I’m originally from Montreal. But if you’re a fan of hip-hop, New York is like Mecca and it’s only a six-hour drive away. So I moved about three years ago after my older brother (A-TRAK’s brother, David Macklovitch, is one half of dance duo Chromeo) got sick of me crashing on his couch!

Williamsburg in Brooklyn is pretty much as close to the Lower East Side as you’re going to get without actually having to live in Manhattan. It’s full up with a lot of artist and musician types, but I actually do a lot of my partying over in the Lower Eastside and then return to Williamsburg to relax. The area is sort of a classic caricature of gentrification. Maybe seven or eight years ago artists moved in because of cheap rents, but it’s really not cheap anymore as the fashionable scenes there have pushed rent back up. There was the inevitable backlash where people would make fun of it as the obvious spot to go to if you think you’re a little bit bohemian. But screw the backlash. This place is really nice and pleasant.

Little spots like the Trophy Bar on Broadway in Williamsburg are cool places to hang out. It’s just a little neighbourhood club with a small dancefloor, but a lot of my friends DJ there. Another good bar is Savalas on Bedford Avenue. But I’m more of a restaurant type of guy than a big drinker. It really depends for me. I have my days where I want just a raw man’s drink like a beer or a vodka or whatever, but I have no shame in ordering a very fruity girl cocktail too! I’ll go to a place called Dressler that does a great menu and I’ll go for something like a pomegranate martini. Another good place is called Diner. It’s interesting because it looks like an old 1920s diner, but the menu is actually really fine cuisine. There’s only one or two things ever on the menu itself, but it’s all about the specials. The waiters come and start writing the day’s specials on the tablecloth and you’ll have to remember what was good for next time. But it’s worth it and not too expensive, either.



Over the bridge on the Lower East Side there’s this little place called 105 Rivington. They have a night there every Wednesday called Big Fun, which is put on by my friend DJ Soul. You should definitely check it out. You should do some record shopping, too. The record store that communicates most directly to what I do is Turntable Lab in the East Village. They’re great because it’s DJs that do the buying, they’ll pick you out awesome hip-hop, chart music dancehall and disco. I don’t really spend hours digging, but there’s still plenty of obscure second-hand record stores around like A-1 or Sound Library if you want to find that undiscovered jewel. Somewhere like Turntable Lab is a little pricier, but they know the value of what they’re selling and I don’t mind paying for that knowledge. Back in Williamsburg there’s a cool little store called EarWax, which is more of your typical indie record store if hip-hop’s not your thing.

They used to hold free outdoor concerts at McCarren park pool in Williamsburg during the summer but recently they’ve moved that down the road to Bushwick. They’re a great place to catch cool bands, but I’m always on tour so don’t get to those as often as I’d like. But I find it’s the pace of this city that inspires me most. Things have always changed by the time I get back. When you’re here you can’t really sit on your ass because there’s always a new move to be made. I just can’t leave.