SCRATCH present MR THING and FIRST RATE
Sat 27th February
Mr Thing and First Rate (DMC World Champions) hosted by Jehst, plus Spin Doctor and residents from Matt Smooth, Tomski, Richy Pitch and Lyley.
8pm-3am
Free entry before midnight / £5 after
Mr Thing
Mr Thing has honed his turntable technique to that of a fine art and know he has done the same with his production. The former Scratch Pervert is THE party DJ, with a residency at London superclub Fabric, Thing knows the tracks that truly rock a crowd. To see the effect this inside knowledge has on his own production you only need to witness what happens when needle hits the groove on one of his own tracks. Besides skills and experience, Thing has dedication like no other when it come to digging for those untouched and unrivalled samples and breaks. Not many people would dare step to him. That is why last year BBE records got him to team up the legendary DJ Premier to do a joint compilation called The Kings Of Hip-Hop. Say no more. Having collaborated with Yungun on numerous projects the pair have forged a strong partnership on record and on stage. Mr Things soulful backdrops are what provoked Yungun to drop more of his deep, thought provoking lyrics for which he is now known. Having just released their second white label together, Jackin 4 Breaks, the pair are also working on collaboration mixtape as well as their EP, GMB (Grown Man Business). Set for release on Silent Soundz, GMB showcases the diversity of Mr Things production prowess.
First Rate
Paul Bruce a.k.a. DJ First Rate first got introduced into scratching in 1984 and was instantly addicted! Things began to happen quickly and First Rate joined a then relatively unknown crew called the Scratch Perverts, which lead to numerous scratch and battle titles through out the world!
To the dismay of many Scratch Pervert fans they broke up and First Rate joined up with Morcheeba on their Big Calm tour performing in front of 35000 people supporting Iggy Pop, Nina Cherry, and Republica.
After Morcheeba and doing numerous shows in his own right, First Rate kept on going and joined up with the jazz funk band US3 touring festivals in England, Europe and also making several TV appearances in England, Europe and Japan. First Rate has been a guest numerous times on Radio 1 and has travelled the world opening listeners' eyes and ears to his unique and creative styles!
Jehst
Jehst is one of the UK's leading Hip Hop artists. With live performances as strong as his discography Jehst has torn-up shows all over the UK and abroad along side the likes of Non Phixion, Q-Bert, Atmosphere, J-Zone, Mr Lif, De La Soul, KRS One and even reggae legends Lee Scratch Perry & Max Romeo. With 2006's "Mengi Bus Mixtape Tour" he continued to smash stages across the UK, once more proving why he is without a doubt one of the UK's most prolific and powerful Hip Hop masterminds!
The Spin Doctor
The early Saturday mornings running to spend his pocket money on the latest 45s have transformed into late nights playing them to packed dance-floors. It has taken a few years but Spin Doctor's passion for music new and old has remained a constant. What did change is when back in '88 when one of his sisters brought home a copy of the Beatie Boys "Licence to Ill". He heard bits of the Soul & Rock records he had been listening to for years in a way that was fascinating and exciting in equal measure. That was it he had discovered hip-hop and then the party really started. Spin's open minded party selection has seen dance-floors packed throughout the years all over the world.
About Scratch
Established in 1996 by original team members Matt Smooth, Rob Mac and DJ Lyley, Scratch quickly became a leading player in UK hip hop culture from rapping & DJing to breakdancing & street art and even notched up the first UK release by legendary NY label Rawkus with 2001 Scratch Vol. 1!
Over the years Scratch has played host to many of the most influential mainstream underground DJs and artists (performing in their prime) from around the world including:
The Pharcyde, The Roots, De La Soul, Doug E Fresh, Grand Master Flash, Biz Markie, Roots Manuva, Plus One, Macy Gray, Roxanne Shante, Jurassic 5, Pete Rock, Madlib, Breakestra, Mos Def, Q-Bert, Souls Of Mischief, Mix Master Mike, Dj Premier, Slum Village, Public Enemy, Eminem...and a zillion others!!
