23 replies to this topic

[ericuk]

Been trying to record today for the latest battle.

The reason why I've not entered the scratch battles recently is not because you're all bumders who don't vote for me; well, that's one reason but the actual reason is that it's hard to be funky on a turntable.

I appreciate DJ's who bust out clean patterns and I often aspire to do the things these people do, but what I really want is FUNK.

The reason why I don't have funk is my own fault. I don't spend enough time developing the fundamentals.

Dudes with style can make the simple stuff sound interesting.

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the funkiest of them all?

[Symatic]

dont fake the funk or your nose will grow!

[doppelkorn]

What are the fundamentals required for funk though? Is it a basic set of scratches or is it broader skills like being able to cut to different timed beats and being able to cut it up with different samples and thing?

[d00ban]

If you gotta ask you'll never know dopp!

[Symatic]

[d00ban]

Ha Classic,

[airnino]

aka being HARD feels funky!

i dunno i'm not the one to give advice on this i guess. i'd say listen to your inner voice, just go with the flow and don't worry about repeating yourself and technicality...

[ericuk]

I wanna go in hard like this dude.

[Freshcuts]

I totally agree. I believe being funky on the cut is more interesting than busting 8 triple boomerang chirp reverse orbit flip flops during half a bar. I really admire dstyles for that type of fundamental scratching. I also enjoy the lads from community scratch like maroon and señor lone wolf as well as the Viking crew. Sometimes a transformer with style is enough!
May the funk be with you.

[Wax On]

It's all in the hips...

[d00ban]

Chile is pretty tech and I still think he's funky.

I think it's just about swinging it hard and doing loads of scratches with odd numbers of notes so they cycle on and off the beat. Q calls em turnarounds.

You're too aggressive to be funky Erik!

[Wax On]

That's the exact opposite of being funky. It's not about what moves you bust its about how you bust them. On Q's DIY v1 he does each fundamental cut on its own and still manages to make it funky.

[Yoshi]

It's all about getting in those pauses.

But above all, it's about developing what you've done in the preceding bars - if you just go from one scratch to another, it's not funky but mechanical and boring. It's better to do the same scratch, but in different ways - change the pitch, or the rhythm, or the accent.

That's what I find funky in D-Styles - he does something, which you recognise from before, but then at the end of the phrase he changes it into something else. He stays with a particular phrase than move straight on to another one.

Like 0:13-0:18 is repeated at 0:18-0:22 but the ending of the phrase is different.


Also, he's scratching the same rhythm as the bass notes. Riding the beat that way is very important. It's easy to chirp-2 click on any track, but it takes more skill to scratch WITH the track - understand the track's movements and flow with it.

[d00ban]

That's the exact opposite of being funky. It's not about what moves you bust its about how you bust them. On Q's DIY v1 he does each fundamental cut on its own and still manages to make it funky.

Hmmm, well I may have got a bit side tracked with the whole turn arounds thing but I don't think you can say that swinging scratches is the opposite of funky

[Jimmy]

some people are over thinking it.

[d00ban]

That's the exact opposite of being funky. It's not about what moves you bust its about how you bust them. On Q's DIY v1 he does each fundamental cut on its own and still manages to make it funky.

Hmmm, well I may have got a bit side tracked Chile thing but I don't think you can say that swinging scratches or scratching slightly off beat is the opposite of funky.

You say Q makes those fundamental cuts funky, I guarantee he will be doing those 2 things...

[Wax On]

Jim's speaking truth - I'm not saying certain scratches are the opposite of funky, I'm saying your approach is the opppsite of funky. Saying ill do x y and z is like doing funk by numbers, whereas proper funk isn't like that. I'd love to write more but I'm at work poasting on cell - i'll try and explain better tonight...

[Steve]

How did d00b manage to quote you, but with his own name on the quote instead of yours? His n00bishness never ceases to amaze me.

[Jimmy]

I'm not saying certain scratches are the opposite of funky, I'm saying your approach is the opppsite of funky. Saying ill do x y and z is like doing funk by numbers, whereas proper funk isn't like that.

exactly this.

people are turning 'funk' into something technical.
hashtag fail imo

[d00ban]

We're merely moving the conversation on not "over thinking" things, else the thread would have finished at Sy's bootsy vid...

@ Steve