Scratch

As one who is generally unfamiliar with the hip-hop scene but has tried spinning, the movie does a great job of presenting turntablism as an art form. It also did a good job emphasizing that hip-hop is meant to be fun, and it is by no means about the rough-and-tumble gangsta rappers of years past.

Despite the long list of DJ's listed on the marquis, this movie was pretty much about scratch deejay extrodinaires Q-bert and DJ Shadow, with cameos from many others including Afrika Bambaataa, Mix Master Mike, DJ Craze, and Grand Mixer DXT of "Rockit" fame. I got the feeling that the whole movie was just a compilation of interviews, and Q-bert happened to be the chattiest among them.

Director by Doug Pray - who previously did Hype! (about Seattle grunge of the early 90's) and American Pimp - put together a film that I thought was of much higher quality than the other dj movies "Groove" or "Better Living through Circuitry". However I found the stream of interviews, and lack of drama got a tad tedious, making the 87 minute-long movie seem more like two hours. (Of course it is a documentary).

The mediocrity of the interviews was nicely interrupted by quirky references to intergalactic beings; repeated cut-ins of the first MTV-ised scratch in "Rockit"; and some funky cinemetography that made the film visually interesting, and even funny. For scratch dj' in the know however, the presentation is begging for some of the nitty gritty how-to's that would make this documentary a bit more meaty.

My favorite scene? Record digging with DJ Shadow as he explored the dusty, low ceilinged basement archives of a record store. This scene added an element of reverence to the act searching out vintage beats, and helped me understand why Moby *hires* people to dig for him.

Although I was so fortunate to see the film at the Red Vic - right next door to Amoeba Records (featured in the film) - with a house that was probably full of SF's finest djs, This film is probably best watched at home - with decks at the ready. Even novices just might have the urge to walk away from the movie now and then to give scratching a try after watching how its supposed to be done.

OK. I just saw this film this past weekend, and as a DJ I thought it was one of the best documentaries on any aspect of Hip-Hop to date. I think everything was insightful and informative. I also felt that it got many different points of view and did not just stick to one particular region of scratching, but jumped around to other regions. This movie was good because it let the DJ's tell their story as opposed to being an opinionated editorial by the director. They had DJ's from way way back. They went to the essence of scratching and talked to the originator. I have a small knock on this film though. Although I can count many important DJ's who were not a part of this film, I felt that not having DJ Jazzy Jeff or DJ Cash Money in the film was a fairly large omission. Doing a movie on scratching and not interviewing the creators of the chirp and transformer scratch was a disappointment to me. Yet and still, I would consider this movie a huge success, and I'll admit that after I saw it, it made me go home and practice!!

I'm not a fan of scratching, but I really dug this movie. It gave me a real insight into a world I never had a clue existed; and what else is a documentary for? Funny, clever, hip - just like Pray's previous film, Hype! about the grunge music scene.

This movie was well put together. It showed many facets of DJing and the DJs themselves. It is not everyday that you see "Out Of Character" interviews with most of these legendary DJs. Instead of seeing "DJs" in interviews you see "people who like being DJs" in interviews (hopefully you followed that). IE. Instead of seeing an interview with Mix Master Mike you saw an interview with Maxwell Schwartz and he explained why he likes being a DJ and being Mix Master Mike and what and who inspired and inspires him. You also get to see what the families of these DJs had to deal with as they were starting out which is quite interesting. As far as interviews go the common issue most people could have is that DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Cash Money from Philadelphia were not in it. Regardless, seeing Afrika Bambaataa and Jazzy Jay (The Original Jazzy Jay) and other Hip Hop originators was worth the price of the movie. You don't see or hear from these people everyday. The only other issue is more of an industry issue where there was only one female DJ interviewed but that is just a sad reflection of the Hip Hop DJ industry. There should and could have been more interviews with more female DJs...they are out there. This is a movie where a parent who remembers the good ol' days of Hip Hop would appreciate it and they would bring their children to see it. It shows that Hip Hop and the art of DJing has evolved and is not just "As it is!" I'm a house DJ and scratching is not something that is done in House music but I love this movie. Don't get it twisted I've always been a fan of Hip Hop. Great Movie. Cheers.

Being a huge fan of hip-hop and turntablism to begin with, I always knew I would like this film. However, I wasn't prepared for just how good the documentary actually is. It covers almost all the important aspects of the only element of hip-hop which has been there from the very start. The "story" begins in the early 70's, and follows the evolution of turntablism as an art from up until early 2000 (turntablism aficionados will point this out as significant).

The editing is nigh on perfect throughout the film. Aside from the excellent visual "scratch" techniques which they used, the rapid cutting between interviews and the stock footage is excellent, giving the film pace when it is needed. The sound editing is also very good, with some nice sweeping sounds being used to help with transitions.

The absence of a narrator was also welcome. We aren't taken by the hand through the story, and as a result the audience is able to make their own assumptions easier. Each DJ adds another side to the story, and it is so interesting to hear about the unknown stars of hip-hop, especially those who were there when hip-hop was being shunned left, right and centre by the music business.

Although there are many excellent things about this film, I do have a few gripes. The biggest of these is the absence of several notable DJs, such as Ca$hMoney and Jazzy Jeff, and also DJs from outside America, such as Scratch Perverts and DJ Noise. However, if you watch the commentary on the DVD (something which I highly recommend), producer and director go in to great depth about how they regret not being able to feature them. The deleted scenes contain many interviews with Ca$hMoney, Jazzy Jeff and the Scratch Perverts.

This is definitely the best documentary I've seen on hip-hop culture and music. It does stop short of showing the true potential of turntablism; for that I highly recommend checking out the DMC and ITF videos. However, that is a minor quibble. I highly recommend this movie, not least for the phat soundtrack, with excellent music throughout. (9/10)