A crab is a type of scratch used by turntablists. It is made from a combination of moving the record on the turntable by hand and quick movement of the crossfader. Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique originated by Grand Wizard Theodore, an early hip hop DJ from New York (AMG). ... Turntablism is a subgenre of pop music which emerged from hip hop. ... It has been suggested that Childrens gramophone records be merged into this article or section. ... Edison cylinder phonograph ca. ... In radio communications, fade describes the loss of signal strength at the receiver. ...

Creation

The crab scratch was invented by DJ Qbert as a variation on DJ Excel's "twiddle." It seems that the two met up in Japan for the Vestax DJ competition in 1995 and Excel was asking Qbert how to flare. When he showed Qbert how he thought the flare was done he was actually doing the twiddle instead by using his thumb as a spring and "twiddling" the fader with 2 fingers. After this meeting, Qbert took the idea back to San Francisco with him and after showing the scratch to DJ Disk, he ended up creating a move that utilized all 3 to 4 fingers and thus the crab was born. Later in 1995, while the DMC USA finals were being held in San Francisco, a group of DJs and judges which included The Beat Junkies, The X-Men (now called the X-ecutioners), and the rest of ISP among others got together for what would later be know as the "Famous Warehouse Session" at Yoga Frog's old mobile DJ warehouse. It was at this session that Qbert shared the new scratch. DJ Q-Bert Q-Bert (born 1969) is the performing name of Richard Quitevis, a Filipino-American DJ and music-writer. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... DJ Disk is a San Francisco Bay Area turntablist of Panamanian and Nicaraguan descent. ... Disco Mixing Club (DMC) is a worldwide name to all professional and amateur disc jockeys, especially those involved in the avant-garde music genre known as turntablism. ... The (World Famous) Beat Junkies is a crew of 7 hip-hop DJs. ... The X-Ecutioners are a group of hip hop DJs/turntablists from New York. ... The X-Ecutioners are a group of hip hop DJs/turntablists from New York. ... Invisibl Scratch Piklz The Invisibl Skratch Piklz were a group of Filipino-American turntablists. ...

While the name "crab" seems self explanatory since it makes your hand look like a crab when you curl all of your fingers to perform it, according to Qbert the name originated elsewhere. Apparently, he and Mixmaster Mike had just returned from Beirut, Lebanon around the same time that he invented it where they were served crepes one night after a show. He said that when the people over their pronounced crepes, it sounded more like "cccccreb" and since he thought it was funny, he used it to name the "cccccreb" scratch which everyone now pronounces as the crab. Mixmaster Mike is a turntablist and also the DJ from the Beastie Boys and Invisibl Skratch Piklz. ... For other uses, see Beirut (disambiguation). ... A sweet crêpe opened up, with whipped cream and strawberry sauce on it A sweet crêpe rolled up, ready to be eaten A crêpe is a thin pancake. ...

Technique

To do a crab scratch the DJ quickly rubs/taps the fader knob with 3 or 4 different fingers in sequence starting with the pinkie or ring finger while using the thumb as a spring to cut the fader back out after each tap (or in if scratching hamster style). The result is much like a 3 or 4 tap transform (or a 3 or 4 click flare if you scratch hamster style) only much quicker than you could probably do with one finger. Many DJs find this move easier or more comfortable to perform hamster style by bouncing the fader off of the side of the fader slot, but the move can be performed both normal and hamster. As with orbits, crabs can be performed once as a single distinct move, or sequenced to produce a cyclical never ending type of crab sound. Hamster style is a method used by turntablists whereby the configuration of the crossfader is reversed, so that the right turntable is on the left end of the crossfader and vice versa. ... Hamster style is a method used by turntablists whereby the configuration of the crossfader is reversed, so that the right turntable is on the left end of the crossfader and vice versa. ...

External links

• Crab scratch at DJ Techniques wiki