Scratch

There are two ways to access this event:
– General Admission, first-come first-served. Just show up!
– Fast Track, opening the Monday before the event at noon. Click here to learn more and reserve.

“The DJ was the source of the energy, because it was his responsibility to find the music,” says Grand Mixer DXT, one of the many talking heads that populate Doug Pray’s exuberant documentary love letter to the rhythmic manipulation of vinyl records, a technique whose propulsive rise to popularity in 1973 laid the groundwork for all that would follow in the development of rap.

Across several chapters that unfold in brisk succession, Pray cannily weaves together interviews with Grand Wizard Theodore, Mix Master Mike, DJ Qbert, and other accomplished practitioners, showcasing their finely honed technical prowess with thrilling intimacy while methodically charting a history of the art and craft of DJing, explicating the finer points of turntablism, battle culture, digging, scratching, and the production of original beats. The result is an expertly constructed, endlessly engaging survey of a storied but under-examined art form: Pray centers and celebrates the ingenuity and drive of turntable innovators, and brilliantly captures the rough-and-tumble spirit of community and collaboration that fuels their creativity.