Club talk: Turntablists

While rap might have fallen into a ghetto of girls, guns and gangsta posturing, it's refreshing to see that there's at least one element of the original hip hop ethos that is alive and well, and showcased in London tonight. I'm talking about turntablism.

In the Eighties such originators as DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash began to extend the breaks (the bit with the best drumbeat) in order to keep the crowd dancing. Since then, turntablism has become an art form in itself, with DJs such as Q Bert, Craze and the Scratch Perverts, who all play at Fabric tonight, moving their records around to create new drumbeats, different basslines and wild synth stabs, through such scratching techniques as flares, crabs and orbits.

Forward-thinking musicologists say these beat technicians are just as accomplished as trained musicians, as both need a keen sense of timing, sharply developed hand-eye coordination, technical competence and creativity and mastery of their material. When it's done badly, or if the sound levels are off, turntablism can sound like someone throwing a drum kit down the stairs.

Done well, though, anybody who has ever tried their hand on a pair of Technics decks appreciates how mindblowingly talented the best scratch DJs really are. Top marks to Fabric, then, for giving up their main room tonight for a feast of turntablism, with Goldie adding some drum&bass pressure to Room Two while Freq Nasty and Tayo do the breaks thing upstairs.

For more fat beats and disc trickery, drop in to the Old Queens Head in Islington tonight as renowned DJ Format provides a party mix of hip hop and heavy funk until 2am, all for £3. Sister pub The Westbury in Kilburn is also worth a look on Saturday, when The Herbaliser and A Skillz join battle to see who is the most talented turntablist in the joint.

And wannabe DJs who look on with a sense of envy and despair, worry not. I've owned a pair of Technics for 15 years and my scratch technique still sounds like someone strangling a cat. Turntablism requires a dedication and level of skill that few of us have, which is why there are so many talentless trance DJs still out there. This is an exclusive club, and rightly so.

Check it out and be amazed.