BATTLE HARDENED world champions in vinyl manipulation and ‘skratching’, experimental turntable musicians, and new names on the scene will converge on Galway next week for the ninth annual Community Skratch Games.
The games take place on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, April 4 and 5, in The Bierhaus and there will also be performances from live musicians, rappers, and beatmakers.
World champion DJ Chile opens the festival with a freestyle set at 5pm on Saturday 4. He will perform on the Sunday in new skratch project, entitled Wat Tyler’s Soundcard, with G.O.D’s Jimmy Hatetank and Galway’s Jimmy Penguin. Emerging rappers Clerk 5 and Same D4ence, as well as young Clare DJ Daithi Curtin, will make their Galway debut on the Saturday, while that night, the hyper modern, soul-filled, hip-hop grime of The Rusangano Family will be heard.
Galway’s Noid the Droid and Zinc bring their respective brands of esoteric and forward thinking music to the Sunday showcases. Naive Ted, Djackulate, and Danny Deepo will create three very different skratch messes the day before. Handsome Paddy also plays on the Saturday.
Freestylers Darcy, Symatic & Kutclass open the Sunday event, followed by Nyt Bloomer, Hobo Convention’s JusMe, and the electronic bass explorations of Rick Soul and Lewis James, before KOI>3.2^6 takes the stage for a rare live show. B-Music representative Christine Kelly wraps up Sunday with a vinyl only set of psychedelia and rare grooves.
The main event is the Community Skratch Games Open Freestyle Battle Royale which will see emerging talent competing alongside veterans. See communityskratchmusic.tumblr.com and Facebook. Performances begin at 5pm each day. Ray Wingnut is the MC for all events. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
