//------------------------------//
// 6. Retrospective 
// Story: A Survey of the Work of Vinyl Scratch (Abbreviated) 
// by Meta Four 
//------------------------------//

From Bandoneon Times & Music Express, 5 October, 1015 issue:




The 100 Best Albums of the ’00s 







… chaos in beauty (and vice versa), and their anarchic rock embodies this perfectly. —Blueprint Dance

13. DJ PON-3: The Scratch Files
Vinyl Scratch’s debut LP was a slap in the face of the entire electronic music scene; naturally enough, the industry slapped back. Small-minded critics gave it middling reviews, and Canterlot Records dropped her, citing mediocre sales. But Vinyl had the last laugh: now you can’t go to a dance club or turn on a radio without hearing a dozen new songs awkwardly copying some effect or gimmick that The Scratch Files had already perfected. 

But historical interest (as a portent of music to come, and as a waypoint in Vinyl’s journey to cult electronic stardom) isn’t enough to earn a rank this high. No, aside from all that, The Scratch Files is a roller coaster ride that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let you go until the room stops spinning. Reportedly, Vinyl fought with her producer, Auto Tune, over every detail of this album (and that’s why she self-produced every album since), but as iron sharpens iron, their clashes brought out the best in each other. Vinyl Scratch would never again sound this accessible, and none of Auto Tune’s other production credits from the decade sound this timeless. Under their tempestuous guidance, even the major-label-mandated silliness (a wubby cover of a Beat Hoofs deep cut, a guest appearance by Sapphire Shores, a song about the Grand Galloping Gala, etc.) transcends its banal roots and approaches the sublime.

In any case, this is a hell of a lot better than DJ PON-3’s most recent albums. —Spilt Ink

12. Demilitarized Dairy Dwelling: In the Airship over the Ocean
(In)famous for Magnum’s anguished cry of, “I loooooove you, Celestiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” …