Reality Mix 880: Scratchclart

A legend of UK club music blends grimey and cool tracks with heavy gqom and amapiano affects from South Africa.

Scratchclart is the newest name of a diverse UK artist who has likewise gone under the names DVA, Scratcha DVA and DVA [Hi:Emotions] throughout his long and storied profession. Coming to prominence through a famous stint on Rinse FM’s breakfast slot, Scratchclart’s eager ear and love for brand-new and emerging sounds has kept him at the leadingedge of UK dance music for 20 years, through launches on Hyperdub and his own DVA Music and Allyallrecords labels.

As his profession has progressed Scratchclart’s music has continued to innovate, moving from gunk and UK cool towards his own powerful take on UK club music that draws motivation from South African electronic designs such as gqom and amapiano, both solo through his current DRMTRK series and in partnership with North London MC Lady Lykez. Scratchclart’s Fact Mix (published over 13 years after he veryfirst provided a mix for Fact as Scratcha DVA – number 64, no less) is a concise photo of where he’s at now, including plenty of current solo product and partnerships with Lady Lykez, Citizen Boy, Trim, Ikonika and Mxshi Mo alongwith tracks from Bok Bok, Logan Olm and Toya Delazy.

You can catch Scratchclart playing at London’s Printworks this Saturday, 29 October, where he’s appearing alongwith Lady Lykez as part of The Hydra and Hessle Audio’s huge double birthday rave commemorating 15 years of Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea’s label and a years of The Hydra occasions in the capital. The occasion is offered out however resale tickets are offered.

Follow Scratchclart on Instagram and SoundCloud, and discover his music at Bandcamp. You can likewise tune into his weekly Soup To Nuts program on NTS Radio every Friday at 11am.