SCRATCH

When music when digital the cognoscenti smugly predicted that the vinyl record and the revolving turntable were to be considered as outmoded as the Edison wax cylinder. But in today's red-hot, hip-hop music scene the analog technology behind the phonograph and the Victrola has made a roaring comeback thanks to “scratching' – the sonic craft of artists making new music from old by manually gliding the stylus needle back and forth on a rotatable LP or a 45, and having scores of appreciative listeners literally at their fingertips, as the performers face off at “scratch battle” contests or solo at rave parties and dance clubs. From out of nowhere a new breed of musician, the DJ, has materialized to explore the stacks for fresh sounds and prove themselves as a different type of spin doctor. Now it's your turn to get into the grooves, as one of the most Old School audio formats imaginable suddenly becomes cutting-edge cool, and Doug Pray, director of the Seattle rockumentary “Hype!,” turns on and tunes in his inquiring lens and microphone. Served on a cinematic platter: the history and impact of urban scratch culture, and the larger-than-life DJs who prove that good old vinyl is, indeed still around.