"I'm a Lumberjack DJ Ad-Rock"

[brooklyndust]

Throughout the years I have discovered that Ad-Rock has done the scratching on a lot more album cuts then I would have imagined.

Off the top of my head I can only think of "Finger Licking Good"

It would be nice to get a small list of his contributions.
I'm pretty sure he did the scratching on a few songs on License to Ill, but what else?

[Micodin]

i don’t believe Adrock started scratching on their albums untill the G-Son era.

EZ Mike Simpson did all the cuts for Paul’s, and i’m pretty sure i read somewheres that Rick and Yauch did the cuts for LTI.

[Uru-Nitro]

The Move (HN) has few nice cuts, at the beginning of the track and in the unfamous "soy el rey" outro.

Also "Negotiation Limerick file" girl-voice chorus I believe its scratched, not just a plain sample.

"Body movin" has nice cuts here and there too.

[Uru-Nitro]

Addition: I just realized there is so much more scratching than I thought. If you listen carefully, there are plenty of cuts making the song less monotonous. To list a few:

CYH:
-Jimmy James. one the best intros ever?
-Funky boss (yeah it has scratching at the end)
-Pass the Mic
-So whatcha want (the sound behind the chorus i think is scratched)
-the maestro
-profesor booty

IC: I don't have the album book here, so I can't read if Hurricane is the one behind the scratching
-The Scoop
-Get it together
-Flute loop
-Alright Hear This (even with an intro dedicated to scratching)
-Sure shot (maybe Hurricane scratched this song?)
-Sabotage has a damn lot of scratching.
-Futtermans rule (little scratch on the bridge)
-Bboys making with the freak freak
-Do It

HN:
-super disco breaking
-The Move
-remote control
-just a test
-Body movin
-intergalactic
-flowing prose (few)
-electrify
-dedication. Despite the intro cut, I have doubts if the main high-pitched sound all along the song is actually an scratch technique (f.ex. at 1:22)

"Sneaking out of the hospital", "putting shame in your game", "cant wont dont stop", "unite" and 3mcs and 1 dj cuts by MixMasterMike

I don't know if Adrock is the one behind all the scratches in those songs, but probably in the 100% of the HN album he is.

[brooklyndust]

Originally Posted by Micodin

i don’t believe Adrock started scratching on their albums untill the G-Son era.

EZ Mike Simpson did all the cuts for Paul’s, and i’m pretty sure i read somewheres that Rick and Yauch did the cuts for LTI.

In The Song That Changed Everything chapter of the book, Mike D says Ad Rock scratched in the Hold It Now Hit and Yo, Leroy parts.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Originally Posted by Uru-Nitro

Addition: I just realized there is so much more scratching than I thought. If you listen carefully, there are plenty of cuts making the song less monotonous. To list a few:

CYH:
-Jimmy James. one the best intros ever?
-Funky boss (yeah it has scratching at the end)
-Pass the Mic
-So whatcha want (the sound behind the chorus i think is scratched)
-the maestro
-profesor booty

IC: I don't have the album book here, so I can't read if Hurricane is the one behind the scratching
-The Scoop
-Get it together
-Flute loop
-Alright Hear This (even with an intro dedicated to scratching)
-Sure shot (maybe Hurricane scratched this song?)
-Sabotage has a damn lot of scratching.
-Futtermans rule (little scratch on the bridge)
-Bboys making with the freak freak
-Do It

HN:
-super disco breaking
-The Move
-remote control
-just a test
-Body movin
-intergalactic
-flowing prose (few)
-electrify
-dedication. Despite the intro cut, I have doubts if the main high-pitched sound all along the song is actually an scratch technique (f.ex. at 1:22)

"Sneaking out of the hospital", "putting shame in your game", "cant wont dont stop", "unite" and 3mcs and 1 dj cuts by MixMasterMike

I don't know if Adrock is the one behind all the scratches in those songs, but probably in the 100% of the HN album he is.

The way to tell Adrock from Yauch is that Adrock's style is more smooth and Yauch has more of the transform style. The Jimmy James cuts are Yauch I believe. Fingerlicking Good is definitely Adrock.

[Taco Zip]

Originally Posted by Sir SkratchaLot

The Jimmy James cuts are Yauch I believe.

Yes, Yauch did Jimmy James. You can read the story on that in the Anthology booklet.

[Extra Cheese]

Originally Posted by Sir SkratchaLot

The way to tell Adrock from Yauch is that Adrock's style is more smooth and Yauch has more of the transform style. The Jimmy James cuts are Yauch I believe. Fingerlicking Good is definitely Adrock.

“I got the Terminator style with the touch of a tweak technic 1200s I’m known to freak”

The terminator effect also gives Yauch away, I honestly have no idea what that even is but I heard it mentioned a few times in their audio commentary.

Also check this old interview old at the 4:08 mark, mike d mentions adrock does the cuts and occasionally mca gets in on it

https://youtu.be/wHQUcmSkW_k

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Originally Posted by Extra Cheese

“I got the Terminator style with the touch of a tweak technic 1200s I’m known to freak”

The terminator effect also gives Yauch away, I honestly have no idea what that even is but I heard it mentioned a few times in their audio commentary.

Also check this old interview old at the 4:08 mark, mike d mentions adrock does the cuts and occasionally mca gets in on it

https://youtu.be/wHQUcmSkW_k

The "terminator" scratch originated from DJs using the phono/line switches on their mixers as an "on/off" switch. On the old-school mixers, the crossfaders had gentle curves for mixing but the phono/line switch would give an instant "on/off" to sharply chop up the sound.

With the "terminator" scratch, the record is generally moving more slowly and the line switch cuts on and off in fast succession to chop up the sound.

Here's a good example of DJ Aladdin using this style at the 1989 DMC. https://youtu.be/JqnoAyMTtZM?t=113 Using the line switches was a big thing in West Coast Scratching in the mid 80s but a lot of east coast DJs used it too and I think Cash Money out of Philly invented it.

In Philly, the "terminator" scratch is more frequently called the "transformer" scratch (demonstrated by DJ Jazzy Jeff on wax in 1987 -- https://youtu.be/MEAPHZd7p-Y?t=226). In the DJ world, most people refer to the technique as "transforming" instead of "terminating".

Around 1988 Grandmaster Flash put out the "Flashformer". You could connect it to your mixer and get the same type of effect but with buttons instead of switch. https://www.flickr.com/photos/djpedia/5612063762

So, that chopped up "transformer" type sound is the "terminator style". Yauch used this same "terminator style" for the scratching on Jimmy James and also used the effect on his bass at various times.

These days hardly anybody uses the line switches very much anymore because crossfaders now have super-sharp cuts on them for scratching. It's faster to use the fader and you can (generally) get the same effect. But the transform scratch is considered to be one of the basic, building block scratch techniques.

What you're hearing Adrock do on Fingerlicking Good are mostly "chirps", which only have one fader "click" (as opposed to lots of "clicks" for a transform) but typically use a faster record hand movement. https://youtu.be/dRMNXx5gyrw

[pm0ney]

You can tell whether MCA or Adrock is cutting. They both have their own style.

[M|X|Y]

WOW.. thanks for this

Originally Posted by Sir SkratchaLot

The "terminator" scratch originated from DJs using the phono/line switches on their mixers as an "on/off" switch. On the old-school mixers, the crossfaders had gentle curves for mixing but the phono/line switch would give an instant "on/off" to sharply chop up the sound.

With the "terminator" scratch, the record is generally moving more slowly and the line switch cuts on and off in fast succession to chop up the sound.

Here's a good example of DJ Aladdin using this style at the 1989 DMC. https://youtu.be/JqnoAyMTtZM?t=113 Using the line switches was a big thing in West Coast Scratching in the mid 80s but a lot of east coast DJs used it too and I think Cash Money out of Philly invented it.

In Philly, the "terminator" scratch is more frequently called the "transformer" scratch (demonstrated by DJ Jazzy Jeff on wax in 1987 -- https://youtu.be/MEAPHZd7p-Y?t=226). In the DJ world, most people refer to the technique as "transforming" instead of "terminating".

Around 1988 Grandmaster Flash put out the "Flashformer". You could connect it to your mixer and get the same type of effect but with buttons instead of switch. https://www.flickr.com/photos/djpedia/5612063762

So, that chopped up "transformer" type sound is the "terminator style". Yauch used this same "terminator style" for the scratching on Jimmy James and also used the effect on his bass at various times.

These days hardly anybody uses the line switches very much anymore because crossfaders now have super-sharp cuts on them for scratching. It's faster to use the fader and you can (generally) get the same effect. But the transform scratch is considered to be one of the basic, building block scratch techniques.

What you're hearing Adrock do on Fingerlicking Good are mostly "chirps", which only have one fader "click" (as opposed to lots of "clicks" for a transform) but typically use a faster record hand movement. https://youtu.be/dRMNXx5gyrw

[dave790]

Originally Posted by Uru-Nitro

Addition: I just realized there is so much more scratching than I thought. If you listen carefully, there are plenty of cuts making the song less monotonous. To list a few:

HN:
-super disco breaking
-The Move
-remote control
-just a test
-Body movin
-intergalactic
-flowing prose (few)
-electrify
-dedication. Despite the intro cut, I have doubts if the main high-pitched sound all along the song is actually an scratch technique (f.ex. at 1:22)

"Sneaking out of the hospital", "putting shame in your game", "cant wont dont stop", "unite" and 3mcs and 1 dj cuts by MixMasterMike

I don't know if Adrock is the one behind all the scratches in those songs, but probably in the 100% of the HN album he is.

Pretty sure Yauch or Horovitz state that MMM did all the scratching on HN, it is somewhere on that album's commentary. But for sure those two did the scratching on CYH and IC between them.

[Ari-Matti]

Originally Posted by dave790

Pretty sure Yauch or Horovitz state that MMM did all the scratching on HN, it is somewhere on that album's commentary. But for sure those two did the scratching on CYH and IC between them.

Mix Master Mike did the scratching on Sneakin' Out The Hospital, Putting Shame In Your Game, Three MC's And One DJ, The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin') and Unite. This is said on the liner notes.

[Brother McDuff]

i suppose the next logical question would be if D ever cut it up on record.
I mean, he must have at least a coupla moves, how could he not?
And if he hasnt, I wonder what his style sounds like...

[dave790]

Originally Posted by Ari-Matti

Mix Master Mike did the scratching on Sneakin' Out The Hospital, Putting Shame In Your Game, Three MC's And One DJ, The Grasshopper Unit (Keep Movin') and Unite. This is said on the liner notes.

We all know the liner notes. I’m just saying what they said!

[dust monkey]

holy snappers

[dave790]

They did the scratching themselves on HSC too right?

I haven't listened to it in awhile, but scratching in B-Boys in the Cut, Lee Majors, Long Burn and HALSFY comes to mind as potential Adrock.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Originally Posted by dave790

They did the scratching themselves on HSC too right?

I haven't listened to it in awhile, but scratching in B-Boys in the Cut, Lee Majors, Long Burn and HALSFY comes to mind as potential Adrock.

Can't remember where I heard this but that's what I remember hearing.

Originally Posted by dave790

Pretty sure Yauch or Horovitz state that MMM did all the scratching on HN, it is somewhere on that album's commentary. But for sure those two did the scratching on CYH and IC between them.

I've thought about this one a lot.

My understanding was that Mike did the bulk of the "lead" cutting on Hello Nasty but there's a lot of other scratching on that album that he didn't do. There's a good deal of scratching on there that just doesn't sound like Mike at all. Somewhere there's an interview with him talking about coming in fairly late in the recording process and adding cuts to just a handful of the tracks. If I remember right he describes the album as sounding "corny" to him at the time in that interview.

It makes a lot of sense from the production standpoint that the "non-lead" cuts would have been done by Adrock/MCA to add flavor to the production as part of the main production process. Then MMM came in when the album was pretty far along to add the "lead" cuts on certain tracks.

So, for example, on Shame in Your Game, the "Non-Stop Hip Hop" fill was probably Adrock or MCA. Those cuts are more part of the beat, and are very simple cuts. You don't hear Mike do too much of that type of thing. But the "lead" cuts at the end of the song are definitely MMM. "Sneaking Out the Hospital" and "Unite" have the same type of wild cuts characteristic of MMM. You can tell that "Can't Stop Won't Stop/Grasshopper" has at least some of Mike's cuts but I suspect the snare scratches and stuff were Adrock. Obviously 3 MC's is full on Mix Master Mike.

In contrast, if you listen to "Electrify", those are almost certainly not Mike's cuts. Too simple, too far behind the beat. The cuts on that one don't sound like Mike at all but sound a LOT like Adrock on Professor Booty. "Just a Test" sounds like Adrock to me as well.

So, when you look at the liner notes, the tracks with Mike credited on them all tend to match up with the tracks that have cuts that match his unique style. That makes me think the liner notes are pretty accurate as far as Mike is concerned and ALL the other cuts were done by Adrock or MCA.

[dave790]

A well reasoned summary

I always assumed the liner notes were correct - why else would they specify those tracks.

I think in the HN commentary they just meant he did the main / some specific scratch parts as opposed to literally all the scratching on the record.

I need to look at the HSC credits again but I’m fairly sure MMM doesn’t feature.

[Jiberish]

Originally Posted by Sir SkratchaLot

Can't remember where I heard this but that's what I remember hearing.



I've thought about this one a lot.

My understanding was that Mike did the bulk of the "lead" cutting on Hello Nasty but there's a lot of other scratching on that album that he didn't do. There's a good deal of scratching on there that just doesn't sound like Mike at all. Somewhere there's an interview with him talking about coming in fairly late in the recording process and adding cuts to just a handful of the tracks. If I remember right he describes the album as sounding "corny" to him at the time in that interview.


So, when you look at the liner notes, the tracks with Mike credited on them all tend to match up with the tracks that have cuts that match his unique style. That makes me think the liner notes are pretty accurate as far as Mike is concerned and ALL the other cuts were done by Adrock or MCA.

I agree with your entire well thought-out statement except when MMM says Hello Nasty sounded "corny" before he became involved. He was talking about the idea for 3MC's. He thought the idea was corny, but once they started making it he was on board.

On the Hello Nasty special episode of Mike D's podcast (which somebody linked on the boards) Mario, Mike & Mike go into some detail about how Adrock (who they all refer to as "the Kid" did most of the scratches and even in some parts where you hear a clear MMM "solo" scratch there is ALSO an Ad-Rock scratch underneath. So some of the scratches are combo of the two, which I thought was kind of cool.

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Originally Posted by Jiberish

I agree with your entire well thought-out statement except when MMM says Hello Nasty sounded "corny" before he became involved. He was talking about the idea for 3MC's. He thought the idea was corny, but once they started making it he was on board.

That may very well be. I wish I could find the interview because I remember being a little surprised he said it. Maybe I just got the context wrong.

[Kid Presentable]

I think Yauch did the cuts on Sabotage. They are in a similar vein to Jimmy James (revisited stylistically on Say It and Lee Majors, even) and Cane could never, ever replicate them in a live setting. I don’t have the juice to use the correct parlance, but I hopefully know my way around a ficka-ficka-ficka and a weeeeeeoooo-dooo-dooo-doooo-doo-doo-doo

Comparatively I feel Adrock does the more ‘flavour’ cuts all over the tracks. Not an absolute 100% hard and fast assertion, speculation, based somewhat on a reasonable level of judgement.

Thanks.

[Jiberish]

Originally Posted by Sir SkratchaLot

That may very well be. I wish I could find the interview because I remember being a little surprised he said it. Maybe I just got the context wrong.

Yeah, it's possible you are correct and that I am the one misunderstanding the context. I think our brains are working similarly here. Surprised to read MMM saying something so obnoxiously negative about one of our favorite albums (or just one of our fav songs[?]) and so it stuck in the brain-skull.

Is it possible they gave him space to write about 3MCs in the anthology booklet? Mine is packed away after too many moves over too many years back in my mid to late 20's... but I'm sort of getting a tactile memory flash of holding the booklet and reading his take on that song.

I dunno. You def nailed the rest of your dissertation though. Fun read. Easy on the ears resource material.

[Extra Cheese]

Originally Posted by Jiberish

Is it possible they gave him space to write about 3MCs in the anthology booklet? Mine is packed away after too many moves over too many years back in my mid to late 20's... but I'm sort of getting a tactile memory flash of holding the booklet and reading his take on that song.

I believe Yauch gives the summary for 3mcs in the anthology. He talks about meeting mike at rocksteady anniversary and him handing Yauch a card that said world champion DJ.

I also definitely remember reading MMM talking about how he thought the idea of 3mcs was sounding corny when they described what they wanted to do but once it was done him liking it.

[WesleyOHSnaps!]

Originally Posted by Extra Cheese

I believe Yauch gives the summary for 3mcs in the anthology. He talks about meeting mike at rocksteady anniversary and him handing Yauch a card that said world champion DJ.

It was Yauch on summary for the anthology. I remember this because I always thought the phone call at start of the song was to Ad-Rock and I when I got the Anthology and saw Yauch wrote that I was surprised I was wrong.

[Jiberish]

Originally Posted by WesleyOHSnaps!

It was Yauch on summary for the anthology. I remember this because I always thought the phone call at start of the song was to Ad-Rock and I when I got the Anthology and saw Yauch wrote that I was surprised I was wrong.

Yeah that was a long shot. Now that you say this I remember rwading his take and not MMMs. Welp, we’ll keep digging and solve this uber important mystery!

[Jiberish]

Originally Posted by Uru-Nitro

IC: I don't have the album book here, so I can't read if Hurricane is the one behind the scratching

somebody may have said this already, but I'm pretty sure Hurra never scratched on a single studio track. Strictly their live DJ, all the way.