I just got back from seeing Scratch tonight at the Nuart (just Melo D of the Beat Junkies was there, not the whole crew or anything), and yes, it was a pretty cool documentary.
Doug Pray, the director, was also there and asked a favor of us in attendance to tell someone to go see the film if we thought it was good, so by all means, if you’re in LA, check it out at the Nuart, it’s playing for 1-week only there. It’s also opening up at a few other places, mostly in big cities. Oh, interesting, it’s opening at the Dobie Theater on the 22nd. (Saw a few movies and ate quite a few lunches there while I was working in Austin)
The movie is primarily about turntablism, but also touches on other aspects of hip-hop culture and also briefly (very briefly) touches on some of the artistic implications of sampling and remixing.
Some things that struck me:
- The scene with DJ Shadow in the basement of records. People tend to forget all the massive amounts of “stuff” that’s been created. Before mechanical reproductions (paper, vinyl), almost all of this was lost. Now however, it’s been captured, but not in any way meaningful way organized. Or, in the case of Jazzy J, catalogued, but only within the mind of one person. Digital media offers the promise of allowing us to be able to connect and share all that was once lost or left mouldering away, but there are those among us who would see that no one profit from this to protect their one small agendas.
- The commentary at NAMM was both funny and saddening. Ironic that many who view themselves as more cultured are themselves so locked into such stifling paradigms. Art (like the universe) is by it’s very nature not a zero-sum game. While people are free to create, it will keep on expanding (and citing the former point, no doubt be forgotten if certain people have their way). That’s a good thing.
- Also, funny how insulated hip-hop is from the rest of the electronica world. Tangent: Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music is back up (turntablism is off of hip-hop under breakbeats)
In any case, the tension between a movement finding it’s own identity and relating to others was interesting, as is the underlying thread of expansion and reuse and reconfiguration that is at the heart of DJ Spooky‘s argument of the DJ as the epitome of the postmodern artist (which I agree with, and which in my belief simply a codification of the process of creation for any artist, regardless of any delusions of sole authorship).