DJ Void has been scratching records for 13 years, and
Fogatron has been beatboxing for equally as long. Two of Portland’s
true stalwarts in the hiphop scene, the pair still receive little
credit or recognition for their respective efforts. Perhaps by joining
forces this weekend, things will change.
As a DJ, Void (Tim Zagelow) has tested his limits working alongside
emcees, doing weeklies, even teaming with DJ Wicked for a group called
the Audio Orphanz. In 2004 he released a disc of tracks
built—quite literally—from scratch, The DJ Void EP.
Eager to see the advancement of scratch music, Void has his fader
finger on what could be its next evolution: dubstep. A bass-heavy,
double-time tempo, dubstep features warbling synths that sometimes
sound as if they’re cut on a choppy transform scratch.
“Dubstep music sounds like the scratch beats I used to cut to, but
updated for 2009,” says Zagelow. “It seems like the natural progression
of where scratch music is going.” Void’s new sets mix dubstep tracks
and cutting with remarkable speed and technical grace.
Fogatron (full disclosure: I performed with Fogatron from 2004-2005)
agrees with Void’s assessment: “My whole introduction to hiphop was
through scratch DJing,” explains Fogatron, AKA Adam Test. “Listening to
those beats, and now dubstep, no one can argue that dubstep comes from
scratch music.” Beginning his career in music as a DJ himself, Fogatron
wanted to cut like the masters but his skills, according to him, “never
really progressed.” Luckily, he had a backup talent: a bang-up
beatboxing ability that has landed him onstage performing alongside the
likes of KRS-One and Digital Underground. His own vocal style draws
from similar traditions, heavy in bass and bouncing in tempo.
Few could argue that DJ Void and Fogatron have been, and continue to
be, key members of the Portland hiphop community. Whether silently
planning and practicing in their houses, or taking to the stage to flex
the next evolution of the scene, the duo remains irreplaceable. Now,
blending hiphop with a newly emerging genre of music, they hope to
shine some light on heads once more.