Rumour has it that Simahlak does a killer running man.

Cue forward a year and a half later, and I am sitting across from him at a 24 hour diner in the Plateau. Surprisingly, for someone so reclusive, Sim is definitely not the aloof, pasty type who would bristle at the fact that you didn't know DJ Quik's first single. Although at first he may seem unapproachable, Sim is probably one of the most entertaining and engaging people you will meet in his trade. Rumour even has it, that he does a killer running man. True or not, I had to find out more.

"Man, it's so nice outside, it's good to finally get some fresh air," remarks Sim, looking outside.

He had, as I had expected, been in his basement making beats. These days, Sim is working on another 7" for Bully Records, amongst a plethora of other projects.

Simahlak's career in the Montreal hip hop scene spans all the way back to the 80s, when he got his start working in DJ mobiles.

"In high school, DJ mobiles were the epitome of cool, at least for me," he jokes.

"I cut my teeth by following local DJs that had their own mobiles, snuck into some functions and studied techniques. In high school, we also had these things called 'sock-hops', school dances that happened during lunch time in which DJs would do their thing. I used to want to get put on so badly, so I'd carry this small stack of Stevie B and Noel records, hoping to spin one of the sock-hops even for just 5 minutes."

Sim did get his big break one day after a couple of attempts and rejections. One of the DJs at his school gave him a try.

"The guy was running one of the two illest DJ mobiles at the time, when I was in grade 7. He looked over my shoulder when I got on the decks for the first time in front of people, and I was basically shook off the realness, but was determined to pull through at least one mix," reminisces Sim.

"I remember him telling me to pitch something up a little faster so I did. He let me do a second mix and looked at me and said, 'Pretty good for your first mix.' That was essentially my first break as a DJ."

Sim's hot dogs arrive, and I tell him to get started.

"Nah, it's ok."

I insist.

"Nah, seriously it's ok, I don't like doing that because it's rude," he says, totally gentlemanly.

Sim is also one of the few artists on the Audio Research roster, a mostly producer/DJ based record label started by DJ A-Trak and Dave One. Many of Sim's beats can be found all over the Audio Research compilaton, Rugged Radio Saturday.

"Sometimes I feel like the black sheep of the family," he says. I ask him why he says that.

"For example, I did four songs on that album [Rugged Radio Saturday], but I'm definitely the least known out of everyone," he explains. "But you know, I guess I kind of like it that way."

Still, I wonder if he has some kind of following for his music, seeing that even the most obscure producers have their following.

"I wasn't aware I had a following," Sim laughs. "I think the best feeling is when someone asks me what I'm playing, or just appreciates what I bring forth in my projects, production wise."

Sim is interrupted by the arrival of both our poutines. He thanks the waitress.

"I mean, I wouldn't want to exclude anyone from hearing my music, to be honest. It would be equally as humbling to have someone who's say, a John Cage fan, or some vinyl archivist, saying that they were feeling my music," he says modestly.

In addition to his beatsmithing, Sim also works as a manager/buyer for Zulu Records, one of the few hip hop record stores in Montreal. With the ebb and flow of hip hop record stores in Montreal, Zulu and Tabou Records are the only two hip hop-specific record stores in the city (both of which Sim has worked at). I ask him what he thinks about the longevity of these hip hop records stores, or lack thereof.

"If anyone in Montreal can attest to that, I can. I worked at five different spots over the past decade. It's a shame that some have to succumb to that over some bullshit or by choice, but that's the nature of business in general," he says.

In his 5 different stints, Sim has seen many things come and go, including a ton of records that he's sampled from. Among all these rarities, however, Sim doesn't place any value on having the rarity de jour.

"I can't say I have a favorite record, but I place personal and emotional value before anything. I know a lot of people place monetary value on pieces by stating it's 'rarity' and all, but what's one man's treasure is another man's trash and vice versa. I just appreciate good music, rare or not."

Sim asks me if I've heard the new Amerie song. I say I haven't.

"It's dope," he says. "You really need to hear it. Actually, the guy who produced this song produced Crazy in Love too." he explains.

"The thing about Crazy in Love is, I was working on a song with the exact same sample at the time that song came out, and then when I heard it, I was really shocked because the producer hadn't even mashed up the sample. He just took it and looped it. And the funny thing is, the beat was originally intended for Amerie, but she wasn't feeling it and passed on it, so Beyoncé took it."

I tell Sim that I think the song wouldn't carry as much weight if Jay-Z wasn't on it, without the Jay-Z and Beyonce interplay.

"You think so? I think the beat even holds its own without Beyonce or Jay-Z on it," he says.

In terms of Sim's own beats, it's a mixture of a mood, mapping out the beat in his head beforehand, and hopefully evoking at emotion with the finished product.

"I might stumble upon some fly sample and decide to chop it to 10 pieces then find some drums right after. Or have the drums and truncate them before, then randomly sample the first thing my needle lands on. I do have the habit of programming a skeleton drum pattern before to get my head hitting for a minute, then add the loop or chop to make the beat," he explains.

Sim and I continue talking over tea, and another hour passes and we realize that it's getting late. The bill is paid, we go our separate ways, and when I'm nearly home, I realize that I forgot to ask him about one detail - the running man. I draft him an email.

"I won't front. I used to battle a lot at dances back in the day. I used to rock the running man, do full out routines. I also idolized Scoob and Scrap, I had the high tops, silver toe shoes, polkadot shirts, dukey rope. I was pretty much into dance period, amongst other facets of hiphop."

Can't touch that.

Selected Discography:
Rugged Radio Saturday (Audio Research)
  -Troy Dunnit "Mindblowin" (cuts by A-Trak)
  -Shade "Space and Time" (cuts by A-Trak)
  -Obscure Disorder "Back to the Lab" (cuts by A-Trak)
  -Simahlak feat. Theo 3 "Under Pressure"
Sixtoo vs Simahlak, Lunch Money Singles (Bully Records/dist.Ninjatune)
Muzion "C'est Pas un Hasard" (and video) (BMG)
Sans Pression "Souverains Dans Le Sousterrain" (Mont-Real)
Embassy "Lemme Tell You" (Macabee)
Killa-Jewel feat Eternia "Spring Fever" (Triple 555 Soul)
Astral "Stay Humble" (8-Mile Universal Contest Winner)