Invisibl Skratch Piklz
Encyclopedia
The Invisibl Skratch Piklz were a group of Americans
of Filipino
Ancestry turntablists
.
The members of the group were originally hip-hop
DJs, who were among the pioneers of the turntablism
movement in the 1990s; turntablists create musical pieces by mixing samples from records, by using multiple turntables as instruments. The group started in 1989 as Shadow of the Prophet, with DJ Q-bert
, Mix Master Mike
, and DJ Apollo, who left the group in 1993. The group later added DJ Disk
, Shortkut, DJ Flare
, Yogafrog, D-Styles, A-Trak
to their lineup. They released numerous mix projects & albums and were featured in documentaries
such as Battle Sounds and Scratch. The Invisibl Skratch Piklz performed their last show on July 1, 2000 at the Skratchcon 2000 conference in San Francisco, California
.
Individually and as a group, the Piklz's reputation in the hip-hop underground is undisputed, with journalists regularly describing how they were asked by the Disco Mix Club (DMC), an international DJ association, to stop competing since they were discouraging other DJs from even bothering to enter. But the leaps the group have made since they retired from competition, have proved most impressive; dragging turntable tricknology into new and wholly autonomous territories of musicianship being developed by a new generation of bedroom virtuosi, with turntable groups such as the X-Men, the Beat Junkies
, and the Skratch Piklz at the forefront.
The Piklz produced most of their work around 1995-2000. During that period they also gave numerous performances and seminars around the world, helped in the design of various DJ products for Vestax
and Ortofon
, and developed the break record, an essential tool used by most present-day turntablists. One of their most notable performances was an International Turntablist Federation (ITF) battle between themselves and the X-Men (now the X-Ecutioners) of New York
. Their group routine for this battle, immortalized on bootleg videos, was later recorded in a studio and released as "The Invisibl Skratch Piklz Vs. Da Klams Uv Deth" (see below). All previous members of the group have gone on to solo careers, most notably DJ Q-bert & Mix Master Mike. Q-bert, Mix Master Mike, Shortkut, and DJ Disk
are featured in a live performance on the Praxis
album Transmutation Live
, recorded in 1997.
Americans
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
of Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
Ancestry turntablists
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
.
The members of the group were originally hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
DJs, who were among the pioneers of the turntablism
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
movement in the 1990s; turntablists create musical pieces by mixing samples from records, by using multiple turntables as instruments. The group started in 1989 as Shadow of the Prophet, with DJ Q-bert
DJ Q-bert
Richard Quitevis, born October 7, 1969, in San Francisco, California, known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Qbert , is a Filipino-American Turntablist and composer.- Early life :...
, Mix Master Mike
Mix Master Mike
Mix Master Mike is an American turntablist and contributing member of the Beastie Boys.-Life and career:Born Michael Schwartz in San Francisco, California, Mix Master Mike is of German and Filipino descent. He first came to prominence upon winning the 1992 New Music Seminar/Supermen Inc...
, and DJ Apollo, who left the group in 1993. The group later added DJ Disk
DJ Disk
DJ Disk is a San Francisco Bay Area turntablist of Panamanian, Colombian, and Nicaraguan descent. Born Luis Quintanilla on October 7, 1970, in San Francisco, Disk began scratching and mixing vinyl at a young age...
, Shortkut, DJ Flare
DJ Flare
DJ Flare is a scratch DJ with many vinyl releases. Flare was a member of the turntablist group the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, appearing in many of their Turntable TV videos. He releases battle records under the pseduonym "Butchwax" on the Thud Rumble and Dirtstyle Records labels. He also created...
, Yogafrog, D-Styles, A-Trak
A-Trak
A-Trak is a Montreal-born DJ, turntablist, and owner of the record label Fool's Gold.- Career :...
to their lineup. They released numerous mix projects & albums and were featured in documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
such as Battle Sounds and Scratch. The Invisibl Skratch Piklz performed their last show on July 1, 2000 at the Skratchcon 2000 conference in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Individually and as a group, the Piklz's reputation in the hip-hop underground is undisputed, with journalists regularly describing how they were asked by the Disco Mix Club (DMC), an international DJ association, to stop competing since they were discouraging other DJs from even bothering to enter. But the leaps the group have made since they retired from competition, have proved most impressive; dragging turntable tricknology into new and wholly autonomous territories of musicianship being developed by a new generation of bedroom virtuosi, with turntable groups such as the X-Men, the Beat Junkies
Beat Junkies
The World Famous Beat Junkies is a Hip hop crew of DJs specializing in Turntablism. Established in 1992 in Orange County, California by J-Rocc....
, and the Skratch Piklz at the forefront.
The Piklz produced most of their work around 1995-2000. During that period they also gave numerous performances and seminars around the world, helped in the design of various DJ products for Vestax
Vestax
The Vestax Corporation of Japan began in 1977 as a designer and manufacturer of electronic guitars. In the 1980s Vestax introduced a series of cassette based multitracks to challenge established products from Fostex, Yamaha and Tascam's portastudios...
and Ortofon
Ortofon
Ortofon is a Danish manufacturer of electronic audio equipment. It is the world's largest producer of magnetic cartridges for phonograph turntables, with 500,000 cartridges sold annually....
, and developed the break record, an essential tool used by most present-day turntablists. One of their most notable performances was an International Turntablist Federation (ITF) battle between themselves and the X-Men (now the X-Ecutioners) of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Their group routine for this battle, immortalized on bootleg videos, was later recorded in a studio and released as "The Invisibl Skratch Piklz Vs. Da Klams Uv Deth" (see below). All previous members of the group have gone on to solo careers, most notably DJ Q-bert & Mix Master Mike. Q-bert, Mix Master Mike, Shortkut, and DJ Disk
DJ Disk
DJ Disk is a San Francisco Bay Area turntablist of Panamanian, Colombian, and Nicaraguan descent. Born Luis Quintanilla on October 7, 1970, in San Francisco, Disk began scratching and mixing vinyl at a young age...
are featured in a live performance on the Praxis
Praxis (band)
Praxis was the name of an ever-changing musical project, led by prolific producer Bill Laswell. Praxis combine elements of different musical genres such as funk, jazz, hip-hop and heavy metal into highly improvised music...
album Transmutation Live
Transmutation Live
Transmutation Live is a live album compiled from a live Praxis performance in Zurich, Switzerland, in the summer of 1996. Transmutation Live features an incarnation of Bill Laswell's free jazz/rock/hip-hop collective...
, recorded in 1997.
Discography
- Mongoose Shuttle (1997) (unreleased)
- Vs. Da Klams Uv Deth (1997) (Asphodel)
- The Shiggar Fraggar Show, Volume 5 (1998) (Hip Hop Slam)
- The Shiggar Fraggar Show, Volume 4 (1999) (Hip Hop Slam)
- The Shiggar Fraggar Show, Volume 3 (1999) (Hip Hop Slam)
- The Shiggar Fraggar Show, Volume 2 (1999) (Hip Hop Slam)
- The Shiggar Fraggar Show, Volume 1 (2000) (Hip Hop Slam)
- Shiggar Fraggar 2000 (2000) (Hip Hop Slam)