SCRATCH: A TURNTABLISM DOCUMENTARY PART 4 OF 5

Indeed, the film's organization appears to follow the lead of its highly self-aware interviewees, meaning, it feels "organic" and intelligent, rather than imposed, owing to the many hours that Pray and Blondheim spent conjuring this effect in the editing room, even though, as Pray admits, "Documentary editing is basically all lies, you push the envelope to make the thing work." Pray's refreshing attitude on the commentary track explains much about how the film's form came about.

At first, he says, he wanted to do a "section" on "Rockit," Herbie Hancock's life-changing single that turned so many of today's artists on to their callings (Mix Master Mike affectionately remembers the "zigga zigga zigga" of that most memorable scratch riff). And then, as Pray tells it, he had his own moment, realizing that "Rockit" is not just a section, but also provides an overarching structure, such that the image and sounds of Hancock's 1984 Grammy Awards performance with Grand Mixer DXT repeats throughout the film, little reminders that history is important and also, that it keeps changing.

Remarkably, Scratch is that very rare documentary that can make sense for viewers who know nothing and those who have their own sense of the movement's history. It gives props to the originators, notes films that came before (including Charlie Ahearn's 1982 Wild Style, which shows, "how it was done"). In a pop culture world, where the latest greatest thing can be over within months (Christina who?), such veneration of the past is not only unusual, but it's also instructive. Anyone who still thinks "kids" don't study enough, or don't appreciate what's come before, need only take a brief look at scratching culture to get a whole other perspective.

by Cynthia Fuchs