Gizmo Mark Settle aka Gizmo runs www.skratchworx.com - a website dedicated to scratch Dj technology. Bursting onto the scene 3 years ago, skratchworx has firmly established itself as the primary source for the latest news and reviews about anything relating to scratch DJ product. So how did skratchworx start? Stretching back over more than 2 decades, Hip Hop and turntablism has been a major passion and influence in Mark's life. From picking up a factory fresh copy of "Planet Rock" in 1983 right up to the latest independent small run battle vinyl release - in some form or other, scratching has been and continues to be a big part of his day to day existence. Back in 1989, after a few years of playing out and making mixtapes, Mark met his better half - a life changing event. Within 6 months of meeting, they'd bought a tiny 1 bedroomed cottage together that sadly had no space for his decks. 14 years passed but the DJ bug wouldn't go away. So allowing himself what he describes as a "premature but cool" mid-life crisis, he decided it was time to get back to the decks. Now it would have been really simple to just rush out and buy a pair of Technics and be happy but he felt that a little more research was in order. Thankfully over the previous decade or so, someone invented the internet, making the research task a whole lot easier. Or so he thought... It appeared that the information available was hard to find, sparse in content and lacking and real objectivity. You could go to a manufacturer site or a dealer site - and that was it. And at the time, the popular magazines gave little coverage to gear, especially for the scratch market. So Mark figured it would be a good idea to gather all this information together into one place - and thus skratchworx was born. The aim of skratchworx is a simple one - to bring together all corners of the scratch scene in one place where everyone can talk at the same level about what's happening in the scene. Whether you're the president of the biggest manufacturer on the planet or a kid saving every penny from doing a paper round, there's something for everyone at skratchworx. Reporting the news as it happens, Mark's viewpoint is that if you're going to report on industry happenings, make sure it's accurate and real. He feels there's too much rumour and people not really knowing what's going on. This is why he only reports official releases rather than posting rumours and here-say. And by doing this, Mark has built up very solid relationships with all manufacturers at all levels within the corporate structures. Because of this, skratchworx has been described as "the bible" by some quarters of the DJ scene and is indeed used by DJs from all styles for it's no nonsense approach to reviewing. Having no ties to any manufacturer or sponsor gives skratchworx the independence to make no punches pulled but objective judgements on today's technology. Ú The skratchworx team may be small are all seasoned DJs with years of combined experience and are ideally suited to pass judgement on the new equipment that passes under their noses. In fact so trusted is the skratchworx opinion, that manufacturers often ask for help and advice with product design. Ú The ever-changing technology is also an area covered by skratchworx. While the roots of turntablism still lie deeply rooted in the culture of vinyl, there is a steady move toward digital solutions - something that Mark is keen to keep up to date with and give a lot of webspace over to. Whilst many in the scene feel that digital technology has no place in the turntablist scene, Mark is acutely aware of the direction and trends in the music industry and sees that it is vital that skratchworx stays up to date with this emerging technology and it's rapidly evolving directions. As skratchworx has developed, Mark has found the time to spread into some logical directions. Firstly is the skratchlounge (www.skratchlounge.com) - a forum for skratchworx where anyone can communicate about anything to do with turntablism. And responding to requests for skratchworx to sell equipment, Mark started the skratchshop (www.skratchshop.com) - a small but steadily growing online outlet for specialist scratch DJ accessories - but as Mark is keen to point out "not gear" as he feels this would compromise the objectivity of skratchworx. Also imminent is helping relaunch the World Series Turntablist competition - the best online only scratch battle. And keeping an eye on the future, expect to see DJ releases as well as a selection of scratch-specific products. As Mark approaches his 40th year, he sees skratchworx as an important part of the turntablist and wider DJ scene. His close ties with the manufacturers and providing a place where everyone can air their views is vital if the products being introduced are what the DJ public wants. |
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