Deejay Workshop At Scratch DJ Academy

Highsnobette sent me to Scratch DJ Academy’s workshop soiree in which attendees (most were girls, surprisingly) were given a crash course in the basics of scratch deejaying. Founded by Rob Principe and the late Jam Master Jay of Run DMC, the academy enlisted some of its top DJs, including the late MC’s son TJ Mizell, to give one-on-one private lessons and spin some of their own demos to the celebratory crowd. It’s no question that one of my main motives in attending was to take my first baby step of becoming a “mix master.”

Although my instructor, teaching assistant and DJ Ned “Ned Nice” Clinard, was very helpful and patient in giving and demonstrating pointers – like marking a 12 to 3 o’clock vantage points on a record as a guide to effectively “scratch” over a sample, my first wheel around the turntable was a near abomination. I asked Ned Nice, who cites DJ Premier as his inspiration for the art, how long it took for him to overcome this technical obstacle, to which he replied, “a long ass time.” In translation, I may have scored a B grade in tonight’s lesson.-Rika N.