Skratch Bastid & the Gaff
Soul Sisters Stand Up!Attention DJs: If you’re planning to make an all-female soul mix, don’t bother. Canadian duo Skratch Bastid (a three-time Scribble Jam winner) & the Gaff just shut that whole shit down with the definitive mixtape on the subject. In this digital age, mixtapes (a nostalgic misnomer) too often feel like afterthoughts, the contemporary equivalent of CD-Rs unceremoniously discarded after a few listens. Soul Sisters Stand Up! – a 70-minute, 53-song masterpiece – is different. Although stellar, the revelation here isn’t in the song selection, but in the execution. A few rarities are revealed, but most record heads will nod knowingly to track after track by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Betty Davis, Ann Peebles, Nina Simone, and Marlena Shaw. Despite the material, the pair treats soul 45s like 12-inch hip-hop singles, expertly scratching, juggling, mixing, and highlighting monster breaks and countless familiar samples along the way. If hope exists for humanity, this will be bumping at backyard barbecues in the year 2033. (10pm, 512 Rooftop)
This article appears in March 15 • 2013.
