This Scratch is Makin Me Itch

September 18, 2002

The Scratch documentary was already one of the greatest things ever, but the DVD ups the ante by including extra footage and a couple of instructional vids from Z-Trip and DJ Q-Bert and some more footage from BattleSounds. BUY IT.

To celebrate the release, there was an instore at Amoeba with DJ Rhettmatic from the Beat Junkies and MixMasterMike. Rhettmatic’s set was stunning, but Mike’s was just a wonder. I’ve caught him spin before, but the thing that I always marvel about him is how percussive and punchy his scratches are. He has a really good knack of ending all his scratches on the kick, so there’s always this element of a finish that other guys lack. The only comparison I have is how the JB horns used to punctuate James Brown’s interludes with that thunderous BAP that’s found in only the funkiest of the funky.

I also picked up Z-Trip and DJ P’s 2001 release Uneasy Listening Vol 1, which is basically the most messed up blended mix tape ever. It starts with Rhinestone Cowboy blending into Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” and gets weirder and weirder, including blends like Pharcyde over Pat Benatar, Metallica fading into Midnight Oil. There were only 1,000 of these printed a year ago, but for some reason Amoeba has five or six copies. So if you were looking for it, go there.

Posted in From Blown Speakers