Hot 97
Watch Technician The DJ’s Routine for ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
Technician The DJ, the current tour DJ for The LOX, is the latest turntablist to be featured on Funkmaster Flex’s 5 Minutes of Funk segment on Hot 97.
In fitting fashion, Tech displayed precise scratching skills in his 10-minute routine. The Bronx native played mostly classic breakbeats in his set, using original 45s for part of it.
Recently, Tech DJ’ed for Ghostface Killah and Raekwon at the Art of Rap festival in Las Vegas. The event saw the last performance from late Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy.
Watch his routine above.
Related: Watch DJ Mell Starr’s Routine for ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
Watch DJ Mell Starr’s Routine for ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
DJ Mell Starr, a mixer on Las Vegas’ Power 88, has delivered a well-executed routine for Funkmaster Flex’s 5 Minutes of Funk segment on Hot 97. The Harlem-based turntablist and producer performed a clean, 10-minute set of classic hip-hop and breakbeats.
Starr, who also goes by “The Most Dangerous” and “No Head Phones in Harlem,” was a contestant on season two of the DJ reality show, Master of the Mix.
Watch Mell’s routine above.
Related: Watch DJ Roli Rho’s Routine for ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
Watch DJ Roli Rho’s Routine for ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
DJ Roli Rho, an award-winning turntablist and member of the 5th Platoon and IntroBass crews, has been featured on Funkmaster Flex’s “5 Minutes of Funk” segment for Hot 97. The New York City native put down an extended routine consisting of mostly classic hip-hop and other throwbacks.
Watch the video above.
Watch DJ Diamond’s Routine for ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
DJ Diamond, a veteran DJ and rapper from New York, is the latest guest to be featured on Funkmaster Flex’s “5 Minutes of Funk” segment for Hot 97.
Also known as DJ Diamond J, he is an original member of the influential X-Ecutioners crew and the rap group EPMD. His 12-minute routine consists of mostly classic hip-hop and disco.
Watch above.
Related: Watch Boogie Blind’s Routine for ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
Watch Boogie Blind’s Routine for ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
DJ Boogie Blind, a member of the influential X-Ecutioners crew, has been featured on Funkmaster Flex’s “5 Minutes of Funk” segment for Hot 97.
The Harlem turntablist showed off his skills in a 15-minute routine that used mostly classic hip-hop tracks and breakbeats.
Watch it above.
Related: Watch Rob Swift’s Routine for Hot 97’s ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
Watch Rob Swift’s Routine for Hot 97’s ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
Legendary turntablist DJ Rob Swift is the latest guest to be featured on Funkmaster Flex’s “5 Minutes of Funk” segment for Hot 97.
The former X-Ecutioners member threw down an extended scratch-heavy set, using original vinyl records for part of it.
Swift currently serves as a music consultant and scene choreographer for VH1’s drama series, The Breaks. He’s also a DJ instructor at The New School for Liberal Arts in New York City.
Watch the video above.
Related: Watch Just Blaze’s Routine for Hot 97’s ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
Watch Scram Jones’ Routine for Hot 97’s ‘5 Minutes of Funk’
Scram Jones, a veteran DJ, producer, and rapper from New York, stopped by Hot 97 to perform a routine on Funkmaster Flex’s new “5 Minutes of Funk” segment.
Similar to Flex’s “Freestyle” series for rappers, “5 Minutes of Funk” gives DJs the opportunity to show off their skills. Previous guests include Statik Selektah and DJ Fatfingaz.
Scram began his scratch-heavy set with throwbacks, including a tone play of Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express.” Then, after dropping newer hip-hop tracks, Scram finished with a political statement, using DJ Primetyme’s edit of YG and Nipsey Hussle’s “FDT Part 2.”
Watch the video above.
Watch Grandmaster Flash’s Lecture on the Development of Hip-Hop DJing
Grandmaster Flash (credit: grandmasterflash.com)
DJ and hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash recently gave a lecture at New York’s Hot 97 on the development of hip-hop DJing. The presentation came just one week after the debut of The Get Down, a new Netflix series that explores the rise of hip-hop in the late ’70s.
The hour-long lecture focused on Flash’s technical contributions to hip-hop DJing, including the “peek-a-boo” system, which combined a microphone mixer, preamps, and a studio mixer. As Scratch DJ Academy’s book On the Record states: “this new setup enabled [Grandmaster Flash] to preview the combined sound of two records through headphones before it went through the speakers.”
Flash also explained and demonstrated his “quick mix theory,” which was made possible by the peek-a-boo system. Quick mixing enabled Flash to extend the drum break of a song indefinitely so that crowd could keep dancing to it. The technique was not only a major advancement in hip-hop DJing but led to the development of rap music.
While the innovations that Flash discussed were introduced over 30 years ago, they are still considered standard DJing techniques today.
Watch the full video below.
Topics discussed:
– Some of the most famous samples in hip-hop history (7:00)
– Discovering that the conical stylus is the best type of needle for DJing (13:10)
– Inventing the slipmat (15:10)
– Discovering that the Technics SL-23 was the best turntable at the time for DJing (17:50)
– Inventing the “peek-a-boo” system (21:00)
– His fascination for electronics as a child (22:50)
– Inventing the “clock theory” and “quick mix theory” (28:00)
– Embracing the latest DJ technology (34:00)
– Mentoring Grand Wizzard Theodore, who is credited as the inventor of scratching (36:50)
– Demonstrating his “quick mix theory” and finger drumming with the “beatbox” (42:00)
– The story behind the beatbox (52:00)
Related: Hot 97 Honors Grandmaster Flash
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