Turntablists in the experimental music and hip-hop turntablism scene rarely interact and the musicians are more likely to disassociate one from the other. But when you see how Christian Marclay picked up the turntable in NY during the mid-70's when hip-hop music was coming downtown from the Bronx, or how the Scratch Perverts took the DJ battle scene by storm in the late-90's with their routines that incorporated techniques common in experimental practices such as mixer feedback, vinyl noise and tapping on the needle, it's hard to say that the two scenes are completely independent of each other.
Our next Turntable Music Night will feature three turntablists working primarily in the experimental/improvisational scene but who in my view serve as important bridges to hip-hop turntablism. eRikm is one of the leading performers in this scene known for his ecstatic real-time collage. DJ Lenar from Poland has been actively working with other improvisors and organizing events. dj sniff has been developing new digital tools that seamlessly integrate the laptop computer into his setup. Whether or not each of these musicians feel any connection to the other turntable practice, the fact that they all requested to use Technics 1200 turntables and are all bringing their own DJ mixer already connects some of the missing links between the two scenes.
check out samples of their work here:
eRikm youtube.com/watch?v=7cvWtXFHBCs youtube.com/watch?v=K46L1cwxxXc&feature=related
DJ Lenar www.myspace.com/djlenar
dj sniff www.djsniff.com/videos/keirsniff1_play.html