POO: Best / Worst scratch bits in songs

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Myself, I think Q-bert's first verse, where he cuts up the James Brown 'one two three unh!' in 'Bear Witness' from the Dr.Octagon CD is my favorite. It's not the most technical bit I've ever heard, but it compliments the song perfectly and is pretty smooth. The worst I'd say is the parts in 'Buffalo Stance' by Neneh Cherry. Yeah yeah it was from the very beginning, where people were still learning how to scratch, but it's really pretty bad. Good song though.

― tylero (tylero), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 07:53 (twenty-one years ago)

wikky wikky wikky wikky, shut up.

― tylero (tylero), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 07:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The whole nu-metal thing didn't exactly do a lot for quality scratching, did it?

― M Carty (mj_c), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 07:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Two of my favourite scratches are the one in the beginning of Dead Prez' "I'm a African" and the one in the end of Rubberoom's "Born". I like them both because they are neither guitar solo-like DJ ego-boosts nor pointless background scratches the track could do without, but they actually compliment the parent track and make it stronger.

Oh, and then there's Grandmixer D.St on Herbie Hancock's "Rockit", but that one goes without saying.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 08:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I was thinking Dr Octagon when i saw this thread - No Awareness. The scratching of the evil laughter and insane mumbling makes me smile every time.

― Steve Beans, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 08:54 (twenty-one years ago)

My favourite wanky solo is from Q-Bert’s mixtape Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik. He scratches the James Brown ‘one, two, three’ there as well, but extremely funky. It sounds like it’s literally turned inside out.

My favourite non-wanky solo is probably Fog’s ‘Pneumonia’. Really fitting and melodic. Kid Koala of course often scratches whole melodies, and does so greatly.

I also love scratches that complement the song, but since they’re such small touches, I usually can’t remember them. One that I do remember and love is in DJ Shadow’s ‘Mutual Slump’. There’s a sample of his wife saying ‘The year I came to America... saw Xanadu... it was all I wanted to do: rollerskate.’ Then there’s one or two bars of extremely fitting scratching, then eight bars of the normal beat, and then he scratches again for one bar. It all just fits perfectly.

― Orange, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 09:15 (twenty-one years ago)

My vote for worst scratch bits goes to the band that did that "At Least In Heaven I Can Skate" song.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 10:32 (twenty-one years ago)

The first thing I thought when I saw this was Stop scratching and give me a beat!. I'm in total agreement with Buffalo Stance.

― Anna (Anna), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 10:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I will maintain till my final hour that 'Rockit' is teh lame, but it was an early effort. 'Buffalo Girls' does not have any such excuse -- it came out in 1989.

― Dead Man, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 10:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Errr... did it?

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 13:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Buffalo Gals actually came out in 1982.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)

stance, i mean.

― Dead Man, Tuesday, 14 September 2004 13:34 (twenty-one years ago)

The best scratching on the Dr. Octagon album is on the track called "Dr. Octagon", the one that goes through that sampled dialog where the doctor person is telling the woman what to put in her hoohaw ("we'll have you up to summer squash in no time!"), and then Q-bert starts wailing all to fuck on that p0rn0 fuckscream cut.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 13:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Some of the old hip-house stuff had cool scratching in it. I still LOVE the outro to Fast Eddie's "Yo Yo Get Funky", which uses Rob Base's "It Takes Two" in a call-and-response:

"What do you wanna do, boy?"

*Dig-digga-digga* "I WANNA ROCK RIGHT NOW!"

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

S: Kid Koala's lovely work on Charlie Brown.
"I gotta rock!"

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"Going Back to Cali" by LL Cool J would be my first choice.

Believe it or don't, but the scratching at the tail end of "Ringfinger" by ....WAIT FOR IT....Nine Inch Nails (sampled, I believe, from PE or Eric B. & Rakim...is very cool).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

What's the Dr Octagon one that goes 'Create(d) Rap Music Coz I Never Done Disco'? Is that Bear Witness? If yes, it gets my vote.

― Jamie Fake (the pirate king), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

It is. The 'Bear Witness' series is pretty good, thought the third was pretty bland.

Anyway, Shadow on 'What Does Your Soul Look Like Pt.1" Blue Sky Revisit'. His scratching there combined with the wondrous beauty of the backing track JUST SENDS ME.

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

DJ Krush on Meiso, the track with Black Thought and Malik B. I think it's the title track to the album, actually. He's cutting up an upright bass passage, which makes the scratching sound very musical (as opposed to words or shouts or random wicka wicka noises). It's very effective and fits into the song seamlessly rather than shouting I'M SCRATCHING NOW as is often the case with dj's. I don't know why more of them don't subtly scratch instrumental phrases. Kid Koala had the collective jaw of The Metro on the floor when he did it with his drunken sailor trumpet thing.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 September 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

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