Calgarian Takes Home First Place at Alberta Scratch Battle in Edmonton 

by Melissa L.A. Bishop / Journalist

Edmonton, Alta – On Saturday, February 29th, 2020, many musicians got to scratch an itch at The Station on Jasper for The Alberta Skratcher Classic. The live-music event got turntablists in competition, and in a post-battle jam. They manipulate records and alter original vinyl sounds with movement and mixers to create fresh, head-bumping music. 

The event had an intense live music battle with eight competitors from four cities including Vernon, B.C. and Calgary. The two Calgarian friends, Ray Morrison also better known as DJ Infamous Ray and Brandon Dahlberg, known as DJ Dahly Llama, rented a car only last minute to come up. Thankfully they did, because their entries became first and second place respectively at the Edmonton event. Brandon Dahlberg, 26 did not even intend to compete and placed second. I asked Dahlberg if they shared the $300 cash prize and he laughed and said they did not, but he commented, “[Infamous Ray] definitely deserved to win. He has been putting in work.”

The event was put on by Skratcher Edmonton, a chapter in a global network of passionate enthusiasts that get together monthly at The Black Dog on Whyte Avenue. Here, minds connect with machinery and showcase collaboratively. So what is it exactly? Chapter head, Scott Argue, 36, better known by his alias Baggylean explained it as “a drum circle for DJs where scratching is the thing instead of drumming.” The monthly gathering encourages beginners and pros to teach and learn from one another in a positive, relaxed environment. Mark Hallonquist, 34, an attendee at Saturdays event and a regular of the meetups stated he got his first turntable at 16-years-old, and now, 18 years brings all his gear down to the monthly session. The attraction is more than just music: “we just geek out and gawk about turntables. We can’t do that with anybody else in our lives…It’s a whole community. I got some of the best friends I have now because of Skratcher.”

One of the co-founders of Skratcher is Mike Galo, 41, a Vancouver native who is an engineer by day and father to four. He flew into Edmonton early Saturday morning to enjoy and judge the event. He is also known by his scratching alias, Mike MSA. He started the first chapter in Vancouver in September, 2010 with three friends. Their collective business talents allowed Skratcher to grow into multitude of branches in Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Detroit, Jakarta, Sydney, Melbourne, Machester, and Barcelona. Chapters are also in Italy, Greece, Thailand, South Korea, to name just a few. Why is it so popular? Galo said, “It’s a community-driven thing; we are hardly a revenue-generating entity. We care more about growing socially with other people and being inclusive with everyone: males, females, and children. It’s an openness and centred on focusing on positivity and community. I think people want to be part of that.”

Check out @SkratcherNet & @SkratcherYEG on Instagram for more info. 

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