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Skratchcon2000
This year's deejay forum was
incredible, but left something to be desired.
By Mike Gadd
Coined in 1995 by world champion DJ Babu, "turntablism" is the
use of a phonograph turntable as a tool to create music, not just to play
it. In essence, turntablism is music based on sound manipulation. It centers
on sounds called "scratches" that can be produced through the
manipulation of sounds recorded onto records.
Scratching
A scratch sound is created by using one's hand to move a record back and
forth under the stylus of a turntable at varied rates while (or while
not) using the fader of an audio mixer to change the volume output level
of the sound. As the different combinations of these maneuvers are infinite,
there are an unlimited number of possibilities for the final outcome of
the sound. Factors such as hand speed, motion, and direction of movement
also play roles in how a scratch ends up sounding.
Beat-juggling
Another one of the main aspects of turntablism is beat-juggling, which
DJ Doc Rice defines as the "breakdown of the rhythm or beat into
its fundamental components and then manipulating the pieces to format
a new composition." In other words, beat juggling is making a completely
new beat or rhythmical pattern out of one that already exists.
Battles
Battles, perhaps the most important part of turntablism, are tournaments
where turntablists from all over the world meet to showcase their skills
and compete against one another. Battles lie at the core of turntablist
culture and serve as the essence for the advancement of the music.
Mixing
Mixing, and especially "trick" mixing, are also fundamental
elements of turntablism. Mixing involves matching the beats of two different
songs by using a turntable's pitch control so that the tempos are exactly
the same, and then smoothly transitioning from one song to the other.
Trick mixing is essentially the same as mixing in that it involves matching
the tempo of the beats of two songs, but it also incorporates techniques
such as scratching and beat juggling. These four things are the basic
elements of turntablism, and although new techniques and concepts are
invented each year, an understanding of these four basic principles is
necessary in order to understand the culture and music as a whole.
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On July 1st, almost 700 deejays and turntablism enthusiasts packed
into San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for 12 straight hours.
The occasion? Skratchcon2000, the world's first technological forum and interactive
presentation about the musical understanding of the deejay arts of scratching,
beat juggling, battling, and mixing.
Skratchcon was organized to provide hip-hop deejays with a congregational event
similar to the graffiti and break-dancing expositions of years past. The event
featured appearances by some of the world's most revered deejays such as Qbert,
Roc Raida and DJ Craze. Deejays Radar and A-Trak presented their respective
forms of scratch notation- methods of transcribing scratch music onto paper-
so that it can be literally composed and read. Other performers such as DJ Rhettmatic
and DJ Flare made presentations on the importance of mixing and scratching.
As one of the 700 lucky people in attendance, I can honestly say that Skratchcon
was one of the best days of my life. I looked forward to meeting other deejays,
learning some new techniques, and I was especially eager to see live performances
by some of the best deejays in the world. All of these desires of mine were
fulfilled beyond my expectations, but looking back, I can't help but think that
something important was missing from the Skratchcon2000 experience.
I had hoped the event would have promoted the "education and development of
scratch music literacy," as the website and promotional poster had promised
— but it didn't. The event seemed to be more like 700 people with a common
interest getting together and hanging out instead of getting together and learning
about turntablism. Of course, the informality of the teaching methods could
have been intentional, as many people argue that techniques should be self-taught,
but I had been given the impression that Skratchcon was going to be more tutorial-based.
I understand that it was difficult to find the time to cover all of the different
aspects of turntablism in one day, but I didn't think that the 20-minute explanation/demonstration
of the history of scratching really did the art form justice, nor did it provide
enough explanation to constitute real "education" or "development."
Although I loved every minute of the performances, the event left me wondering,
"Where was all the education?" I found it odd that Skratchcon was educating
an audience that was made up of people who were already involved or interested
in deejaying. Of course there were some attendees who were not very knowledgeable
of the topic at hand, but it seemed to me that the event was presented in a
manner that assumed everyone already understood what turntablism was all about
as opposed to taking the approach that some people were rather inexperienced.
If I had known nothing about the culture and music of turntablism when I entered
the event, I would have known next to nothing after the event was over. The
majority of the demonstrations and "lectures" were not in depth at all. And
even though most of the performers/presenters introduced themselves, answered
a few brief questions and then left the stage after their performance, no one
explained any techniques or audio concepts in any detail at all. Although the
audience was given several opportunities to ask questions to those who were
on stage, only about five people in a crowd of 700 actually took advantage of
this opportunity.
Perhaps if the event had been hosted in a smaller venue it would have been more
beneficial, as attendees would have been able to have a hands-on feel, rather
than that giant lecture-hall sensation of impersonality. One thing that would
have made Skratchcon exponentially better would have been the inclusion of audience
participation. I'm sure it would be a deejay's dream-come-true to get on stage
and scratch alongside some of the phenomenal turntablists who were present.
Maybe in the future, Skratchcon can be separated into a multiple-day event rather
than being packed into one day. An event over the span of several days would
encourage audience participation and would be more beneficial towards the "educational"
aspect of the event; attendees would have more time to think about what went
on during the day's happenings.
I know it seems like I am being extremely critical of Skratchcon2000 and that
I am emphasizing the negative aspects of the event, but I can assure you that
the points I am making are not in vain. I have been deejaying for about two
years (which is not a particularly lengthy amount of time, but I have been a
fan and avid listener of scratch music for almost four years) and I have an
understanding of what being a deejay is all about. Skratchcon2000 was an incredibly
entertaining and worthwhile event, but I think that steps could and should have
been made to make it more informative. Hopefully, suggestions from other attendees
like myself will be taken into consideration during the planning of the next
Skratchcon event.
— Mike Gadd is a sophomore at San Francisco State University and
feels that Skratchcon was one of the happiest days of his life.
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