The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel
Grandmaster FlashTurntable switching, repetition and collage are audible as the composition itself.
TINSTRUMENT · KNOWLEDGE GUIDE
Turntables
Playback, cueing, reversal and scratching turn existing records into performance material.
- Instrument family
- Electronic / performance
- Origin
- New York, 1970s, with influence from Jamaican sound-system culture
- Related genres
- 3
ORIGIN
Where does it come from?
DJs used two turntables and a mixer to extend breaks, switch records, backspin and scratch, turning playback equipment into a live instrument.
ROLE IN ARRANGEMENT
What does it do in an arrangement?
In DJ culture and hip-hop they organize selection, transitions, rhythm and recombination.
BeatmatchingScratchingBackspin
COMMON USES
Where will you hear it?
Used for selection, transitions, beat control, scratching and collage in hip-hop and club culture.
LISTENING EXAMPLES
Recordings and repertoire to recognize
COMMON GENRES
Common in these genres
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