"I’m Not One To Ever Sit Still Musically": The Cornerstone Tracks of Scratcha DVA

I get the feeling that some people don’t really get Scratcha, not in a bad, terrifyingly misunderstood or malicious kind of way, but it’s more considering how much his reputation as a bit of a prankster comes before him. After years of presenting the Rinse FM breakfast show, he quit this year to focus his attention properly on writing, releasing and promoting his full length record on Hyperdub, Pretty Ugly, and there are still occasions when people see him more as that presenter person than as a serious producer. He goes deeper than that supremely likeable, king of banter that he portrayed himself to be so well on the radio; and his music since has reflected that. He’s not so concerned with making earworm grime that sticks right at the front of your mind for hours after you’ve heard it now, he’s making and defining his own brand of ‘power house’. So, in an attempt to look deeper into exactly what influences him we asked him to select his cornerstone tracks, pieces of music that help define who he is and why he makes music the way he does, and then we used those as springboards for a deeper conversation. You can catch Scratcha at the Rinse FM Xmas Party here on Boxing Day… Redman - Pick It Up Did you ever see that episode of MTV Cribs with Redman on? He was just living like a normal non-celeb… it was amazing, just pizza boxes and crap everywhere. The ultimate hot rapper keeping it real type shit. Does staying grounded matter to you do you think? I mean, are you making incredible amounts of money from this? Are you just looking to make a living from music? Yeah, I saw it. Redman is real! He’s jus in the hood, he’s not trying act like he doesn’t buss a number2 like everybody else. That’s also what I liked about his music, it’s just real, him smoking weed and mashing hoes - there wasn’t much else to it. I’m sure if he wanted a house on the hill he could have got one at the time. So yeah, I do think that staying grounded is important but then saying that if you want nice things then go buy nice things, innit. I ain’t rich. The other day I bought a travel card that I didn’t actually need in the end. I nearly blacked out. £5 WHAT DA HELL? Nu Yorican Soul - Black Gold Of The Sun (4Hero Remix) It’s pretty obvious with your work with vocalists and people like Fatima that there’s a lot of soul wrapped up in your music if you look for it. Why did you pick this song? So before I got into drum & bass I was listening to Redman and stuff like Jill Scott so just in between hip hop, soul music and even The Prodigy. But this tune for me best explains the journey of how my taste went from hip hop and more soul stuff to more jungle/drum & bass whatever. With a mix of Jocelyn Brown feat on vocals and some jazzy chords and a big d&b ending section, it’s probably one of my favourite remixes ever made. Ed Rush & Optical – Bacteria I was watching loads of drum & bass documentaries this morning and a lot of the dudes interviewed admitted that it’s a very young genre, like people either dip in for a few years early on in their life or they stick with it completely. Would you say you were still in it? What is it you like about it? I was never in the d&b scene [laughs]. I just tried making some tracks and no-one cared. I cut some dubplates but still no-one cared. I like the energy of the music and I collected loads of records and cut some dubplates at Music House for no reason because I had nowhere to play them but as for actually being in it and getting any DJ shows, it was long. It was all about the sound quality I feel back in them times of like Bad Company and Twisted Individual. If you didn't have the kit to get your sound levelling with them then you could forget it. I’ve noticed DJ Sly is doing really well now; I think he was trying to get on Kool FM when I was at school so it just shows how slow moving that scene can be. Brandy – Angel In Disguise I used to watch Brandy in Moesha a lot on Trouble, along with Hang Time, Sister Sister and LL Cool J and Carlton from Fresh Prince in In Da House. I always loved the idea that here was this super credible artist in a teen comedy with values, like it was making them a more wholesome package to be marketed. Do you think a lot about how you come across in your music? I never used to, but I do think about how I come across now. I have to. I always like a laugh and a joke but since making more housier stuff and coming away from the grime scene I noticed that it can sometimes be a bit snobby and a bit stiff. People like a bit of mystery here and there and a stiff emotionless interview to read/watch or something and then I come along with five years of playing jokes and messing around in the morning on Rinse. But I’ve got a Hyperdub LP as well and I can tell sum of these DJs an people are thinking.. 'Go away Scratcha with your jokes and your fun and games - we are serious here!’ But what they need to understand is that I take my music seriously. Here’s an example of what I mean.. So I’m in Berlin chilling in this club, not really working or anything and the promoter comes over and says 'Hey! Scratcha DVA! Good to meet you blah blah blah... I used to love your Rinse breakfast show..' So now I’m thinking, sweet, this is a possible booking here in the future or whatever... And then he says 'Yeah, you should MC, you were so funny at MCing' which is long. So yeah, I definitely think the package is important but I don’t think I did any favours to mine. Monica – Down 4 Whatever The production on this one is awkward, like at the same time super slick but there’s that popping snare that just sounds out of place on it. Y u lyk dis song? I love the production on this one and the vocal. And between Monica, Brandy, Aaliyah, Darkchild and Timbaland who at the time were massive game changers, I studied and learnt about swing. Like different grooves and mixing and arranging vocals. Also check out DJ Suv – ‘Free By Four’. The groove on that track was a big game changer for me as well. Todd Edwards – What’s His Name Do you think he’s talking about God on this one? Obviously Todd has a very accomplished style all of his own, is that something you’d like to become a bit more known for in the future? Todd Edwards is one of the few producers I can listen to a whole 2 hour DJ set of and not get bored, even though the tracks all sound so similar. This track wasn't the biggest but its one of my top 3 Todd tracks. People have always said to me they can tell when I’ve made a track or not.. I’m not one to ever sit still musically, so I don’t know how that will pan out in the future. Wiley – Eskimo I don’t think anyone has had as much influence on this generation of producers that’s operating now as much as Wiley has. He’s integral to London sounding like London too. What does his music mean to you? The original Wiley stuff and all the white labels he put out was a big part of grime. It was just basically a Korg Triton and a few PS Kits but I don’t think anyone else could have made it all happen the way he did. Wiley’s grime music reminds me of a time when I started putting ideas together with friends and making something of my production and releasing stuff and actually putting in some work within a sound and a scene. Like I said, I weren’t in d&b and I was just a UKG collector so this was the first thing I was actually involved in legitimately. 1Luv – Daylight I loved it when funky blew up, even the full vocal tracks. Do you miss it at all? Do you still play that stuff out? I see this track as more of a house track then a funky track because when I first heard it, it was being played by Kismet, Feva, Perempay and them kinda cats, who at the time where a bit snobbish towards UK funky and stuff. I started collecting a lot of it and there was a lot of Serato playlist watching going on when i workd in club E3 cause I used to do the sound and lights in the DJ booth and it was hearing this track an others like it which influenced me in to making tracks like 'Im Leaving' featuring Alahna. I don’t play alot of this stuff anymore for a couple of reasons though… 1. I had a car which got towed away with all my music in the boot cause it was after my radio show. I never got all them CDs with the house tracks on back. 2. My DJ sets have changed... Mainly because I steer more towards what I’m producing and probably a bit because of number 1 still. Ellen Allien - Dream I know this isn’t exactly techno but I wanted to ask you this so I had to fit it in somewhere. Do you like how the whole world seemed to look to techno for inspiration in 2012? Do you find that you’re being booked to play in situations where it’s a bit more techno… I’m not being booked for any techno parties though? I told u before, I’m not serious and German enough or something. Saying that, I’ve shared lineups with a couple of techy DJs here and there but I don’t mind it. Yeah the techno wave in London is strong right now but whatever... I’m not gonna sit here and cry. I’m fine with it.... R&B had Guetta.... Listen, I also had a phase of biting the skin on my fingers when I was at school. Things come and go. Rashad ft DJ Deeon - Yo Foot Have you embraced juke fully? Are you playing it out and such? Footwork is sick! It seems to have the same qualities as early jungle and d&b, like just getting samples or full tracks and putting 160bpm beats over the top of them and chopping up stuff recklessly. I can kinda see it also doing the same thing and moving away from bait booty samples of R&B tracks, dancehall or old house samples and becoming just good tracks in their own right, like early d&b.. I just hope it don’t go all dark, horrible and boring like d&b did... Catch Scratcha DVA at Rinse FM's Xmas Party here on Boxing Day and in Room Two on the 11th January where he replaces Lando Kal.