Scratch DJ Academy - MorningCalM December 2018

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DJing long ago became a global phenomenon. But at Scratch DJ Academy in New York, it’s still a close-knit community where students learn to add their own voice to a diverse musical mix. 

PhotographY by Bryan Anselm

Compared to nearby Lower Manhattan institutions like New York University and Cooper Union, Scratch DJ Academy is easy to miss — the logos on its second-floor windows announce its presence quietly. But inside is a different world. Past the lobby, in an open classroom bounded by turntables, Mary J Blige’s hit song Family Affair bounces off the walls. Instructors Ben Miller and Josh Andres take turns scratching over it, transforming the famous beat into fresh, syncopated takes.

The students enrolled in Level 1 start with simpler moves. The first scratch aspiring DJs learn is the “baby scratch,” which has you pushing a record forward and back on each beat. “It seems like it’s easy,” says student Lonnie Mebane. But the students stare at their spinning records with the concentration of an archer aiming for the bull’s-eye. “The timing has to be correct,” says Mebane. Learning to DJ is on his bucket list, so he’s commuting two hours from Connecticut to cross it off. He’s most interested in the hip-hop genre and wants to produce beats on the fly.

“It’s harder than I thought,” echoes Vincent DeSantis, who especially loves 1990s freestyle music. “I just really wanted to challenge myself.” Catalina Manquehual, who’s a huge fan of EDM, only moved to New York recently. She’s getting used to not just DJing, but the noisy city as well. “Everything is new, so everything is a challenge,” she says.

Not so long ago, DJing was new for Miller, too. After going through all eight levels at Scratch and receiving his diploma, he became an instructor. “I just wanted to stay in this atmosphere,” he says. “I built friendships learning from other people.”

At Scratch, there’s always an unpredictable medley of music playing, matching its unpredictable group of students, who range all ages, musical interests and goals. The academy is open from 11am to 10pm every day except Fridays, and students can come in and practice any time. Scratch’s walls are scattered with memorabilia, much of it featuring legendary DJ Jam Master Jay, who founded the academy in 2002 with business partner Rob Principe.

The art of DJing blends history with the future — sampling makes explicit the past’s role in new music. The Level 5 class, Advanced Mixing, is taught by Esquire, a renowned DJ who won the venerated DMC US Finals in 2013. “I’ve been DJing for...” The pause stretches on as he thinks. “...20-plus.” When he first started, he was into Prince and his mother’s ’80s and R & B records.

By this level, students use laptops hooked up to turntables. Esquire gives his students advice on how to organize their music collection, and it’s a far cry from when DJs had to lug around crates of vinyls. “Who knows where it can go?” Esquire muses. “We were even joking that it might start to be like mind control, where you look at the screen and drag the song into the bank you want.”

Advanced Mixing gets deep into the technical details of using a program called Serato DJ Pro, including how to tell which songs would mix harmoniously. DJs exude an aura of cool, but bent over the turntables at Scratch, both students and teachers are nerding out about their craft. “You know, the best producers are nerds,” points out Albert Johnson, an instructor and the manager of engagement at Scratch. “Pharrell is a nerd.” The image of “cool” can connote a casual attitude toward things, but Scratch teaches that there’s no shortcut to greatness. Out in the main area, dedicated students are practicing outside of class. “You should talk to her,” says one student, pointing to a young woman at the end. “She’s good.”

Anna Awe is half DJ, half producer — or will be one day. She started classes at Scratch in June. She explains how to chop up a sound and beat-match, mixing songs from different genres and countries. The music just keeps flowing, one voice layered over another, and Anna’s demonstration is a testament to the wide diversity of musical knowledge Scratch has taught her already.

Fifteen years from now, what would Anna Awe be doing? “I’m on a huge stage. It’s like a nightclub, but there’s lots of foliage and all sorts of lights,” she says. “And there’s music. I’m playing from every single voice around the world.”