The greatest show on earth delivers one of the most cutting edge Finals in years
Photography by Michael Bowles, Michael Miller, Christie Z-Pabon, Petar Savic and Tony Senior
DMC’s WORLD DJ CHAMPIONSHIP 30th Anniversary went with a bang on Sunday in Kentish Town, London. As per usual, a full house of supporters arrived at The Forum from all around the world for what turned out to be one of the most cutting edge DMC Finals for years.
The afternoon began with the knock-outs where a team of experienced judges selected 9 of the 17 National Champions to perform a full 6 minute set later that night. The World Championships have delivered some incredible legends across the years and finalists this year had come as far away as New Zealand, Australia and Brazil. With a 2 minute elimination set, the objective was to gain enough points from the judges to make it to the real final…where at 8pm an amazing result would bring the house down.
The points went like this:
DMC WORLD ELIMINATION PLACINGS
1. RITCHIE RUFTONE (UK) – 44 POINTS
2. VEKKED ( Online Champion / Canada) 43 POINTS
3. JFB (UK) – 40 POINTS
4. PRECISION (USA)- 30 POINTS
5. SHOTA (Japan)- 27 POINTS
6. SKILLZ (France) – 25 POINTS
7. ERICK JAY (Brazil)- 24 POINTS
8. SPELL (New Zealand)- 7 POINTS
9. P – KUT (Italy) – 6 POINTS
UNPLACED:
10. MODE (Greece)- 3 POINTS
11. BROKE (Australia_ – 2 POINTS
12. FLUX – (Czech) 1 POINT
13 = CREDIT (Denmark) /BESH 1 (Sweden) /NIPUN (India) /SONNY KRAFT (Hungary) /IMPECCABLE SLEAM (Nigeria)
Whilst all this was going on, upstairs the crowds packed out the workshops learning the art of the Beatbox with The Beatbox Collective, Lyricism with Chester P and Jehst, Poppin’ and Lockin’ with PopMaster Fabel and a DJ Workshop with Switch and Nelson.
Back downstairs the 9 Finalists were announced! Atop the points were the event favourites as you might expect – top of the list was the UK’s Ritchie Ruftone with joint UK Champion 2015 JFB. PRECISION from the X-ECUTIONERS was in as USA DMC Champion and also competed in the Battle for World Supremacy as well as the main event. Vekked was already known to the audience having won the 2015 DMC ONLINE DJ CHAMPIONSHIPS which not only gave him a badge of honour but also the right to take part in this live World Finals. He was also the 2012 DMC World Supremacy Champion.
Between the Elimination and the Final came The Battle for World Supremacy – a vinyl only head to head knock out. Sadly two competitors had arrived with Serato in mind and hadn’t been aware of DMC’s vinyl only event. This left six DJs, two of them with a bye. With judges flashing their voting cards head high, one after the other was eliminated until the last two men standing were Erick Jay and Precision. Now with two 90 second sets each, the magic was turned up to full effect until after two rounds Roc Raida’s old sparring partner won the day. Now, could he break all the younger DJs spirits by taking the main title?
The audience primed itself for a massive battle. Stig Of The Dump filled with two tunes whilst the stage set was re-apportioned to the next dramatic face off – The DMC TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS.
This was between the winners of the DMC ONLINE TEAM CHAMPIONS – THE FRESHERTHANS, the two-man team from Canada and two time winners and defending champs 9 O’Clock – the French threesome looking for the triple.
The judges faced a difficult decision and the audience who can usually be relied upon to indicate the winner through their response, had offered no clues. In the end 9 judges voted, 7 for 9’Oclock and 2 voted for the Online Champions. They were both stunning sets but the reigning Team reign on as we wait now for their decision for next year and whether to try to equal C2C’s four in a row?
THE WORLD FINALS
The atmosphere was electric as the first DJ P-KUTS launched his bid for glory. Then DJ Spell from New Zealand came on and lifted the bar so high you began to wonder where the hell this new-breed of high octane creativity would go tonight? Would one of the two Brits take the gold or would those dastardly French nudge everyone out of the way as they often do? Or…would the unthinkable happen with the golden Rane mixer going to New Zealand? 9 performances of the highest order ended with Ritchie Ruftone’s set. No one could tell who’d won, it certainly wasn’t a walk-over as it has often been in the past. We had to wait. It was now time for four time world-beating team C2C to do their lap of honour for this pedigree London audience and what a lap it was.
A thirty minute set of stunning four-man music manipulation with a light show to match ended with their repeats of elements of their previous winning sets. The audience went nuts. The DJs littering the side of stage went nuts. Now a surprise as DMC’s Sally brought four prestige DMC jackets onto stage and Princey made them into official ‘DMC LEGENDS’ – as it said very plainly, in gold print, aback each jacket.
As has been tradition for 30 years DMC’s Tony Prince came to the front of stage with three envelopes, a bronze, silver and gold envelope. Tony was flanked by sponsor Dean Standing from RANE USA who opened each envelope.
“In third place, from the USA – PRECISION
“In second place and 2015 Runner-up”…..the audience noise subsided as Dean milked the moment…and what a moment it was…
“DJ SPELL from New Zealand”!
The place went wild. No one could find him. He was so sure he wouldn’t place he’d gone up to the balcony. Finally he made it down to the ground floor where the crowd carried him to the stage cheering this remarkable impossibility. Never in the history of these formidable championships has ANY competitor who has gone on in the first five, (lowest elimination points), EVER placed top 3, let alone runner-up!
“And the 2015 DMC WORLD DJ CHAMPION is….”
“VEKKED”
This was not only a result for the likable and hugely talented Canadian DJ but for the dynamics of the DMC ONLINE DJ CHAMPIONSHIPS which now clearly open the door for DJs in Outer Monglia and beyond!
After all the photographs, Vekked took his gold RANE mixer DMC jacket and goodies to side of stage where a hundred hands reached to shake his or pat him on the back.
And then it was all down to the DMC party to cap a magical 30th Anniversary and to share their memories of such wonderful performances all at the high end of the art. What an event…roll on 2016 y’all…
