An advanced technique invented by DJ Flare in which a single forward or backward record movement is interrupted by one or more crossfader clicks inward, creating clean cut-in sounds without the typical open-close motion.
The flare scratch begins with the crossfader already open. During a single record push or pull, the crossfader hand clicks the fader briefly closed and back open one or more times, producing a precise cut into the sustained audio rather than a burst of sound. Each click inward creates one clean interruption, so a one-click flare produces two audible segments from one stroke, a two-click flare produces three, and so on.
Why it matters
The flare was a technical breakthrough because it removed the crossfader-open action from the scratch timing, allowing a DJ to create clean cuts at higher speeds than the transformer or chirp could achieve. It forms the foundation of the orbit scratch and several other techniques, and it is a benchmark move in battle DJ competition judging.
In practice
Start with the fader open and the record moving. Click the fader fully closed and immediately back open using a single quick wrist motion. The click should be fast enough that the silence between the two resulting audio segments is short and even. Practicing the fader click independently, without moving the record, is a standard first step.
