appeal to the masses descending on the city every weekend. The tracks, he asserted, need to sound as good to someone from Buffalo as someone from Belgium.
Developing an appetite, A-Trak and Natasha booked it over to Bazaar Meats, chef José Andrés’ love letter to meat and molecular gastronomy. They snacked on oysters smoked with applewood and dressed in an apple mignonette. Finally, our two fearless leaders ended their day at Drai’s, the 65,000 square foot nightclub that sits above the Cromwell hotel. It’s where A-Trak takes the stage.
The Vegas DJ circuit can be a whirlwind, but A-Trak never forgets his purpose and passion. “At the end of the day, as a DJ, I’m there to get people dancing,” he said. “Nothing compares to [playing for] the dance floor in front of me.”
