"I'm a band geek," says Atlanta DJ/turntablist Shortee. "A turntable geek."

On her new instructional video, "Shortee's DJ 101," the overachiever swaps time between the drum major podium and the A/V club, contributing her skills as a DJ instructor and a visual designer.

"It's a young instrument," says Shortee of the turntable. "The drums have been around since primitive times, but the turntable has really only been around for a couple decades. People haven't really respected it as an instrument."

As the turntable becomes both the de facto musical instrument of the 21st century -- and probably one of the most infinitely reproduced mechanical forms in contemporary visual culture -- attempts to break down its techniques and forms seem an inevitable next step. And for the academically trained drummer, legitimizing the turntable's status as a musical instrument is a fundamental priority. "DJ 101" forgoes the one-dimensional "bag of tricks" approach, building on strong rudiments of rhythm and time signatures before moving into more advanced scratching techniques.

But this former punk rock drummer also knows how to wail. "DJ 101" is broken up with scratch and beat-juggling performances by Shortee, and a scratch drumming routine by husband and musical collaborator DJ Faust.

"My first teaching skills came from teaching martial arts in high school and college," says Shortee. "In teaching martial arts, you showcase moves and routines to gain the respect of your students, and to let them see what can be done. I translated some of that over to DJing."

Faust & Shortee spin at the Crescent Room Thurs., Oct. 24.