ITCH TO SCRATCH

There are those of us who buy turntables on a misguided whim and let them collect dust in a corner. And then there are those like 24-year-old Sam Zornow (aka DJ Shiftee) from New York City, who bought some gear with his bar mitzvah cash and, in between taking classes at Harvard, launched an impressive career that includes the championship title of the 2009 DMC World DJ Finals. Tonight, check out his skills in a showcase performance (along with New York–based DJ Excess, one of the best scratch DJs in the world) at the DMC Battle for U.S. Supremacy, in which DJs from all over the country are paired up and battle two rounds of 90 seconds each. Also on the bill is the DMC East Coast DJ Battle, in which DJs perform for six minutes each; the top two earn a spot at the 2010 DMC U.S.

Sat., May 15, 4 p.m., 2010