by Christie Z-Pabon DMC USA, Tools of War
In late July, DMC USA was riding high from making the New York Times event listings with a picture of DJ Shiftee no less! (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/arts/31spare.html) We even made the ultra trendy Flavorpill listings (http://flavorpill.com/newyork/events/2009/8/1/2009-dmc-us-finals-nyc) but things were going too smoothly….
We got a call late the night before the battle to learn that someone had heisted all the turntables for the battle and more out of the DJ Pro Audio car! Unbelievable but not impossible. We have lots of friends with 1200s so one sponsor, Dan Giove of dubspot DJ School brought an especially nice set of 1200s over and we had a few sets from Scratch DJ Academy – I threw in the Rane TTM 56 mixers and and it was on!!! Everyone was there early but the sound man. I won’t go into to great detail but he did not make it easy for us that day…
DJ Lord Finesse of DITC (yes he was a DJ first, before an MC, and even battled Roc Raida (RIP)) kicked off the show with some serious partyrocking. The legendary Kool DJ Red Alert came through as the host to lend his unmistakable voice and “Ayyyyyyyyooooooooos” to the US Finals to make it an all time classic! Everyone was especially excited that OC of DITC stopped by to check things out!
Extremely committed to seeing the DJ battle scene in the U.S. return to it’s former glory, some of our judges DJ Donnie Dee and Tony Skratchere flew themselves in to NYC. Tony made the DMC New Orleans battle a reality and Donnie Dee and crew made DMC USA feel so at home in San Antonio TX that we want to just go back again and again for years to come! DJ Slyce, Marcus and Fat Fingaz represented locally on the judges panel. 2005 DMC US Supremacy Champ, DJ I-Dee rolled in from Virginia to judge and showcase magnificently and 2007 DMC US Champ: DJ Precision (Ill Insanity/X-ecutioners) rocked a beastly tremendous showcase too!
All in all, with the typical trials and tribulations that most DJ battles face, we made it through and Mark Carranceja of Noisemaker Media caught it all on his sweet HD camera! Photographers Res One, Ignacio Soltero and Ken Fujimatsu shared gorgeous photos with us (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=48315713.)
I am especially appreciative to Marilyn who has been my right hand woman during the 08 & 09 battles, helping me keep things in order while the battle goes down! Thanks to the many guys I call when I need battle advice including Fatfingaz and Marcus and the late Roc Raida (I miss you!) Thanks to Sally and Sophie DMC for flying in to be there! I want to thank everyone who played a role in this all coming together but especially the DJs themselves, if you didn’t enter, we wouldn’t have a battle so thank you!!! As long as you keep battling, I will keep organizing battles, God willing!
Christie Z-Pabon
DMC USA CEO – http://www.myspace.com/dmcusa
Tools of War co-founder – http://www.myspace.com/toolsofwar
PS: You can pick up the 2009 DMC US Finals and most other DVDS, Record Bags, Technics vs Marvel t-shirts and classic Hip Hop books at the DMC USA E-Bay store: http://stores.ebay.com/DMC-USA-DJ-Gear
Those outside of the US & Puerto Rico can order directly at www.dmcworld.com
Visit http://www.muzu.tv/dmcusa to view the 2009 DMC US Finals trailer and the interview with DJ Shiftee upon winning the US Finals and a sneek peak at his set!
Is there a specific style and/or flavor that American DJs bring to the DMC World Finals that is unique?
MISTA-B (CA) : What you see is what you get! So, no, I know kats out here are getting influenced by the Euro-style, which is fine, but I don’t know, the styles are really all-over the place this time around.
SHMEEZE (CA): Musicality, funk, innovation, skill, stage presence.
DJ AS-ONE (MD): Not Euro style.
DJ CONCEPT (FL): Styles US DJ’s bring to the World Finals are always different from the rest of the world, I think we always bring the heat, best cuts, best juggles, best stage presence…
DJ Q-BASE (TX): Better disses. More original.
DJ LODUS (CA): US DJs bring, attitude, funk, and raw skills.
LORD FINESSE (NYC): It used to be originality, meaningful beat juggling, body tricks, and the unexpected.
TONY SKRATCHERE (NOLA): I think the most distinct trait of the US battle DJ is maturity and competence. Also most US DJs have a great sense of humor.
MARCUS (NYC): Well, it used to be funk. And when I say funk, I don’t mean simple tap patterns or anything like that. Craze and Klever are funky, but they’re also very technical. I guess US DJ’s used to bring a combination of funk, technical skill and aggression. Nowadays a lot of U.S. DJ’s try to adopt the European/i.emerg style of battling (routines with electronic music, busy sounding records, aggressive scratching, etc) but they don’t have the skill level of people like Merg, Rafik, Netik, Troubl, etc, so it just sounds like noise. Not to take anything away from European DJ’s, because quite frankly, mid-tier European DJ’s could destroy more than half of the current US battlers on the cut. Yeah, I said it.
DJ DONNIE DEE (TX): I think Craze set the standard. Merg took it to another level which what everybody is basically on now (which I’m personally getting tired of) Shiftee is gonna do damage cause I feel like his set came from complete feeling..he had to be tired of the nonsense himself and he did what he had to do!
CUTFUCIOUS (NYC): I think US DJs are more musical than the other DJs around the world. US DJs still have a soulful and funky sound even if they are being aggressive. The other countries tend to sound very robotic to me. European DJs for example are very good at making sets that sound like a 6 minute mix. I think part of the reason is that they tend to produce a lot of their own routines so they are able to set the sound that they want. US DJs tend to have sections that make up a set, where you can still differentiate from one routine to another routine.
DJ SOLO (NJ): The US will bring more manipulation of actual records and original vinyl. The whole style of flipping records hasn’t really been shown at the highest level of DMC that often for the last few years. I don’t mind the new direction that battles have taken its just that the US has somewhat of a traditional approach to battle sets.
What do you see as the differences in style and flavor from the West Coast, East Coast, South, or particular states?
MISTA-B (CA): Music is always an influence on a DJ’s set. I guess I see it, I mean, I know I don’t sound like anyone else so style and flavor is a trait of mine. But for the most part, a lot of DMC sets are juggle/scratch sets that are combined into one set…I think that music selection shows the difference style if anything. I would also like to state that just because California is one state doesn’t mean we the same, The Bay is so much different than any region on the country. We got flavor for days. I’ll back that up to anyone!
SHMEEZE (CA): The West has a heavy Funk and Tribal music influence, while the East has a heavy Hip-Hop/Old School Hip-Hop influence.
DJ AS-ONE (MD): Music selection mainly.
DJ CONCEPT (FL): Different styles come from all over the country. I come from the South, but I personally like the East Coast style versus the West Coast, I take all the styles and make it the South.
DJ Q-BASE (TX): Different styles make good battles.
DJ LODUS (CA): Every coast has their style, I just say do what feels right to you.
LORD FINESSE (NYC): No difference in styles, really… Just bad beat juggling & erratic scratching for the most part… That’s why it’s important to have former champions to increase and stiffen the competition to make DJs really step their game up (East, West, South, Mid West etc.)
TONY SKRATCHERE (NOLA): West Coast was FUNKY!!!
DJ DONNIE DEE (TX): West Coast DJs are more into scratching and more funk kinda juggles. The East is more juggle based fast double up patterns less scratching. The South takes flavor from both coasts and just tries to add on..
CUTFUCIOUS (NYC): The old notion was always that the East Coast had the better beat jugglers and West Coast had all the scratchers. I personally don’t think that is true anymore. I think the West Coast DJs tend to have a more laid back, funky vibe to their style while the East Coast DJs have been developing a more aggressive sound.
DJ SOLO (NJ): At this moment I can say that all areas of the US are solid when it comes to skills. The only factor is the amount of time a DJ has been putting in work for.
What did you think about the show in general? Host? House DJ? Showcases? Judges? Audience?
MISTA-B: Dope show: 10 out of 10!!! You can never go wrong with Red Alert as the host. FYI, bring Teeko next year for the showcase! The future is now so give the people what they need! Vestax, Rane etc…hello!!! Judges were a good representation of the country. I loved the audience. I loved them so much that I decided to watch the rest of the battle with them as a spectator.
SHMEEZE: Red Alert was hilarious. Lord Finesse was great. I-Dee and Precision killed their showcases. The judges got it right for the most part, and the audience showed a lot of love.
DJ AS-ONE: Standing next to Kool DJ Red Alert and having him make fun of me is one of the high points of my life. Word is bond!
DJ CONCEPT: The show was off the hook….. everything about it!
DJ Q-BASE: Everything was great. I would have preferred the showcases to be more front stage than farther back. [czp says – you are exactly right and we’ll do that for next time, God willing!]
DJ LODUS: Everything was great, besides the right turntable setup that DJ Concept and myself had to use. Everything else was perfect. [czp wants to note that after the sound couldn’t be grounded on the left set up – everyone moved to the right side and Concept & Lodus repeated their sets on the best set up.]
LORD FINESSE: It was well put together, but next time I think DJs should go off of one set only. This way there’s no excuses and all DJs are using the same set. (So the same problem, if any, applies to all DJs).
TONY SKRATCHERE: It was awe inspiring.
MARCUS: Everything was fine.
DJ DONNIE DEE: Red Alert: the ultimate! You can’t top that! Lord Finesse: I mean he is one of the best producers of out time and to have him DJ at the show was incredible. The judges: I was very happy to be a part of that all star cast and would love to do it again. I don’t believe that anyone complained about the judges placing. The audience: the crowd felt what they felt which is how it was supposed to be. Also there were kids in the crowd. Pretty soon they will be showcasing!
CUTFUCIOUS: The show was great. US DMC Finals in 2008 was the first DJ battle I enjoyed in a few years and I felt that this one was even better.
DJ SOLO: Great show. Red Alert is a legendary host, it took me back to all those DMC videos and even one of my first battles that he hosted. I like the fact that many people traveled to be a part of the battle. The judges, audience members and showcase DJ’s from all around the country made a cool diverse experience.
CARLOS HERNANDEZ AKA BABY FATFINGAZ: I liked it all, just that we need to show more of these legends and master DJs do their thing. That is why I liked the showcase from DMC USA 2008. Make the show longer and have some after parties.
Did you think the judging was on point for the top 3?
MISTA-B: Sure why not! Shiftee ripped it. I wanted to Pacquiao punch someone in the face and Shmeeze is a funny guy! To be honest, any of us could rep in the World’s and I felt we all brought a different style to the table. But, my hats off the Shiftee! Good job Waldo!!!
SHMEEZE: I think I should have placed 2nd, but that’s a matter of opinion.
DJ AS-ONE: Very much so, no complaints here.
DJ CONCEPT: The judging seemed on point, the skill level was so high, I would hate to be a judge that night.
DJ Q-BASE: 50/50
DJ LODUS: No doubt!
LORD FINESSE: Maybe, Some of the judges looked surprised at the outcome. I was looking wondering how could this be if the judges chose the Top 3??
TONY SKRATCHERE: Sort of, I didn’t figure Shmeeze placing, but I’m stoked that Mista B placed.
MARCUS: Yes.
DJ DONNIE DEE: Yes, as far as the 3 spots. I know I had it different.
CUTFUCIOUS: Yes, I had the same top 2 and 3rd place could have went to at least 5 different people.
DJ SOLO: Yea for the most part. I respect the judges opinions and plus the battle had a really high skill level so its tough to call but the best DJ definitely did win and that’s what matters most.
What did you think of the judging panel?
DJ SHIFTEE: Excellent sideburns.
MISTA-B: They are cool dudes. They enjoyed being there! That’s all I’ll say.
SHMEEZE: I thought the panel could have been more diverse as far as which regions were being represented, but I think the panel was for the most part spot on as far as the results.
DJ AS-ONE: Most qualified and current set of DJs I’ve ever performed for.
DJ Q-BASE: Cool.
DJ LODUS: A nice blend of DJs from all over the States.
LORD FINESSE: Cool, honest and fair.
TONY SKRATCHERE: That Skratchere guy was a tool.
MARCUS: It was good. It was nice to see some different judges this year. Props to Tony and Donnie Dee for coming to NYC on their own dime just to judge! But…to be quite honest, it still could have been a better panel (Slyce is obviously excluded, being a 2x US champ and 2nd place runner up in ’08 worlds). No disrespect to the judging panel (which i was a part of, lol). I mean, in the tri-state area alone you can name 10 legendary battlers (most of which are WORLD CHAMPIONS) in 10 seconds. But I think over the years they become more and more unreliable, inattentive while judging, leave in the middle of an event (when they’re supposed to be judging, and YES I’ve seen it happen a few times) or they just dont show up at all. I think you realize that people like Fat Fingaz and myself still really care about battling, so that’s why we were asked to judge. Btw, Cutfucious would be a great judge at a DJ battle. He rarely gets asked to judge.
DJ DONNIE DEE: We were focused on the djs and everybody basically voiced the same opinion on everyone.
CUTFUCIOUS: Judging panel was great. Probably one of the best judging panels in a while because of the simple fact that almost every judge has competed at one point and for the most part it was recently. I felt that all the judges had a genuine interest in the DJ battle community so. I think that all of the judges wanted to be there and it wasn’t a chore to them. I feel that all of the judges paid attention and genuinely cared about the outcome, and not necessarily just going through the motions of being a ‘judge’. If my memory serves me correctly, at one point I believe FatFingaz was trying to get a drink and Christie did not allow it because he was judging. I definitely respect that. I don’t think if one of the old school judges or pioneers were judging, they would’ve cared and probably would’ve drank anyway. Just my opinion.
DJ SOLO: Dope. Everybody had alot of credentials and knowledge.
In 2008, DJs from New Jersey dominated the top 2 US Finals positions – This year NYC took 1st and Cali flew home with 2nd & 3rd. Is NJ the new NYC in terms of DJs reppin’?
MISTA-B: They got Slyce, Solo and Steel, S to the 3rd power. That shit don’t matter! If you can bring it, then bring it! Plain and simple!
DJ AS-ONE: If guys like Steel and Solo keep coming up with new routines, this can be feasible.
DJ CONCEPT: Don’t know about the NYC or NJ DJs repping, they could come from anywhere..
DJ Q-BASE: I think it should be based on talent and not where you’re from.
LORD FINESSE: Not really familiar with NJ DJs like that…
TONY SKRATCHERE: I think it’s cool because of the tradition that NJ has had in re-shaping DMC.
DJ DONNIE DEE: In time, Solo is gonna be a champ..but I think the game is bigger than Jersey cause SAN ANTONIO GOT SOMETHING TO SAY!!!!
CUTFUCIOUS: I just think there aren’t as many competitors from NY competing at the time being. I always thought of NY and NJ DJs as pretty much the same. The talent and competition has always been pretty equal in NY and NJ.
DJ SOLO: Personally speaking I would say that Jersey has always been a hotbed for talent, we have the same type of styles as New York but maybe with a slightly different sound. I still would say that New York has a greater number of established turntablists. Things are different now because so many NY DJs have moved on from just battling to all areas of DJing. I love repping Jersey but I really don’t care where someone is from as long as they have skills.
Do DJ battles, at least in the US, need non-DJ acts to pull them through or do we go back to special guest MC performances to bring in a bigger crowd?
MISTA-B: No more guest MCs. They get so much light that they would try to steal the show. Keep it DJ friendly!
SHMEEZE: The all-dj act system seems to work well because the DJ acts seem to have more knowledge of the history of the art form.
DJ Q-BASE: MCs. The more popular, the better the outcome.
DJ LODUS: I believe so. But I do like the Special Guest MC. But its always nice to see dope DJs headline the show.
LORD FINESSE: You’ll have to explain this question in more detail…
TONY SKRATCHERE: NO need for non-DJ acts. Allow the events to flourish on DJ talent alone. I think we are coming back in a big way.
MARCUS: Yes. We dont need MC’s. In fact, it has almost ALWAYS been my personal battling experience in the past that whenever a rap act is on the same bill as a DJ battle, the crowd usually comes for the rapper, not the DJ battle and can start to get real disrespectful and hostile towards the DJs. Look at almost any Kool Mixx battle as well as the 2003 & 2004 Guitar Center U.S. Finals. And as far as DJ acts/showcases go, there are DJ’s that play to thousands of people (usually non Hip Hop crowds) who rarely get asked to showcase at an actual DJ event. D-Styles and Teeko showcase from time to time, but it would nice to see them at more events. People Like Kid Koala (who’s probably the most underrated turntablist/scratch musician EVER) NEVER showcases at DJ battles (at least not to my knowledge). Why not have Excess and IXL showcase Hop-Fu at a DJ battle? What about Mr Dibbs?.
DJ DONNIE DEE: i think it depends on who it is.. I know Pharoah Monch play in 03 but the crowd looked like they wasn’t really into it..maybe it depends on where it is and who it is.
CUTFUCIOUS: I have always felt very negatively with having MC acts at a DJ battle. The only benefit of that is that you are able to bring in a crowd that normally does not show up for DJ shows. There are two very distinct vibes between a DJ battle and a MC battle. At an MC battle, you are encouraged to show your disapproval for a MC if he/she doesn’t appeal to you. DJ battles have a more positive vibe and the DJ community is more supportive of each other. There are plenty of DJs that can showcase DJ battles that will bring in a crowd. No need for special guest MCs in my opinion. I actually don’t know any DJ who actually enjoys having MC acts at a DJ show.
DJ SOLO: DJ’s can carry any event. Non-DJ acts sometime may bring energy levels too low or take the night in a direction that distances the crowd from the original purpose of watching a battle.
What did you think of the turnout for the 2009 DMC US Finals?
MISTA-B: The turn out was good. Last year seemed to be a little bit more people but it was still a good crowd this year.
SHMEEZE: Good turnout in my opinion.
DJ AS-ONE: Turn out was great! Audience was receptive and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.
DJ CONCEPT: I thought the turnout was awesome.
DJ Q-BASE: Very good.
DJ LODUS: I thought it was a great turnout.
LORD FINESSE: All around nice crowd.
TONY SKRATCHERE: I thought the turnout was good.
MARCUS: It was good. I’m glad that a DJ battle could not only be thrown on a weekend (which has been rare these last few years), but also at a popular place like Santos.
DJ DONNIE DEE: I thought the turn out was incredible!! The people there knew what to cheer for and what not to cheer for..a very dj educated crowd.
CUTFUCIOUS: I thought the turnout was great. I have been going to DMC events since 1995, entered my first battle in 1999 and competed in my US Finals in 2006.
DJ SOLO: Great turnout. A lot of new faces in the crowd not just DJ’s watching a battle. Many people traveled from all over for that battle.
Were there more women and girls were in attendance?
MISTA-B: I think there was a good amount of women watching this year. Last year was more but considering it’s a DJ battle, the turnout was good. Maybe they just came to see the battle and heard about it through word of mouth of other media outlets in NY.
SHMEEZE: I think the female turnout was about the same as last year, and I’m not sure where they come from.
DJ AS-ONE: I would say yeah and I’m not sure if it was a good or bad thing. I was getting very distracted by some of the lovely ladies I saw amongst the crowd…
LORD FINESSE: There were a nice amount of women on hand. I’m not sure where they came from but they were into the battles, that’s for sure.
MARCUS: The only females there were; Christie Z, Marilyn, Shiftee’s mom, Shiftee’s sister, Mr B’s girl friend and Sally. Seriously, that was it. Females don’t go to DJ battles.
DJ DONNIE DEE: I wasn’t there in attendance last year..buuuut I seen a lot of ladies out there..
CUTFUCIOUS: There were definitely more females in attendance than last year and in years past. If I had to take a guess as to why there were more females in attendance my first guess would be because of DJ schools. Not that they are necessarily students in the schools, but I definitely saw a lot of mothers who brought their children to the event, who were the attendees of the DJ schools. Perfect example is that I actually bumped into a co-worker of mine who is in her mid 40’s, who brought her 13 year old son to the battle because he found out about it due to his attendance at the Scratch Academy. It was their first DJ battle experience and both mom and child enjoyed it and had a great time. I also think that the venue played a big part in having more females in attendance. Santos Party House is one of the more popular places to be at right now in the city and I think that probably had an affect as well.
DJ SOLO: Yea there were a good number of girls there. That’s always a welcome bonus for dj battles. There were girls there who weren’t just someone’s girlfriend or family member. They were there to see the battle and have a good time.
CARLOS HERNANDEZ AKA BABY FATFINGAZ: There were more women this year, I agree. We need more of them to keep coming.
Were there more youth in attendance?
MISTA-B: I noticed that there was underage kids there and yes there were more than last year. I found out later that they came from the DJ schools.
SHMEEZE: Definitely more kids in attendance this year. Not sure where they came from.
DJ AS-ONE: Yes. We need the exposure and kids are more likely to be in tune and receptive to what’s going on because they are not drunk! Plus, I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let the lead the way…
MARCUS: I didn’t notice that many young people…
DJ DONNIE DEE: I seen kids in the crowd that were die hard fans..that’s always a good sign.
LORD FINESSE: I seen a few…
CUTFUCIOUS: I definitely felt that there were more youth attendance this year than any other US Finals. I think the reasoning behind that is because of the DJ schools. The only other time that I can think of any DJ competition with as high of a youth attendance was when we had the DMC NY regional at Chelsea Piers in 2000. [CZP’s note – that fateful battle was held during a skate fest and we suffered torrential rain and had to start the battle over again the next day! DJ Tragik won!]
DJ SOLO: Yes. I was there with a bunch of people from Jersey and the younger kids really enjoyed seeing a dj battle live for the first time.
CARLOS HERNANDEZ AKA BABY FATFINGAZ: There were more youth this year and this is what we want. We need to educate them and entertain them as well.
DJs who appeared to have retired from battling continue to re-enter the DMC US battles and place. Is this something we should expect to see more of in 2010?
MISTA-B: I don’t know, I guess I’m one of them Ha Ha. Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more people from the past entering. I know of some personally that want to come back so I guess I’m helping influence them (I hope I’m not the butt of DJ jokes because of this). I feel that if you can still do it to a level you are comfortable with, then you should go ahead and do so. I mean, it just depends on what you want out of it. To be honest, I’m having more fun now than the years when I was younger.
SHMEEZE
