DJ SCRATCH OUTTAKES

What were you doing before “New York Shit” hit?
My laid back personality will sometimes make people think that I haven’t done anything in a while, but I’ve put out a record every year. Last year I had the Beanie Sigel “Purple Rain” and Cassidy “Can’t Fade Me.” [But] both of those artists went to jail. I did the Beanie Sigel “Purple Rain,” [then] he got locked up. I did the Cassidy record, he got locked up before his album even came out. And then I did a track for Lil Kim, and then she got convicted, I took that track back. I’m like shit, everybody I’m doing tracks for is going to jail, let me just lay back. Then I took a couple of months off. Everybody I’m doing tracks for is going to jail so it’s like, you giving them these gems and they being wasted. The whole movement is wasted so I just fell back for a minute. And when I’m not producing, I’m constantly DJing around the globe. So I just hit the road for a minute and started touring by myself until I was ready to jump back into the producing.

Any artist you particularly enjoyed working with?
Everybody, but especially Busta because our chemistry is crazy. And Busta listens. There are a lot of artists that you can’t talk to because their ego is out of control. But me as a producer, when I bring a beat to an artist it’s because I have a idea for that song for you, for that particular artists, flow wise or concept wise or whatever. I came to Busta with a beat, let’s say “Gimme Some More.” At the time, the bounce style wasn’t out. And then two years later or so Timbaland came out and blew up with that sound. When I brought Busta the “Gimme Some More” beat at the time, he didn’t understand it because it was something totally different. So when the Timbaland style got popular he came back to me like yo, remember that beat you gave me? And he described the beat and I’m like Oh, the bouncy shit. He was like Yeah let me get that cause now was the time for that shit. So I gave it to him…

So you had the track two years before it was made into a song?
Yeah, I had that track for a minute. A lot of cats be scared of something that’s different but he remembered it. He wrote and recorded that song in like two hours.

What made you put those drums under the samples strings?
I just wanted to follow the bounce. At the time I didn’t have the bassline in it, when I first made the beat. It was just rolling with no bassline and then when I did it for Busta I was like Shit, all the stuff I do for him, my signature style is the heavy bass, so I just put the bass on it too. I said Yo, flow like how the drums is going and he just did it just like that. That’s why I like working with Bust the most, our chemistry is crazy, he listens if I have a concept he’ll try it. Even if we don’t use it, he will always try cause he trusts me.

“Gimme Some More” had a crazy sample, Pharoah’s intro has jazzy horns. Where are you getting all these samples from?
Well, back then [I used] my mom’s old records [and] I used to go to record shows at the Roosevelt Hotel. My cousin DJ Magic Mike put me on to it. He would fly up to New York to buy records. I’m like Where are you buying these records from, can you take me to the spot?

Magic Mike from Florida?
From Orlando. Yeah, back then all my production came from my mom’s old records. From ‘97 on I would go to record conventions. A-1 Records and Sound Library, different beat spots. Or go out of town and just dig, I was really seriously digging at the time.

Are you still digging now?
Definitely. Like we’ll take a trip. I went digging in Zurich, Switzerland a couple of months ago. I found some real hot shit that I ain’t heard nobody use.

Are you still strictly wax when DJ’ing?
Strictly wax.

You considering going digital at all?
Nah. The Serato, that shit is hot. But, my fans when I’m DJ’ing, cats is coming out to see me DJ, not just go to a party. The Serato is cool if you on the radio or a studio or in extreme cases emergency back up. If you lose your record on a flight you just have your knapsack as emergency back. Other than that, nah. I couldn’t use it. The shit I do on turntables I can’t do on Serato. When you’re using Serato, every record you play is just repetitive. You gotta play it the same way everytime. Sometimes you might not put a record on from the top, you might want to put it on at the heat of the moment at that party, that part of the record might not be hot for that particular moment so just want to put it in the middle of the song or towards the end, it might be a break at the end. And there’s no time to do that on a computer, on the Serato. You gotta be scrolling, like ya know. It’s convenient, but everything is not meant to be convenient.

What are you working on outside of producing and DJing?
I’m still working on my documentary right now called “So Watcha Sayin.’” Just celebrating over 20 years in the game. A lot of never before seen footage being out here in the park as a little kid tearing shit up. A lot of interviews from people that I’ve done production work with. On top of that I’m paying homage to the DJs that are never mentioned in these DJ DVDs like Barry B from the Get Fresh Crew, Howie Tee, Cutmaster DC, Mixmaster Ice, Grandmaster Dee fromWhodini. DJs that were tearing shit up on stage that aren’t always mentioned.

Any DJ in particular that inspired you?
Grandmaster Flash. Grandmaster Flash is the sole person that made me want to become a DJ. My brothers used to come home with tapes. Ya know, Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five at the T-Connection, Harlem World and all of that and I used to listen like Damn, I want to do that. At the time everybody was a DJ. My brothers were DJs, their friends were DJs, listening to those tapes and hearing how he was catching that shit, I’m like, My brothers ain’t catching it like that. They doing their thing but they not catching it fast like Flash. I was like that shit is special, I want to do that. I want to do it like him.

There was one tape and it was saying, “Grandmaster Flash he cut with the handcuffs.” So I got a pair of handcuffs from the pawn show and I used to come up in my room and put the handcuffs on and try to DJ but my turntables was too high. [Stands up to demonstrate, arms behind back]. So I lowered them down so I could reach them. So I would cut with the handcuffs on, and my shoulders is hurting, after awhile you get used to it so I’m cutting with the handcuffs on. Then I finally met Grandmaster Flash for the first time, he was a judge at the Seminar when I was in the battle that I won. That was the first time I ever seen him in real life, in person. Just seeing him period, blew me away. And I bowed to him like, Yo, you’re the reason I’m a DJ. I said I used the handcuffs. I was like Yo, that used to hurt my shoulders, did that used to hurt your shoulders? He was like Scratch, I never put my hands behind my back, I was like this cutting [mimic cutting in front of him]. I felt like an ass but he’s like Scratch you done made something up. You made up a new trick. He said I used to put the handcuffs on in front of me and DJ. I was like, shit… you say handcuffs, you put your hands behind your back.

Read more about DJ Scratch in the latest issue of Scratch magazine and at his sites:
www.djscratch.com
www.myspace.com/djscratch

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