Scratch

In the language of hip-hop, the MC raps on top of the beats. The DJ—or turntablist—supplies the beats. Doug Pray’s lively documentary is a tribute to these unsung heroes of the "scratch." His approach is neither dry nor academic and is designed as much for the masters of the form as for the fans. Pray was also behind Hype!, which focused on the Seattle scene in the 1980s and 1990s. In his 2002 follow-up, he travels as far back as the 1970s (DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa) and roams the U.S. from New York (Gang Starr’s DJ Premier) to the Bay Area (DJ Shadow, Q-Bert). After watching the film and grooving to the beat, you’re likely to wonder if there’s a soundtrack to accompany it. Fortunately, there is—Bill Laswell, producer of Herbie Hancock’s seminal "Rockit," is behind a compilation featuring many of the same artists celebrated in Scratch.

 Director: Doug Pray
 Encoding: Region 1
 Format: Color, Widescreen, Dolby
 Aspect Ratio(s): 1.85:1
 Audio Encoding: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
 Studio: Palm Pictures
 DVD Release Date: September 17, 2002
 DVD Features:
 Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) Commentary by director Doug Pray and producer Brad Blondheim

 Disc 1: Additional scenes and extended interviews Artist and crew bios Original theatrical trailer

 Disc 2:
 How to Rock a Party: a lesson in the art of DJing with nationally known DJ Z-Trip

 Sneak Attack: a selection from Wave Twisters A multi-angle do-it-yourself lesson with DJ Qbert Selections from the acclaimed series Battle Sounds A unique sound-to-score music transcription Trailers and music videos
 Number of discs: 2

No profanity, or inaproppriate remarks.