He hasn’t even turned 25, but Alain Macklovitch — aka A-Trak — has already enjoyed a decade-long career, with more highlights than there’s room to list. And the Montreal native is only getting started. He’s best known at the moment as Kanye West’s DJ; the hard-to-impress Kanye was so taken with the routine A-Trak performed with some Jay-Z vinyl at a London record store that he snapped up the young spinner on the spot.

But that’s what happens when you’re good enough to walk away with the DMC world DJ title at age 15 and to retire from competition three years and many championships later, with nothing left to prove (and an honorary membership in the legendary turntable crew Invisbl Skratch Picklz, to boot). The younger brother of Chromeo’s Dave Macklovitch, A-Trak is now working on his own solo album, but if you can’t wait to get up to speed, his new live DVD, Sunglasses Is a Must — out now on Audio Research — is required listening and viewing.

This article appears in May 3-9, 2006.