Easily one of the most talented djs in the Montreal club scene, Hatchmatik took it worldwide in 2008, touring America, Asia, and Europe. With a new series of projects lined up and a rep on the rise, 2009 is sure to take Hatchmatik to new heights.

Here are his favorite club tracks of 2008. Enjoy!

Bonus: Hatchmatik tells us about 2008, Montreal, the club scene and much more in an exclusive interview.

What’s good Hatchmatik, what are you up to these days?

I just got back from some world travels – Asia in October and Europe in December – really awesome and exciting times, I went to 5 countries I’d never been to before in 2008 and played some amazing shows and met some great people so it’s really been a great year and I’m juiced about building on the momentum of the tours and putting out some good music and reaching more places in the months to come.

You’re working on a single, what’s the scoop on that?

Yea I’m working on my first original single for Coco Machete records which is a New York label that released a remix of mine in 2008. It should be ready to be mixed and mastered in the next few weeks and I’m working on getting some pretty exciting remixers on board so I’m really looking forward to the release – I think it’s going to be called RUMBLESTILTSKIN.

Any other projects we should be on the lookout for?

So much!! If I can get my shit together to be in the studio as much as I’d like I’m also going to be doing another more straight club record for a Toronto imprint and I’m working on a track for a Top Billn’ EP as well. A side project with local Montreal musician Dave Madden where we are going to remix the upcoming record by Black Feelings who are a local Montreal band as well. A solo visual art show in October of 2009 at the Emporium gallery in conjunction with the pop Montreal festival and the launch of an on-line shop for OLDgOLD boutique in the Spring. Basically as much as I can fit into life on as little sleep as I can manage.

How was 2008 for you?

It was such a great year. By all means it had its ups and downs like any other, but I really feel like I made a lot of progress with producing and djing and of course reaching an international level for playing shows is a huge thing that I never really foresaw. There’s been lots of positive feedback from people which is so rewarding and as much as it’s been tiring and draining it has totally been sustainable on adrenaline and excitement. Also it’s seeming like a lot of the projects I’ve been working on in 2008 that seemed very separate are starting to come together and feel more like a cohesive kind of thing which is nice and will also mark the eventual end of the day hustle which is a really big thing that I look forward to in the months to come.

What were the best moments of the year?

Wow that is so hard to pinpoint haha. I think Asia has to be the number one – it was so overwhelming and crazy and I had the most amazing time. Paris too though was a great time – Teki and Romain and The Genevan Heathen showed me a really good time and I can’t wait to get back. I guess those two trips were really major for me and getting my kitten Hunter Manstrong too haha.

What was musically exciting in 2008?

I’m really into the Salem EP that came out on Patrick North’s Acephale label and I’m a total sucker for the Lykke Li stuff that keeps coming out (that remix with Kings of Leon is amazing). I love Midnight Juggernauts too and of course I’m a huge Institubes fan. I also think it’s really exciting that major label artists are starting to become aware of the overlapping of genres that people have been playing with for a few years now. Whether it be urban artists sampling house and rave classics or Kanye using a MIA sample on a hook and producing a tune with Jay-Z and Santogold, I think that the openness to mix genres and think of music creation in new ways is positive. Of course there are negative repercussions as well with major-label created groups like the Millionaires and LMFAO that are trying to co-opt what until now has been mostly an underground sound and the outcome is truly some horrible shit. The internet changed the way music is created and consumed and everyone including the majors are trying to adapt to the increased rate of consumption, but some of this new stuff definitely wreaks of scenedeath.

And what will be musically exciting in 2009?

I’m really excited to hear the new Para One project with San Serac – I think that will be an amazing record.
More major-label scene death electro-screamo-hypebeast-neon-rap groups for sure.
Certainly with club music it will be interesting to see what happens in 2009 as the clubs have been saturated with high-energy shrill chainsaw electro bangers for a few years now and there seems to be more interest in techno and disco of late, so I’m curious to see where that goes and whether or not these kids will still just want to hear the same sound. I am really excited to make a lot of new music in 2009 so that is a major thing for me personally, but in general music has been getting really exciting over the past few years so that will surely continue.

What are the songs you play the most in your sets currently?

Bart Bmore – Bingo Players (Diplo Remix)
Jokers of the Scene – Baggy Bottom Boy (JOTS Remix) – Hatchmatik Edit
Nacho Lovers – Acid Life (Eli Remix)
Mytery Jets – Half In Love With Elizabeth (FOAMO Remix) – Hatchmatik Edit
Blaqstarr – Hands Up Thumbs Down (High Powered Boys Remix)
Acid Girls – On The What (Liteworx)
Herve & Kissy Sellout – Rikkalicious
DJ Mujava – Township Funk (Radioclit Remix)
Cuizinier Ft. Teki Latex, The Genevan Heathen – The Good Guys (Hatchmatik Remix ft. Frenchman Scoop)

How do you see things evolve when it comes to the dj/club scene?

It seems that in conjunction with the blog explosion the rise of popularity of this new sound and these parties has made djing even more popular than it was say 4 years ago. There are so many people wanting to dj and there is so much new music and new people playing music that don’t have any concept of the history behind the music that there is a lot of garbage djing out there and a lot of garbage music that gets played out. To me it is really important to come from a background of a music lover and music collector before being a dj. Its crazy to me to think that there are people out there playing in clubs that never collected vinyl records – I guess this is becoming more and more the norm as time goes on and digital djing becomes the standard, but it’s still a weird thing for me to process. Becoming a dj before the internet was such a different process where you would maybe only have three four new songs when you went to the club to play every week and so you knew your music really well. The processes for acquiring music and processing it are completely different now and there is a positive and negative side to that.

What’s hot in montreal? Which artists should we check for?

The music scene in Montreal has been going through a lot of weird changes lately and this past summer wasn’t really the hottest in my opinion, but the one thing that has been solid throughout the past few years is Peer Pressure’s Teenwolf Tuesdays at Blizzarts. Hosted by Shaydakiss and with A-Rock as resident DJ this night is the most consistent fun and generally awesome party in the city hands down – anyone in Montreal on a Tuesday night should check it out its a blast and it’s free. As for Montreal artists, there are two that come to mind, first is live electro act Le Matos, who put on an awesome live show and have been making exciting music of late. Second is R&B singer Leila. She has been making major waves in the local scene and she is surrounded by great people so I expect big big things from her in 2009

What about clubs, bars, restaurants, swimming pools, strip clubs, supermarkets…What are the cool spots?

Coda club is just over one year old and that’s where most of the action in Montreal went down ove the last year, but it has been losing a bit of steam of late. There is a new club that is going to open on the main sometime in the coming months and I think that will become a really interesting spot that will re-introduce some excitement into the local club scene. As far as bars go Blizzarts which I mentioned above is kind of like our Cheers so it’s definitely the spot to go, although Mary Hell’s Beat Me Up electro Thursdays at Saphir are another sure bet for a bumping party. As far as restaurants are concerned I like to keep it traditional Montreal and go with Schwartz’s for smoked meat on St.Laurent – Wilensky on Fairmount for the special (they’ve been making one sandwich the same way since 1932) – and the Binerie Mont-Royal on Mont-Royal for traditional Quebecois fare.

The music industry is all crazy right now, where do you think we are going?

So hard to say there is so much going on and so many people trying to make music, sell music, listen to music, it’s really exactly what you said – crazy. I don’t think I really have anything inciteful to say about what is to come, but I do know that it is a very exciting time to be involved in it all.

Anything to add?

Thanks for asking me to do this, man – sorry it took me so long

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