An Itch By 1975 , experiments with disc phonograph manipulation had been replaced by tape in most artistic circles and the best live Disco djs were concentrating on perfecting the mix through speed changes. As Herc spread the breaks, more and more often called Hip Hop, the direct physical manipulation of the sound recording with the hand during playback became more relevant. From one creative leap, in the bedroom of a young sound artist, the rapid manipulation of the disc recording by hand would emerge as a distinct art of its own separate from HipHop. The disc manipulating genius was living with his mom and working as a record boy for GrandMaster Flash when he heard an echo from the future. He was just trying to play some records when his mom opened the door and started scolding him. Not paying much attention to her rant, the young dj with his hand resting on the turntable, started to move the record back and forth absent-mindedly. His ears caught the sound coming through the speakers and it was the beginning of a new form of sound art, more quick and precise than any live manipulation before. As soon as his mom left the room-Grand Wizard Theodore--as he would come to be known, immediately set to work on perfecting this new live percussive sound art. More than repeating a phrase the record was moved back and forth to create a rhythm tracking and elaborating the break on the other turntable. In an interview with Billy Jam, Theodore elaborates on how he released the scracth invention to the world: At first I would only scratch maybe one or two records during a party but as time went by I would scratch more and more and soon I would scratch on every track I played. These would be house parties and big parties here in the Bronx and people loved it when they first heard it. It was raw and they appreciated it! Theodore also mastered the art of the needle-drop, a technique that requires the steady hands of a surgeon dropping the needle right in the groove on beat. Combined with the scratch, this allowed him to move back and forth between two recordings faster than previous live djs. His advancements ensured that live record manipulation kept rhythm with the quickening pace of the surrounding society just beginning to integrate computers into daily affairs. Looking towards the future Grand Wizard Theodore had this to say: With all of these new developments, like say the new needles made just for turntablists, it means that the art form of DJ'ing is going to keep evolving and I think it has a little further to go until it is fully evolved.