Spotlight on the Ukraine Skratch Scene
Wed, 11/26/2014 - 11:10am
Qbert had come back from his recent trip overseas and asked me to set up an account for the winner of the Ukraine Scratch Championship Online, which he had been a judge for.
"They are the best in the Ukraine!" he told me. I was curious about the skratch scene over there, so Qbert put me in touch with the organizer of the competition, DJ Andrew. He got back to me right away, and hopefully we will be hearing more skratching coming from Ukraine in the future.
What can you tell us about the skratch scene in Ukraine?
Despite the fact that the scratch scene in Ukraine dates back to 2002, it is still underdeveloped and certainly can be considered as underground. But I noticed that after various significant events, such as the DMC & Red Bull Thre3style, that some quite experienced DJs have begun to pay attention to scratching.
Who are some Ukrainian skratch pioneers?
When Ukrainian people first got interested in scratching, DJ Valik already was at a very good level and was definitively head and shoulders above. So it’s no wonder that he was the first Ukrainian who took part in the DMC.
Red Bull Thre3style Finals in Baku
Fri, 11/07/2014 - 1:21pm
At last, we're ready to share DJ Grotask's experience at the Red Bull Thre3style World Championship which was held in Baku, Azerbaijan back in September. This was many months in the making - Grotask had contacted me about covering this event over a year ago when he first found out that Thre3style finals were driving distance from where he lives in Tbilisi, Georgia. Since Qbert was on the judging panel, I got Grotask and his film crew media passes to the event to interview to whoever they could which included the winner Eskei83, Krafty Kuts, Skratch Bastid & Z-Trip, Qbert, Shortkut, D-Styles and more.
The Crew:
- Unis krilov (aka Ne100): Director/Camera man
- Gocha Khukhuni (aka DJ Grotask): Reporter
- Levan Khurtsilava (aka DJ Juno Q Beat): Reporter/Camera man
- MC Samory - Dope MC from Georgia !!!
Interview with DJ Chile
Thu, 10/23/2014 - 11:09am
Not only is DJ Chile an incredibly talented turntablist, as his YouTube videos and a 2011 WTK World Freestyle title testify, he is also quite the philosopher when it comes to skratching. In this interview we learn about his process of first learning to skratch, how playing drums have inspired him, his debilitating tendonitis and the frustration of not being able to cut for two years, and much more. This is essential reading for anyone serious about skratching.
What is it about skratching that first made you want to do it?
DJ Chile: I guess what drew me to it initially was the sound; it seemed so different to what I’d heard before and it would sometimes give me the shivers, like when you hear music you really like. I also used to be heavily into Drum and Bass in my mid-teens, so I would listen to people like DJ Hype, Scratch Perverts, the Mixologists, and DJ Craze scratching in their mixes, and it would amaze me.
Ox Flare Winners / Two New Battles on QSU
Mon, 09/22/2014 - 5:12pm
Congrats to our two winners of the Ox Flare Battle: DJ Hypnotize and JB Wizardry! Both videos are excellent examples of this flare combo and so they will reside on the Ox Flare lesson page as inspiration for us all. JB Wizardry is now a 3x QSU Battle Winner, having also won the Chirp Battle and the Stewie Skratch Battle. DJ Hypnotize is now a 4x QSU Battle Winner, having also won the Tear Battle, Slice Battle, and the original Combo Challenge a few years ago. Congrats on winning those gold records fellas, keep making us proud! Honorable mentions go out to Supaphonik, Akiko Luv, and POTB.
In other news, Qbert is embarking on World Wide Tour across the US and Europe! From all his students here, we wish him safe travels and a speedy return. Since he'll be away from his home studio for awhile, he's decided to announce not 1, but 2 new QSU Battles!
One is more for the advanced students and it's on the 1 Click Prizm which Q also breaks down in the new welcome video here. The other battle is on a more foundational skratch: the Fade. It's in the Level 1 of the lessons here and everyone should be familiar with it already. Here's Q's tips for what he's looking for:
"Do it slow, do it medium, do it fast, show different variations, show your funkiness, show your diversity with that skratch, I want to see your hands, I want to see how you do it… it's for students to learn."
You can enter whichever battle you want, but the deadline to submit is Monday, November 3rd - you know what to do. Just submit your best 1 minute video to the Battle Category when you click on the "Submit A Video" tab.
- Follow Us:
-
-
-
-
