Turntablism 101

March 3, 2002

Scratch, a new documentary about the DJ, is now circulating across the country. To be clear, this movie is not about radio DJs or rave DJs. It is about hip-hop DJs and scratching and beat juggling and battling. If you have no idea what half those words mean, then this movie is aimed directly at you.

Structured to be a fairly comprehensive primer to turntablism, Scratch combines interviews with the world’s luminaries (including Afrikaa Bambataa, Mixmaster Mike and Grandmaster DST) along with mind blowing performance footage top to document the evolution of this turntablist revolution. Douglas Pray has sectioned off the documentary into several pieces, complete with title cards, in an effort to keep the material tightly focused. Beginning with the roots of hip-hop in New York, the film begins to wind its way acrosses the country and towards the present, eventually landing and mostly covering the overactive present of Northern California. By the end of the film, you’ll see how aliens have influenced hip-hop, how Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit” pricked the ears of teenage DJs across the world and how a tiny little Filipino kid from Daly City ended up being the Greatest Scratch DJ in the World. By the end of the film, you’ll probably be itching for your own pair of Technics 1200s.

Turntablist buffs will probably be less enthused about the interviews, but there’s more than enough performance to keep them happy. There are casual performances like MixMaster Mike cutting up Robert Johnson in his bedroom and the X-Ecutioners working in their cramped home studio with eight turntables side by side. There are bigger performances like Cut Chemist scratching up Hall of the Mountain King to a packed house at the Future Primitive and the Skratch Piklz farewell concert at the legendary Fillmore West. There’s even footage of the annual DMC, where the best battle DJs across America show off their skills in a distilled, perfect, six minute routine.

Since the film finished sometime in 1999, the turntablist movement has slowed a bit, but it may be on the verge of another explosion in 2002. This time, instead of busting out across the hip-hop underground, it may actually threaten the mainstream. Kid Koala continues to get exposure with Gorillaz and MixMaster Mike continues his work with the Beastie Boys. DJs have seemingly popped up in every Nu-Metal band, essentially as a percussionist to work alongside the drummer. The X-Ecutioners latest single, It’s Goin’ Down, actually landed a video on MTV, thanks to their collaboration with Linkin Park.

Watch the trailer here. Buy the soundtrack here. Go to the concert. Check the staggered release schedule to see when the documentary hits your town.

Posted in Moving Pictures