put the needle on the record
As long as I'm taking a wee break from going out and seeing music (like, until Sunday) I thought I might as well sit home tonight and watch a DVD about music. Doug Pray's fantastic 2002 doc Scratch is chock full from front to back with an impressive roster of my idols, from DJ Faust and Shortee (alas, the only female DJ in the whole movie) to former KALX DJ Billy Jam to Cut Chemist to local boys DJ Shadow and Qbert and Mix Master Mike and so many more of my heroes I can't possibly mention them all. The film briefly provides the origins of scratching within the New York scene before showcasing the techniques and mad skills of the turntablists who were at the height of their powers at the turn of the millennium. My jaw was hanging wide open for a good portion of the movie when I wasn't squealing with glee at the copious shots of local scenery, including now-archival footage of a Beat Lounge night at Storyville and also a Future Primitive Soundsession at the Justice League complete with Doze Green doing live painting. I can't beat-match worth shit and certainly can't scratch, but the film just reinforced for me how lucky I always feel to live in the Bay Area, in one of the centers of DJ culture and innovation.