Skratch Bastid is coming to The Drake this Friday night to cure your fix for some serious Hip Hop and Turntablism trickery. Even in the middle of a cross Canada tour with Buck 65 and Cadence Weapon he finds the time to play his monthly residency at The Drake Hotel.

Having known Skratch Bastid aka Paul Murphy for about 10 years from my underground party promoting days back in Halifax I was able to track down the nomadic member of the 1200 Hobo's and get an interview out of him.

Click below for the interview.

blogTO: How long have you been doing a regular monthly at The Drake?

I've been playing at The Drake for about a year and a half and it is my favorite gig. The room is the perfect size for the vibe I'm looking for, the sound system bangs and I've built a consistent crowd that is open to listening to me go where I want to, musically.

How do you find the crowds in Toronto compared to the rest of your travels?

It's a very hip-hop educated city. I think the long-standing radio accesibility and deep rooted scene have created a large group of people that 'know their shit'. They're also pretty rowdy, but that may be the large number of ex-pat maritimers I see at my shows. And maybe I'm a little bit biased.

I know you are good friends with Buck 65. What was it like being on the producer side of things for his new album Situation ?

Producing the 'Situation' album was slightly intimidating because Buck is someone that I looked up to at a young age in Halifax, and someone who got me into the music that I consider to be my favorite music, so I wanted to make something that lived up to that music. Sometimes it's also hard to tell someone like that to 'do another take' or 'try that again', but I cracked the whip. It came out bigger and better than I had anticipated.

Where can we download anything from you? Do you sell the CDs online
anywhere?

I sell CDs through my website, skatchbastid.com, as well as turntablelab.com. I've got a few songs on my website, but I admit, I need more free stuff! Good point...for now, catch the live show :)

When can we expect some new material on CD or for download from you?

I'm recording a new mix in May. I recently produced some remixes for Ghislain Poirier and Buck 65 which you can hear on my myspace.

Do you have anything coming up for NXNE?

I'll be on tour in Europe at that time, so I guess I'll miss the madness. Have a good one!

Skratch Bastid
The Drake Hotel
Friday April 18, 2008

Photos: HargraftPhotography
Photo slideshow from CMW 2008