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That scratchin’ Bastid

Top Canadian battle DJ back at Garf’s
dj-skratch-bastid
Dj Skratch Bastid

Who: Skratch Bastid with Mat The Alien

Where: Garfinkel’s

When: Sunday, July 31

Tickets: $10

Weekly hip-hop event Sunday Night Bounce is bringing in the Bastid this weekend.

DJ Skratch Bastid (a.k.a. Paul Murphy), one of Canada’s top battling DJs, will be conjuring up craziness on the ones and twos at Garfinkel’s, inspired in part by Whistler’s own Mat The Alien, also in the house that night.

At the tender age of 22, the Bastid already has seven-plus years of DJ-ing under his belt. His most recent recordings include the critically acclaimed mix Better Ask Somebody and the Taking Care Of Business album featuring Winnipeg MCs John Smith and Pip Skid for Vancouver’s Peanuts and Corn Records.

Making his name in the insular Halifax scene, Murphy recently relocated to Montreal, although with the amount of time spent on the road he’s barely had a chance to unpack.

But he did have time to chat with Pique.

Pique:

What projects do you currently have on the go?

Skratch Bastid

: Right now I’m touring and I’m getting ready for some competitions. I’ve got Scribble Jam – a big festival held in Cincinnati in August every year. And I’ve got the Canadian DMC finals on Sept. 10.

Pique: How important is the DJ battle for you; why do you do it?

SB:

The battle’s a good time. It motivates me to make new routines up. It’s something to keep me in check. It gives me a goal. I do create things at my own pace but the DMC makes me get it all together in a presentable package.

Pique: Are battling DJs different than those that don’t battle?

SB:

Typically yes. But I try to be a DJ that bridges the gap between someone who knows how to work the crowd and someone who does a pretty technical routine.

Pique: What was your attraction to DJing originally?

SB:

Hip-hop music in general. I was a pretty big hip-hop fan and I wanted to take part in it. I wrote some raps and kind of did that in the basement for a while. I kept making mix tapes for these girls I liked and it ended up becoming something I liked doing. My friends and I got into using records and it all went from there.

Pique: What’s Montreal like?

SB:

It’s different. Montreal’s a very big city. Very diverse. It’s hard to pinpoint the DJ scene. I’ve been on the road for the bulk of the year. I haven’t really settled into Montreal yet, although I have a monthly gig there that’s going really well. I feel a lot of potential but I haven’t really tapped into it yet.

Pique: Is there a difference between DJs from the east and DJs from out west?

SB:

I think there’s a bit of a difference. I think the East is a bit more edgy and the West is a bit more chill. I’ve seen Mat The Alien play before and he always comes out with really fun, creative mixes. And I think I do that too, but sometimes mine are a bit more hard.

Pique: Why do you take your show on the road?

SB:

I’m young, and I have the opportunity, so I just want to keep pushing my name and show everyone what I do. My show is like my business card. The more people I show it to, the more my name can get around and allow me to live off of this. And because I love it. It’s a rush.

Pique: What are you into right now?

SB:

Well, you know, I’ve always got one foot in the future and one foot in the past. I go through phases. I think right now it’s a Led Zeppelin phase. Also, Southern hip-hop, like Paul Wall and David Banner.

Pique: What would your dream gig be?

SB:

I’d like to play a big festival like Glastonbury or something of that magnitude where I do a massive half hour set and have people freak out.

Pique: Describe Mat The Alien.

SB:

He’s easily one of the nicest people in this often shady business. Just an all around solid dude and the perfect example of someone who doesn’t have to battle to make a name for themselves.

It’s a hip-hop long weekend for Garf’s. Following Sunday’s DJ event, the club hosts West Coast Canadian MCs Checkmate and Concise on Monday, Aug. 1. Tickets for that show are $8, available in advance from the Electric Daisy Internet Café and at the Levis Store.