DORIAN GEIGER
Arts Writer

These days, it’s rare to spend a weekend enjoying Saskatoon’s music scene without running into the funky trademark scratching of The Gaff somewhere along the way.

Gaff is a busy dude, and the turntablist and producer has evolved into one of Saskatoon’s most popular and respected party DJs.

By regularly spinning at the Freehouse, Scratch and opening for any notable hip-hop act rolling through the city, Gaff has solidified himself as one of the key members of Saskatoon’s DJ scene. In recent years Gaff’s thrown down with the likes of hip-hop heavyweights Jurassic 5, Swollen Members, Sweatshop Union, Del the Funky Homosapien and Grand Analog, to name a few.

Gaff’s current album The Trip Beyond, a collaborative project with DJ Factor, is a groovy journey into the obscure late ’60s and early ’70s psych-rock and folk music — remixed, mashed and backed by hip-hop.

“It originates from hip-hop style — there’s scratching and cutting up and mixing. I play a lot of different genres of music — funk and soul and jazz,” said Gaff, whose real name is Mike Gaffney. “I specialize in breaks and beats too.”

Gaff might be a familiar face on Saskatoon’s DJ scene but here are three things you likely didn’t know about your favourite DJ: (1) Gaff’s actually a landed immigrant and was born in Washington, D.C. (2) Gaff is a Shakuhachi flute player. (3) Gaff’s an avid lover of green tea and has consumed it on a daily basis for 11 years.

Want to know what makes Gaff such a standout on Saskatoon’s music and DJ scene among the hordes of Macbook DJs increasingly patrolling lounges and bars in the city?

Look no further than Gaff’s love for “digging.”

Digging is a popular term within DJ culture to describe the meticulous collection of vinyl records and refers to endless record store rummaging in search of that rare and much sought after piece of vinyl. The DJ equivalent of a museum curator, Gaff has thousands of vinyl artifacts at his disposal — 6,000-plus. Gaff has been digging since 1996.

“Digging is an aspect that comes from really good DJs or producers,” explained Gaff.

Gaff considers this tedious (and border-line obsessive) habit of hardcore DJs a major factor in a turntablists’ desire to develop an exclusive sound.

“There’s a big difference from a DJ to an artist because an artist spends time digging for something that’s unique or special,” said Gaff. “If it’s current, there’s a chance a lot of people have access to it. But if it’s something that’s obscure that other people don’t know about then that can add a lot of uniqueness to your sound and your style as a DJ.”

Gaff couldn’t have been more on point ”“ and his digging habits are what make him such a prolific and successful vinyl conductor. Gaff’s maturity as an artist is apparent in his quest to produce inimitable vibes and his love for digging has legitimized his music over handfuls of other DJs in Saskatoon.