On this date in 1958, a man who will forever reform the stance of the turntable was born; Joseph Saddler best known as Grandmaster Flash.
Amidst the infancy of hip-hop culture, Grandmaster Flash dominated the disc jockey scene of the North Bronx as he once was the DJ for big-time house rockers Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski in the mid-70s. Flash’s DJ sets became notorious for shaking crowds and it was evident he was influenced by preceding disco DJs in the likes of Grandmaster Flowers and Pete DJ Jones. Not only was Flash intrigued by the identity of the disc jockey through New York City disco DJ legends, but also, by the “hip-hopper” house rockers of his time, who reigned the opposing regions of the boogie down, DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa.
The DJ is the first star to brew out of hip-hop culture. With knowledge of the crowd’s desire to get down to the drum break known in hip-hop culture as the break beat (A type of instrumental that extends the dance part of the record), Saddler’s innovative nature caused him to develop a strategy that would deem his influence on the genre, unmatched and unquestioned, the quick-mix theory. The quick-mix theory was Flash’s way of endlessly playing the drum break, by using two turntables and two copies of the same record, playing the break on one record while setting the destined part on the other, and with use of a mixer, he switched to the other turntable, giving birth to an easier way to extend the break, which is currently known as the art of looping. The quick-mix-theory was heralded as a next level tactic that stemmed from DJ Kool Herc’s groundbreaking “Merry Go Round Technique.”
The signature success of the quick mix theory leads to his most famed act as the DJ for Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, whose 1982 hit “The Message” embodied the essence of New York City and brought global prominence to the once “thought-to-be-faddy” hip-hop genre. “The Message” is known to be a track that document’s Flash’s mastery on the turntable and is nonetheless recognized as one of the greatest songs of hip-hop history. The song is responsible for refining the content landscape of the rapping trend by bringing to light social commentary from the black youth of the Bronx, exposing the daily trials and tribulations caused by historically sanctioned methods of oppression.
Happy born day Flash! Salute to you on your special day and wishingyou many more!
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