Customer Reviews

Scratch

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay to be fair I will break this review into 3 parts.

THE GOOD: The DJ Disk/Buckethead track is[...]Trip music as only they can make. DXT's Cut Transmitter is a nice little DJ+ band track, and Cat Five/Snake Eyez show off the more abstract side of the movement.

THE DESCENT: Okay, first the Rockit remix--I guess I just expected more, especially with that many of the best DJs on it. I guess that's what happens when you mess with a classic. Rob Swift and Eddie Def's contributions were suprisingly average for their immense talents (although this should not be suprising for Eddie Def as the Space Travelerz not only bashed the film, but have admitted they unload their subpar material when it comes to compilations)

THE TRULY WACK: The rest of the material (as classic as some of it is) can be/has been heard in many other places and it was disappointing to pay for it again. It seems that Bill Laswell wanted to combine a history-up-until-now type project (like MTV's "Masters of the 1s & 2s"--only good) and a this-is-the-status-of-the-movement-right-now album (like "Return of the DJ" did in 1995) but in my opinion simply failed. A true "History of Turntablism album", by the devoted for the devoted, would have been the ideal.

Although I'm very fond of all the music in the movie, and this isn't necessarily a bad CD, it could be a lot better. It lacks many of the live performances as well as many of songs featured in snippets in the background thoughout the movie. This disc does not contain even half of the music featured in the movie.

Okay to be fair I will break this review into 3 parts.

THE GOOD: The DJ Disk/Buckethead track is cool!! Trip music as only they can make. DXT's Cut Transmitter is a nice little DJ+ band track, and Cat Five/Snake Eyez show off the more abstract side of the movement.

THE DESCENT: Okay, first the Rockit remix--I guess I just expected more, especially with that many of the best DJs on it. I guess that's what happens when you mess with a classic. Rob Swift and Eddie Def's contributions were suprisingly average for their immense talents (although this should not be suprising for Eddie Def as the Space Travelerz not only bashed the film, but have admitted they unload their subpar material when it comes to compilations)

THE TRULY WACK: The rest of the material (as classic as some of it is) can be/has been heard in many other places and it was disappointing to pay for it again. It seems that Bill Laswell wanted to combine a history-up-until-now type project (like MTV's "Masters of the 1s & 2s"--only good) and a this-is-the-status-of-the-movement-right-now album (like "Return of the DJ" did in 1995) but in my opinion simply failed. A true "History of Turntablism album", by the devoted for the devoted, seems like it would have been ideal, and if you really want a "status" type album, check out Turntables by the Bay on Hip Hop Slam. The Frisco Bay area-the mecca of the movement.

Just a word of warning here...
Take a look at the track list. A mere 11 tracks comprise this release.
The Import version is the one you want, that has over 20 tracks, making this release irrelevant.

I'ma break it down like this:

Nine interludes.

Primo's X-Ecution is available on the X-Ecutioners Built From Scratch. If you don't own it buy it now.

Re-Animator, Invasion Of The Octopus People, Cut Transmitter & My Style are on the Altered Beats compilation in their original form. If you can find it pick it up. These songs are condensed down on the Scratch OST, each losing at least a minute of material.

Only three live tracks at about a minute apiece. DJ Krush's was the only one I really liked.

So after all that you're left with six filler tracks, although Rockit 2.002 and Crazy 2 Crazy were alright.

To quote track 10,"your parents were like ... don't touch the record, you'll ruin it!" All of these artists thankfully ignored that advice. Scratch is a cd that consists of what is usually skipped over: the interludes, breaks, and transitions between other songs. But turntablism is a music in its own right. It is pure, simple, and stripped down to the bare essentials, namely; two turntables and a microphone. It's refreshing to hear the experimentation and originality on all these tracks. Primo's X-ecution, Rockit 2.002, and Turntable Transformer are some of the highlights. If you are a fan of hip-hop, rap, or just good funky beats, this is something you will appreciate. Just imagine great songs with mixing and samples instead of vocals, and you'll get an idea of the overall sound. This will be that album you listen to flush pop music out of your system.

The re-mix of "Rockit" is awesome !!! If you are a Herbie Hancock fan you should not miss this.... Better than ever!