Flash is Fast, Flash Is Cool: Adventures in #RealDJing

If 2014 showed us anything, it's that #RealDJing still matters. There was a very awesome movement, featuring DJs like A-Trak, Craze, Shiftee, and Enfe

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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If 2014 showed us anything, it's that #RealDJing still matters. There was a very awesome movement, featuring DJs like A-Trak, Craze, Shiftee, and Enferno that highlighted not just the awesome, crowd-pleasing side of DJing, but the technical side of this artform. That movement was a part of a bigger discussion on what makes a DJ, which becomes a hot button issue when you see who's being billed as the "Top DJ" in the world, and what these DJs are collecting per show. But if we're going to take it back to what #RealDJing is, you have to go to one of the godfathers of using the turntable as an instrument: Grandmaster Flash.

Flash and his Furious Five are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He's been a part of the beginning of hip-hop as a culture, not only pushing the limits of what a DJ could be in a group setting (and on their own), but perfecting a number of the techniques and devices that DJs still use today, from properly mixing breakbeats to the use of a slipmat. He's a living legend, and celebrates another year on this earth today; what better time than now to pay some homage to a legend?

On 1980's "Rapture," Blondie's Debbie Harry rapped "Flash is fast, Flash is cool." He was both of those things on the decks, but was so much more. If you want to study what #RealDJing truly is, the best place to start is examining what Flash has brought to the table, in his own words.

"The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel"

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That thing where Grandmaster Flash released a seven-minute single of him rocking a tight three-deck mix. This 1981 release featured Flash cutting up a number of huge records of that time: Blondie's "Rapture," Chic's "Good Times," Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust," and so much more. You couldn't release a single like this today, but this 12" was so vital to what later became known as "turntablism," or the art of using the turntable as a real instrument. There's a journey on this track that finds Flash showing his personality and skills while still being able to rock the party. It's not just a random mix, but an expertly-crafted gem in DJing on record that should be studied, or at the very least appreciated for what it meant for the DJing scene.

Cutting in the Kitchen

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One of the most famous scenes from a bonafide classic hip-hop flick, Wildstyle. For some, this was the first time they saw a DJ on the two turntables getting busy. Flash in his kitchen, with Fab Five Freddy in the foreground digging it, is a great representation of #RealDJing.

How to Do a Break Mix

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This circa 1983 footage is kind of amazing. When you consider that hip-hop was still so raw and new at this time, this is a great look for Flash. Even iller is Flash's hat. Mixing breakbeats is a cornerstone of the hip-hop scene.

Flash Takes it to The Mardi Gras

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As hip-hop made it's way worldwide, you could find something like Grandmaster Flash on a Dutch television program, cutting up classics like Bob James' "Take Me to the Mardi Gras."

Strictly Vinyl in the Bronx

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This footage was uploaded in August of 2009, but there's no word on when it was actually shot. Regardless, this is Flash at his best, running through the foundations of hip-hop back and forth. Things really get ill around 1:47.

A Jam Master Jay Tribute

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Although Flash was doing the damn thing on a bigger stage before Jam Master Jay really got on with Run DMC, it's dope to see the Grandmaster pay tribute to Jay during this segment of the 2003 BET Awards. Flash kicks it off about 1:26 into the video, but the "Walk This Way" routine around 3:44 might trump that bit.

Traktor Scratch Routine, 2008

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Now don' think that Flash is strictly a vinyl guy; he's a pioneer, but has adapted. #RealDJing is about accepting the changes and benefits of technology, but not letting that stop your craft and advancement. Here's a routine Flash did using Traktor Scratch at the 2008 NAMM Show.

Analog vs. Digital

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That said, this clip shows Flash in the mix using both analog and digital means. Also note how excited Flash gets when talking about how important the 1970s were to hip-hop.

Flash's History of DJing

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This video is almost 30 minutes, but he breaks down a lot of early DJing equipment, including how he buffered the space between his record and the turntable (a device we know today as the slipmat).

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