By Tom Mulhern
Before you can capitalize on the emerging phenomenon of turntablism, you need some background. Luckily, there are plenty of resources available for getting up to speed on what this scritching and scratching is about, whether you want to crack a book, sit in front of the TV, or surf the ’Net. You can also check your local newsstand for Mixer, DJ Times, URB, and Mixmag, which cover the club scene, but also focus on reviews and info about turntablists.
DJ’s Guide to Scratching (Warner Bros., VH0487). Teaches the essential scratch moves to spark your scratching and mixing routine.
Looking for the Perfect Beat:The Art and Culture Of The DJ by Kurt B. Reighley, MTV Books; ISBN: 0671038699.
Turntable Technique : The Art Of The DJby Stephen Webber, Hal Leonard Publishing, ISBN: 063401434X.
The Mobile DJ Handbook : How to Start and Run a Profitable Mobile Disc Jockey Serviceby Stacy Zemon, Focal Press; ISBN: 0240802667
The Ultimate Nightclub And Bar DJ Manualby Chuck Fresh, Modern Rock Entertainment; ISBN: 1929554001.
How To Be A DJ: Your Guide To Becoming A Radio, Nightclub Or Private Party Disc Jockeyby Chuck Fresh, Modern Rock Entertainment; ISBN: 1929554060.
Hip Hop Americaby Nelson George, Penguin USA, ISBN: 0140280227.
Vibe History of Hip Hopby Alan Light ( Book & CD edition), Three Rivers Pr; ISBN: 0609805037.
Droppin' Science: Critical Essays On Rap Music And Hip Hop Cultureby William Eric Perkins (Editor), Temple Univ Press; ISBN: 1566393620.
The Hip Hop Years: A History of Rapby Alex Ogg, David Upshal, Alexander Ogg, Fromm Intl; ISBN: 0880642637.
If you do become a dj, a good resource is http://www.dj.net/, the site for DJ.NET Radio Mobile Clube Karaoke Disk Jockeys.
http://www.mezzmusic.com/ Mezzmusic.com is billed as the home of dance music on the Internet, and they have charts, news, and mp3 files of various performers.
Tie-ins with magazines abound: http://www.dmcworld.com/, the home of Mixer magazine and other resources, http://www.djtimes.com/, the home of DJ Times magazine, and http://www.discjockeyamerica.com/mags_news.htm all give you newsy info.
For definitions and explanations of techniques, check out http://www.scratchdj.com (check out their FAQ and Scratch Terms sections) . Be sure to check out their mixing, history, and terminology areas. At http://www.backspin.org, you’ll find a whole site devoted to deejaying.
For info on an upcoming documentary on turntablism, consult http://www.battlesounds.com/battlesounds.html. In fact, this is one of the best resources on the Internet for getting your feet wet with turntablism and the music it makes. If you want to see and hear the techniques of the turntablist demonstrated in isolation via QuickTime and Real videos, you must dig into their site, where DJ Q-Bert shows you such moves as rubs, the tour de France, chops, chirps, tears, the transformer, the flare, the reverse flare, and several others. If you don’t have an understanding of, or solid respect for, the sonic capabilities of a turntable in the right hands after seeing these examples, you’re a hard case. A bonus: You can also see DJ Cashmoney demoing his techniques, which are also stunning. Also at Battlesounds’ site are PDF files of the first release of a notation system for turntablists, created by John Carluccio, Ethan Imboden, and DJ Ray Dawn. Like tablature for guitar, it evolved over the past four years as a way of indicating the what and the where of performing, rather than just the pitches and durations. This is a must-see for anyone interested in the evolving musicology of turntablism.
Want to try scratching, but don’t want to grind up a couple of turntables? It’s not the real deal, but it’s fun anyway, and all you need is a computer and a browser with a Flash plug-in. Go to http://www.turntables.de. You can select music for two or three turntables, and then use your mouse to scritch and scratch.
A horde of info on scratching and cueing is packed into http://www.diskjockey101.com/scratching.html. And if it’s turntable info you want, you’ll get it in heaps at http://www.turntablism.com. Also indispensable is the International Turntable Federations’ site at http://www.hip-hop.com/. The Turntablistic Site by MarWax (http://www.marwax.com/) offers a smattering of reviews, interviews, and opinions.Last, but not least, the aspiring DJ will find that Wrists Of Fury (http://www.wrists-of-fury.org) has lessons that they say are essential to success, including history, music theory, beat matching, fader and no-fader scratches.