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Itchin' for a Scratch

The origins of hip-hop and the art of "turntablism" are explored in the documentary Scratch.

By David Walker

It may not have been as monumental as Elvis' or the Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, but Herbie Hancock's performance of his hit song "Rockit" at the 1984 Grammy Awards was a seminal moment in music history. As Hancock blazed through what was one of the Grammys' truly classic performances, Grandmixer DXT accompanied him on the turntables, scratching out the unique sound that helped make "Rockit" so distinct. But more importantly, for many viewers Grandmixer DXT's performance was their first real introduction to the break-beat, record-scratching sound that served as the backbone (and foundation) of then-in-its-infancy hip-hop. Much like Elvis' performance on Sullivan, Hancock's "Rockit" helped to serve notice that the sound of a new generation had taken hold.

Scratch, the new documentary from Doug Pray (Hype!) and Bonner Bellew, is an intimate look at the history of the hip-hop DJ. For those without a real knowledge of hip-hop--which has become synonymous with rap--there was a time when the syncopated rhyming of MCs was just a small part of a cultural movement that emerged from the Boogie Down Bronx. Back in the 1970s and early 1980s, hip-hop was a glorious form of artistic expression that included breakdancing, graffiti writing, rapping and, at its very heart and soul, DJing.

When rap became more popular during the mid- to late 1980s, the performers who had once been servants of the DJ began to move to the forefront, relegating their turntable masters to secondary status. And while rap took over mainstream popular music, DJing flourished underground.

Pray and Bellew's film examines the origins of both DJing and hip-hop, while also looking at the evolution of "turntablism," which has become a musical form in its own right. Filled with interviews with great DJs past and present, and featuring incredible performances behind the wheels of steel, Scratch is a film that not only respects DJing for the artform it is, but presents it in a way that gives credit where credit is due.

Scratch

Rated R

Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st Ave., 223-4515. Friday- Thursday, April 19-25.

WWeek 2015