Headliners - SKRATCH BASTID - Back by dope demand

Skratch Bastid!

20 years ago Paul Murphy was the Runner-Up at the DMC Canadian Finals. Now he is headlining the World Finals and is the hottest DJ on the planet. Yet again DMC has been the platform for bedroom DJs to take a chance on glory, and springboard into the golden hemisphere of success. And nobody deserves it more than this absolute superstar from Halifax…

Paul, grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia – a Canadian outpost steeped in hip hop history. How did DMC first come onto your radar?

Probably through Buck 65. I learnt A LOT about hip-hop in general from him. He was my access point to understanding more about the whole culture and the pillars. He used to play audio clips and highlight key routines on his radio show - but the first real exposure of DMC was at Revolution Records in Halifax — a shop I eventually worked at. They were importing DMC tapes, and me and my friends started ordering from sites like Sandbox Automatic and ATAK Distribution in the U.S. It was the 90s — Craze was on a tear, and the ITF battles were heating up. I remember Cash Money’s 1988 winning set blowing my mind. And then Craze’s legendary three-peat in ’98, ’99, 2000 — I was actually at the 2001 World DMCs, by total fluke!

What happened?

Crazy story: Sixtoo was booked for a UK gig in September 2001 — yes, that September. Two weeks before the gig, he breaks his wrist. He can’t get a refund on the flight, so he offers me the gig and the ticket. Only problem — I didn’t have a passport. I went to apply for an emergency one on the morning of 9/11. Chaos, as you can imagine. They told me it probably wouldn’t come in time. But it did. Within 24 hours.

So, I ended up in Bournemouth playing his gig — and the same weekend, the DMC World Finals were in London. I went. It was the year Plus One won and A-Trak did an insane showcase. That moment was life-changing.

It was your mom who pushed you to enter your first DJ comp — the local Halifax DJ Olympics.

Most moms are pushing textbooks or soccer practice. Yours was sharpening needles. Why?

She saw how much I loved it. How much time I was putting in. I’d told her this was what I

wanted to do, and she believed me. She told me to call the number and enter. And I’m so

grateful she did. She still comes to my shows — my grandmother too! Though back then she

definitely had a few words about the curse words in some of my sets...

You’re headlining the DMC World DJ Championships in Tokyo in October. Stuff of

dreams, right?

Just you saying that gives me a buzz. Absolutely. I grew up seeing the DMC World DJ

Championships as the pinnacle of achievement in the DJ world. I came second in Canada

twice, and placed fourth twice—but I never made it to the World Finals. So this will actually

be my first time on that stage. I was in the crowd in 2001, and now, 24 years later, I’m back—this time to perform a showcase and witness the crowning of a new world champion. I’ll be presenting styles I’ve developed over the years, many of them inspired by DMC itself. I’ve definitely got a buzz…!