Scratch (2001)
Firewalks Film, Magic Lamp

Description

Director Doug Pray (Hype) pays tribute to the innovative art of DJing in the electrifying documentary Scratch. Featuring the most legendary figures in the DJ scene, Pray's film is at once a deeply insightful historical document and a highly entertaining glimpse into the world of underground hip-hop. Modern luminaries such as DJ Shadow, Mix Master Mike (of the Beastie Boys), DJ Q-bert, Rob Swift, and DJ Swamp are interviewed alongside living legends like Afrika Bambaataa, Jazzy Jay, and Grand Mixer DXT, in order to paint a broad, comprehensive picture of how DJing has evolved over the years.
Seamlessly cutting between interviews and actual footage filmed at several high-profile DJing contests including Skratchcon 2000 and the DMC U.S. Finals, Pray's film is a must-see for both seasoned fans and the uninitiated, a celebration of one of the late-20th century's most thrilling, original musical movements.

Tags

Rap, Hip hop

Collected reviews and ratings

9.0 Amazon user reviews

I first saw this in the theater with virtually no prior knowledge about it's contents. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed. This DVD is a must have for anyone with even a passing interest in DJ culture. A history lesson awaits.
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9.0 San Francisco Chronicle | Neva Chonin

For hip-hop heads and for anyone who's ever wondered about those scrabbling noises in commercials, video games and rock recordings, "Scratch" is required viewing. The antithesis of dry history, it's a documentary that invites viewers inside its story to groove along with a genre that's changing the past, present and future of contemporary music.
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9.0 Washington Post | Curt Fields

Brimming with talent and energy, "Scratch" is a music documentary that should appeal to more than just hardcore hip-hop fans.
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8.5 DVD Verdict | Eric Profancik

Scratch takes the time to try and teach the newbie some of the more important aspects of the culture so you can learn and follow along. With each segment, the movie often focuses on one key individual who is exceptionally avid about that facet of the culture and let's them take off and run with the topic. The digging segment personally fascinated me, and I think many of your jaws will drop if you have a chance to watch this film.
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8.0 filmcritic.com | Warren Curry

At the core of the documentary Scratch is an infectious love of the art form and world of the hip-hop DJ. While in the wrong hands this characteristic could spell certain doom and a pandering, hero-worship approach, director Doug Pray digs so deep into the history and layers of the subculture, that one can't help but gleefully be scooped up for the ride.
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7.5 PopMatters.com | Cynthia Fuchs

Even as it pays earnest homage to turntablists and beat jugglers, old schoolers and current innovators, Scratch is great fun, full of the kind of energy it's documenting. The film represents as well the sense of community that continues to power the movement, and makes it available to everyone, in persuasive digest form.
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7.5 The Onion A.V. Club | Noel Murray

Contemporary documentaries tend to eschew thorough journalistic inquiry in favor of smirking punch lines and flashy effects, but that's not the case with Scratch, documentarian Doug Pray's follow-up to his hugely entertaining 1996 grunge chronicle Hype! Like his stellar debut, Scratch demonstrates that Pray knows whom to talk to, what to ask, and how to cut the results together to create a feeling of exhaustiveness.
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6.0 The Guardian | Peter Bradshaw

Bray's movie has a kind of bouncing, child-like enthusiasm. His extravagant praise for hip-hop is a welcome change from the crude violence and machismo of rap. After 86 minutes, I felt I'd heard enough scratching to last me a lifetime, but this film's evangelical zeal is beguiling.
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6.0 New York Times | Stephen Holden

The movie is, if anything, too conscientiously encyclopedic. For all the sonic excitement generated, you eventually long for a broader view of the subculture than the perspectives of its leading lights.
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