Found this quote from a convo I was having with Tumkan about scratching “styles” a while ago and thought I would share it with you.

“Scratching involves so many different aspects, the pressure you apply to the vinyl, the speed of your hands, your arm positioning, your height, table height, all these small variables, give one their own style, even if you aren’t looking to have one”

- Tumkan

I thought that was a really great observation.

Until next time, keep stylin’ it up!

- Short-e

Image by Dаvid

Intense desire creates its own talents and opportunities.

We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its talents.

- Bruce Lee, “Striking Thoughts”

An intense desire to become good at scratching along with daily practice will see you increase your talent!

Happy Scratching!

- Short-e

Image by stfbfc

Image by jmv

An inspirational scratch DJ story on pursuing your dreams that I wanted to share with you:

So the bad news…….I have cut for 2 hours in the last 5 weeks.

The good news……I just moved 700 kms to Vancouver BC to pursue my dreams! I have just slept on couches and been without my dog Atrayu for the last 5 weeks while getting set up in Van city. I am from vancouver Island but have been living in the far north interior for the last year while working in the bush. I have worked in the bush for 8 years at various jobs from treeplanting to Layout Engineering. Up there I was the only dj for well over 100 kms and other than QSU had little to no interaction with other dj’s except when I travelled back to my condo on Vancouver Island. In my spare time I got certified as a Personal Trainer. I also took a top 40 residency (that I did not enjoy to say the least) for the last 3 months to get extra money. Finally saving up enough money I gave notice at my job and packed my bags for the city!!!

Within 2 days I had a job as a personal trainer and 2 weeks after that I scored a sweet bachelor pad in downtown Vancouver, 2 blocks from the beach! I just got back from a 1400 km round trip drive with a dodgy rented u-haul trailer on my truck and am finally settled, with my dog, in the new pad. Decks are currently getting set up, I also bought two new techs so now I have those and my two TTX1’s along with my serato setup, macbook pro and rane ttm-56 the studio is coming along nicely.

It has been a hard go and losing out on 5 weeks of practice broke my heart but it has all been worth it. I have already booked 2 solid gigs. I am playing a 2 day party on a small island off the coast with 17 other dj’s and am headlining a 2 stage party for halloween on vancouver island. On top of that I am surrounded by musical inspiration and other dj’s now. I am also enrolling in night classes at a music production school to learn from masters how to make the music I love instead of sitting at home smashing my head against the wall trying to figure it out myself stuck in the middle of nowhere

I just have one piece of advice…….follow your heart and the universe will open its arms for you! All I needed was patience and ambition and everything fell into place. I am damn glad to be back I missed y’all. Best of luck to all of you in your future endeavours!

Peace,

Grasp.

P.S. Please find this mix attached for all your Studio Scratches readers:

Grasp The Erro – Bright Lights Big City Mix.mp3

So, go confidently in the direction of your (scratch) dreams, live the life you have imagined.

Happy Scratching!

- DJ Short-e

Happy DJs! Photo : Uneven Pavement

When you are working real hard on learning new scratches or videoing yourself for youtube, its possible that the fun might dissapear without you knowing it and things can get a bit serious.

I speak from experience and sometimes I realise I am waaaaay too focused on the outcome of my scratching, especially when I am recording videos or tutorials and even in the studio. Mostly it’s all good 99% of the time, but when it becomes overwhelming its important to stop and realise what’s going on.

The simple act of stopping and being aware lets you bring back the fun. It’s important to relax and be carefree, give youself some goaless free scratch time just for the simple pleasure or scratching rather than for reasons like improving. You’ll find that you improve faster anyway and have a lot more fun on the way. Now is all there is!

Heres 10 (or so) tips on how to put the fun back into scratching:

1. Be in the moment
2. Give up any goal for that session
3. Mess about with comedy scratching, see how bad you can scratch
4. Dig out some of your favourite beats
5. Have fun with simple scratches
6. Release attachment to an outcome
7. Quit labelling your scratching “good” or “bad”
8. Scratch for no other reason than to scratch
9. Smile!
10. Imagine you are showing someone else how FUN scratching is
11. Stop “trying” so hard
12. Take a break
13. Rest
14. Get enough sleep

What are your top tips for fun scratch practices? Leave your comments below.

- Short-e

By DJ Short-e

In October 2004 I was picked to go to the Red Bull Music Academy held that year in Rome, Italy.

60 people were chosen from the 1000s of worldwide applicants to spend 2 weeks sharing music and attending lectures held by music industry professionals such as Leroy Burgess, Ty, Domu and many more.

It was a great 2 weeks and I will now share with you the process of how I got to go for anyone looking to apply for the academy 2010 being held in London UK:

First off, the application was quite long. I downloaded it and took my time over the questions.
1 – complete honesty and integrity. I answered all questions from the soul. BE YOU!
2 – I got a sheet of a3 paper and stuck the RBMA logo in the middle. Around the outside I wrote all the reasons why I WOULD be chosen out of the many applying. I used phrases they had used in the application form to align it 100%
3 – I BELIEVED I was going.
4 – I looked at the paper once a week, read the sentences telling me why I was going and believed it and felt it. Not for long either, maybe 5 mins.
5 – I RELAXED knowing it was already a done deal.

Kinda unconventional approach for some of you perhaps but i guarantee you that it WORKS!

When I got the email to say I was going you can imagine I was very happy and although I had planned in my mind to go there was still a part of me that was surprised!

This works for anything you are aiming for. If you are applying this year and want me to look over your application then send it over. Of course there is nothing like trusting yourself!

Remember – EXPECT SUCCESS!

Here are the videos of the academy. Can you spot me? Part 2 is my main feature.

Short-e x

Part 1 – Academy Overview

Part 2 – Playing Out

Part 3

Part 4

My very very good friend and longtime musical collaborator The Keyboard Master recently sent me the following from his blog:

“Keyboard Mastery begins with an understanding that self mastery will be the foundation upon which you build your success.

It all begins with the way you see yourself in relation to your goal.

Think, ‘this is unattainable’ and it will be.

Think ’scales are a chore’ and they will be.

Think ‘I will never get there’ and you will not be disappointed.

The truth is that if you believe you can, you are right and if you believe you can’t, you are right as well.”

The same is true for scratching mastery:

Scratching begins with an understanding that self mastery will be the foundation upon which you build your success.

It all begins with the way you see yourself in relation to your goal.

Think, ‘this is unattainable’ and it will be.

Think ‘learning scratch techniques is a chore’ and it will be.

Think ‘I will never get there’ and you will not be disappointed.

The truth is that if you believe you can, you are right and if you believe you can’t, you are right as well.

Keep scratching!

DJ Short-e