Artist: A-TrakTitle: Sunglasses Is A Must (DVD)Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Robert Longfellow
No, his claim to fame isn’t being Kanye West’s DJ. Montreal’s A-Trak (Alain Macklovitvh) has been making a fresh sounding mess of cuts, scratches, flares and such since he was barely out of his pre-teens. On Sunglasses Is A Must (DVD/Audio Research), the 1999 & 200 ITF World Champion and Allies DJ crew member takes us on a spin through his life. Though it could be initially dismissed with a “Who give’s a f*ck?” shrug, the DVD is interesting enough thanks to insider commentary and entertaining segments.
As the DVD goes on it’s interesting to see A-Trak go from a nervous wet behind the ears neophyte to a cocky, super skillled battle champ. It makes his extensive discussion of trying to beat the Skratch Perverts and the general look at the battle scene all the more intriguing. But not as hilarious as his Isreali accent that considering his Hip-Hop pedigree makes him sound like a poor man’s Lyor Cohen. Though nothing can beat Peanut Butter Wolf dancing in a store or jamming with A-Trak on toys. Plenty of juicy battle tid bits will keep the needles fiends content.
Bonus features include unedited battle routines, a lesson on Scratch notation and a look at trip he made to South Africa. Overall, the vid offers a lighthearted look at the hectic schedule of one the hardest working, and sharpest cutting, DJs in the game.