The DMC Battle for World Supremacy and Team Championships were decided last night!
DMC this decided to stage the 2011 WORLD DJ CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS close to the Birmingham BPM DJ Exhibition date so that those who came in from overseas would have the chance to attend both events. It was a Thursday night, a start at 5.30pm at the Indigo2 – a venue notoriously difficut to get to, DMC held it’s breath…
We needn’t had worried. By 8pm the venue was rockin’ with nearly a thousand supporters from all over the world in attendance.
The Battle for World Supremacy would follow the DMC TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS and the audience understood that they were potentially watching one of the greatest feats in DJ history, as Japan’s four time TEAM CHAMPIONS Kireek had arrived to re-write the record books. A win tonight and they would have achieved what no DJs in any DMC contest had ever done before in the Championship’s amazing 28 year history – five time consecutive year winners!!
With seven other teams to beat and technology having its day, the audience showed great patience as the DMC team worked hard to link the decks to the mixers to the triggers to the computers to the Seratos. Four DJs in one team meant 8 turntables and an abundence of wires and gizmos.
Portugese duo Beatbombers opened proceedings and set the bar. There were some terrific sets featuring wonderful new innovative live mixing.
Trouble Team (Czech Republic) were followed by Belgium’s CRS and The Blatters from Italy. The UK Team Invisible Armour couldn’t be described as a four-man team because (hooray!) a girl made up the line-up.
After the UK team, Battlestar represented the USA and Brazil’s Cla Leste showed us that this nation is really getting it’s DJ act together.
But then came the moment when Kireek were announced and you could have heard a stylus drop in the massive hall.
Bringing Japan’s nightmare year to the decks in audio drops, the duo began with “Nuclear”, “Government” and “Captialism” into their opening mix, their t-shirts cried ‘Spin for Japan’ and spin they did. Dancing like shadows of each other, smiling throughout and waving their arms conducting the audience who were now aware, even after one minute that the reigning DMC World Team Champion were about to pull off a glorious World record.
6 minutes seemed to flash by before this likable duo took their prizes, donning their fifth Champion jackets and carrying off a specially branded Rane Mixer now on its way back to Japan.
Thanks to Kireek, this was another glorious DMC experience for everyone.
Then the Battle for World Supremacy began, the event that will remain pure turntable and vinyl so long as the art sustains itself. 8 DJs remained after an afternoon of elimination to even things out for the audience performance.
14 DJs had set off, DJ ON Q (S.Africa); Fascinate (USA), Short T (Germany), DJ Lowa (Czech Republic) DJ Cross (Belgium), Nelson (France), Yoke (Portugal), Norihito (Japan), Disect (UK), Needlesplit (Denmark), Erick Jay (Brazil) snd Get Back (France) who defended the title in the absence of DJ SWITCH who had decided not to defend this year (much to the relief of every other competitor!).
The quarter final battle lines were drawn as follows:
Fascinate beat Short T/ Nelson beat Lowa/ Norihito beat Disect/ Erick Jay beat Get Back.
Semi Finals:
Nelson beat Fascinate/ Norihito beat Erick Jay.
FINALS: NELSON beat NORIHITO.
If Nelson hadn’t won the final round, the country of France would have also had a new world record, they would have come runner-up FIVE TIMES! But that was not to be and you have to see the NELSON performance to see why maybe even Switch could have had work cut out.
The evening featured The Boxettes with Hobbit, a beat-box close harmony group who were highly appreciated by the audience. Highlight of the night had to be the arrival on stage of the X-Ecutioners, as great as ever and great end to a terrific evening. Tony Prince dedicated the evening to the memory of the missing X-Ecutioner, the late Roc Raida.
A great result again for France and Japan but Friday will be all about winning the new GOLD PLATED RANE MIXER and the event every DJ in the world wants to win, THE DMC WORLD DJ CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS.
Photo 1: Nelson and Norihito. Picture by Bobby Sparks.
Photo 2: Kireek. Mia.
