From the melodies of the grand piano in the great halls of New York to the parties and clubs of the hip-hop DJ with Scratch, the comprehensive documentary from Doug Pray covering the history of hip-hop and the world of turntabllism. Featuring insightful interviews with many of the luminaries of the scene, Scratch begins by outlining the difference between rap and hip-hop, the latter being a fusion of a diverse range of elements, from graffiti and scratch DJs to breakdancing and MCs. Scratch takes the viewer on a journey from its origins in the ghettos in the late 1970s and early 80s - where the music acted as an outlet countering the growing problem of gang violence and crime - through to the huge scratch competitions, DMC Championships and conventions of the 21st century. It also delves into the technical aspects of the art form, with some of the greatest DJs demonstrating the ins and outs of scratching, from beat juggling to digging through to music production itself. Pray mixes up the talking heads (of which there are plenty - hip-hop fans won't be disappointed) with archive footage, tournament material, nifty graphics and new footage, rendering an aesthetic to the documentary that perfectly matches the choppy cutting of the scratch DJ. Few hip-hop documentaries are as comprehensive and watchable as Scratch.
