If you’re itching for some scratching, brace yourself forFreebassin’s hoppin’ free show tonight from 6:30 to10:30 p.m. in the University Union in the Redwood Room.

Sacramento State’s KSSU radio station 1580AM is presentinga Disc Jockey Battle Finals Showcase featuring DJs from lastweekend’s DJ battle preliminaries including”Onderlove” from Fairfield, “Antrix” fromFairfield, “Rated R” from Visalia, and”Earitate” from San Jose and Roseville.

The DJ battle will give the audience a feel for what they haveto bust out and a good sense of the performers’ skills.

“This is the first sober event KSSU is marketing andwe’re expecting it to be a success,” KSSU’sAssistant Program Director Caitlin Caso said. KSSU is proud tosponsor a drug and alcohol-free event like this that’s freeand open to all ages. Caso continues, “One of the problems weforesee is that the university is not very community- oriented; wewanted to try to help that so students can go and have a safe andfun time.”

According to the radio station, turntablism will be the core ofshow. Turntablism originates from hip-hop and one can get prettycreative with the convocation of sounds. DJ’s can take an oldclassic, like Frank Sinatra, scratch to it, and mix in other musicto change it.

Along with the turntable finals will feature the showcase ofKSSU’s DJ Rob Fatal, DJ Deus (sta) representing Super NaturalTurntable Artists, and DJ Pope representing 89 Scratch Gangstaz.The DJ’s will be scratching, beat juggling and performingindividual routines, according to Disc Jockey Rob Fatal. “Wewill be manipulating the vinyl (scratching),” Fatal said. KSSU DJ’s will be performing scratch songs, usingscratch baselines to form the songs, while DJ Pope will play afresh sample.

KSSU Hip Hop Music Reporter Eric Rivera explains what a greatopportunity it is for the artists and students. “Why we aredoing this is because turnatablism, drum and bass, and undergroundhip hop really needs to be exploded and shown to the students. Theradio station and music is really unrepresented, and college radiois the perfect place, or guide, for this music.”

Rivera explains the event is an effective way to get word out ofwhat KSSU is all about. “Everyone can go and reallyexperience it. This is also a free show for local hip-hopartists.”

Righteous Movement, The Cuf with a special guest, Hebrew andDistroy, along with a performance by Billy Lane, will also bepresented. “These are pretty big hip-hop bands, and a lot ofthe DJ’s are excited about them coming, having been playingtheir music a lot,” Caso says.

Not only will the event include hip-hop, mixing, scratching anddrum and bass music, but, according to KSSU, the idea is to featuredifferent music to best attract crowds with different tastes inmusic.

KSSU plays underground music, or independent labels, givingartists, including those with little money, the opportunity to airtheir tunes. Artists go through college radio stations beforegoing to commercial radio stations, to try them out. Fromindependent levels to the mainstream, KSSU has contacts withvarious labels.

KSSU is divided into five main musical categories: loud rock,electronica, world beat, hip-hop and R & B and independent.

With students being the number one buyer of music, this is theperfect way to test out different tunes. By means of dictating whatthe coming trends are going to be, emerging artists let their musicbe played on KSSU.

The event should give students a live taste of DJ turn tablingalong with an eclectic blend of different tunes. “I’mexpecting a real success, and we are hoping it will help get ourname out,” Caso says.

KSSU is planning on putting on another show towards the end ofthe year and, as Caso explains, their hoping this event will be asuccess and spread word about the coming event, which should beeven bigger. “We are really hoping to draw in the campus andhelp create unity, giving them something to do,” Casosays.