My, how the tables have turned. Skratch Bastid is a producer, DJ, and one of the world’s best turntablists. Since his start in a bare bedroom in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Skratch has been bustin’ beats since phones were dumb. But he doesn’t just loop a beat and throw a rap verse on top of it, Bastid creates entirely new compositions by pitch bending and finding the notes he wants in the grooves to create unique instrumental palettes.
An early mainstay of the DJ battle scene, Bastid even won the legendary Scribble Jam three times in five years. One of his early winning mixes, a hopped up take on the Star Wars Imperial March, even became an early viral sensation on YouTube. He’s the first DJ to be nominated for the Juno for producer of the year, and was nominated for best instrumental album for his avant-garde hip hop/classical collaboration with the Afiara Quartet.
Skratch has collaborated with DJ Jazzy Jeff and produced for several artists including another Summer Serenades performer, Toronto rapper Shad. Bastid continues to soundtrack the best parties around, even mixing straight to your home from a coffee shop on Monday mornings on Twitch. His infamous traveling party Bastid's BBQ may not hit Calgary this year, but with his eponymous hot sauce liberally applied to whatever you’re munching on your tarp, you're basically already there.
Biography by Liam Prost