Registered: Apr 2003
Location: Sacramento, CA, USA
quote:
Originally posted by NeoShaman
cool, some nice and argumentative opinion here. scratching wont be good for somethis like ambient for sure, for some harder styles it may add so much vital funk, spice and energy
I've heard ambient scratching before. It was even good.
It was just very, very subtle and controlled.
I think the problem is that most people think of scratching as a very aggressive sound, when it can actually be used in a full musical range.
Just because the only precedent to scratching in trance is Dj Jean's fart scratch doesn't mean it can't be done effectively.
Aug-01-2005 17:20
Luke Cartwright
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Leicester Intafearance.co.uk
Me and my mates have always said yr not a real dj until you can scratch.
We've all tried to learn how to do it with our respective music styles, trance, house, dnb and sometimes rnb or hip hop. Any skill you have up your sleeve is a bonus, just because its not in the rule book doesn't mean you shouldn't try it.
I mix only trance and harder trance/techy stuff really but I don't think I'd ever try to scracth over any uplifting stuff like Push tunes for example as the scratch I've learnt would sound gay over it imo but I'm sure there is people out there that can pull it off to good effect.
Aug-01-2005 18:18
limin_li
Asian Mafioso Nerdbot
Registered: May 2002
Location: Cockeysville, Baltimore
Yes. If you know how to scratch like qbert or mix master mike, than let the force be with you. You can do it!
If you have a really nice record and you scratch on it enough...you will...scratch it up. Thats what happened to some of my older records. I felt like scratching on them for fun, not thinking I would do any damage. Lo and behold, after doing it for a while, they got all smeared up, scratched up and sounded awful, even when cleaning them. So if it's a record you don't care about, or if you have two of the same records, then I don't see anything wrong. But take my advice...you can permamentely damage them by doing a lot of scratching.
Aug-01-2005 20:54
Ghostface
down with the sickness
Registered: Mar 2003
Location: Melbourne
lol, or maybe just buy a scratch record?
Aug-01-2005 23:49
Seakr
tranceaddict
Registered: Jun 2004
Location: California, USA
quote:
the problem is that most people think of scratching as a very aggressive sound
(Sorry, still new, but ^this^ was said by DJ_Ikronix)
Exactly. many have the right idea when they say it doesnt go good with a big melodic breakdown. you have good music sense if you can feel that one out. but like some people said, drop some kicks in, or a few short stabs, and now you're really controlling and adding to the music. make it interesting and have fun. there's many SUBTLE things you can do by learning to scratch.
Aug-02-2005 05:44
RJT
last minute disco
Registered: Oct 2004
Location:
quote:
Originally posted by Luke Cartwright
Me and my mates have always said yr not a real dj until you can scratch.
Originally posted by DJ_Ikronix
Sorry. I agree with Cartwright on this. The roots of DJing is scratching.
I have to disagree. The root of DJing is playing music, the root of hip hop DJing/turntablism is scratching. It was only in the late 70s/early 80s that DJs were scartching in the hip hop community. DJs have and always will be about playing music. But these are both two different types of DJs. Trance DJs are a mixture of the two, but seem to be more in line with the disco DJs from the late 70s who played music and crossfaded, yet Trance DJs require even more skill as far as beatmatching, harmonic mixing etc. Trance/house/techno DJs have taken DJing to a new limit, and have borrowed some things from hip hop djs, but they still play/mix music, not scratch like hip hop djs or turnablists as they are often called..do.
Aug-04-2005 04:22
Stu Cox
Supreme smackaddict
Registered: Mar 2003
Location: Southampton, UK
quote:
Originally posted by Spirit5
I have to disagree. The root of DJing is playing music, the root of hip hop DJing/turntablism is scratching.
Exactly.
A DJ is simply a presenter of music. How far you then want to take that is up to you. Technically speaking, scratching is quite an abstract part of DJing as you're not using the equipment how it was originally intended to be used (i.e. you're making it play backwards in parts)... it's just because it's become so integrated into the turntablist scene and those who know nothing about DJing instantly picture someone pushing a record backward and forwards (stemming from both scratching and simply cueing up the record for a mix) that have made it considered such an integral part of DJing.
And where do you draw the line at whether you "can scratch" or not? If someone can push a record backwards and forwards - does that make them a DJ? It's not in time, but maybe it's not supposed to be...
