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How
To... Win A DJ Battle Article
deejay feature
0010 added 26.04.04 words
DJ Moneyshot
technical:
QED
Our step-by-step guide to making it in competitions.
Have you ever thought of entering a DJ battle, but not had the bottle? What ever
your skill level it’s worth knowing how the pros do it. So pay close attention,
the following information could well be the difference between you being a champ
or a chump.
DJ’s, are you tired of languishing in obscurity in your bedroom, when you’d
rather be polishing trophies with world champion DJ Craze? Or sick to death of
the likes of The Scratch Perverts getting standing ovations in clubs, while you
nurse a warm beer mumbling about triple-click flares to a disinterested coat
check girl who thinks you’re talking about trousers? Isn’t it about time you
pulled yourself together and did something about those dormant battle skills you
know are lurking inside you?
What you hold in your hands is a once in a lifetime step-by-step guide to making
competitions like the DMC as easy as 1-2-3. Send no money now, and if you’re not
100% satisfied with your new found DJ battle skills then maybe perfecting the
art of epic trance sets can become your next goal. Ding! Ding! Seconds out,
round one…
 What
is a DJ battle?
For many hip-hop DJ’s the fastest route to recognition is through winning a
‘battle’: That is, a timed elimination competition where you go head to head,
showcasing your turntable skills against another DJ until only one remains. It’s
a bit like a cross between The Highlander (“There can be only one!”) and the
freestyle battles in Eminem’s rap battle flick 8 Mile, only with turntables.
The longest running and most visible battle is the Technics sponsored DMC, or
the Disco Mixing Club as it was officially called in the days when competitors
actually mixed dance music with headphones on. The basic deal is that DJ’s take
part in local heats, which turn into regional finals, then national, then
finally competitors from all over the world duke it out - one on one - until the
judges pick a winner. The skills that need to be shown in the six-minute
showcase are marked in four main areas: Technical skills and tricks, the
creation of break beats, running mixes, entertainment value and originality. A
good balance needs to be struck between them all. A world champ can’t be weak in
any area. To get an idea of the formula get down to the DMC website (www.dmcworld.com)
and pick up a video.
If you’re a relative new comer to the sport the competition may well look a bit
daunting, but remember that they were all in your shoes once. Another way in is
to find like-minded souls in your area and ask to jam with them. “Practicing
with friends who are creative, know a bit about the art and like to experiment
is crucial,” reckons ’91 US and ’93, ’94 world DMC champ man DJ Q-Bert. But
failing that he adds that “painting yourself yellow, with glowing red boots and
jerking off while screaming” also helps.
The
set-up
Before we get ahead of ourselves and plan the victory dance we’d better look at
what equipment you’ll need to get yourself into shape for the cut-throat world
of competition DJing. Firstly if you’re standing behind anything less than top
of the range turntables I’d forget about reading on. There’s no point learning
on belt-drive decks and a Fisher Price mixer if you’re serious about making it.
That would be like entering the Monaco Grand Prix in a milk float. The only
equipment permitted in the Technics DJ Championships are: Technics
SL1200/SL1210/M3D turntables and a Technics SH-DJ /DX1200 mixer. No other makes
of equipment is allowed. Other competitions are a bit more lenient, but check to
see what set-up you are using. You don’t want to turn up and fail at the first
hurdle because you’ve never used this type of deck or that type of mixer.
“Needles can make quite a difference,” says world ITF and Vestax champion DJ
Woody, “the best I’ve come across are Shure 447's, they hold the groove
ridiculously. Then to finish your set up off get a good pair of slippy slipmats,
how slippy is down to your personal preference.”
What
records do I play?
There are no rules for choosing the records that you use in competition, and
often the oddest choices prove to be the most well received when they’re cut up.
Take DJ Slyce for instance. This perennial US DMC contender found fame doubling
up the bargain bin selections of Hammer’s U Can’t Touch This and Bowie’s Let’s
Dance, finding well hidden. It might prove financially sound too; well you don’t
want to spend hours tearing up pristine copies of rare rap classics do you? It’s
often worth using 12” copies of tracks as well, pressed up louder than LP’s, and
make sure that if you’re using two copies of a tune that they are the same
release, it’s harder to judge spin backs if your records are positioned
differently on the vinyl. Also make sure that they are ‘marked up’, meaning draw
a thick line or put a solid strip of white tape on each label so that you can
line up the beat as it plays under the stylus. You need clear visual cues as to
where the sounds are on the records. Q-Bert has been known to drill opposing
holes for the turntables spindle to go through just to the side of the
manufactures hole. This makes the record weave underneath the needle, giving
quite an unusual effect. The lesson here is that to be a unique DJ you have to
throw away the rulebook when it comes to ways of approaching the turntables. The
Scratch Perverts did that with their infamous ‘no records’ routine. This
involves them playing static, drumming on the head shell and allowing the needle
to play on the side of the platter, all while being cut in and out with the
fader until it becomes a orchestrated noise. One that has to be witnessed to be
believed.
The
Routine
Next up is putting a set together. What do the judges look for? “Originality”
suggests 2000, 2001 and 2002 DMC world championships judge DJ Yoda, “being
technically tight…and using your arse to scratch.” Quite. Well, body tricks may
not be used as much in the modern game but they are definitely part of the DJ’s
repertoire. You can spin around, catch the beat under your leg and scratch with
your nose. Again, it’s up to you, but taking time out to do this shows that you
are confident enough to make your set harder for yourself to do, and hopefully
more entertaining for the people watching. “Get the crowd on your side” says
Yoda, “and try and do something that sets you apart from the other entrants. I
always love watching the likes of Dexter and Kid Koala, who don’t feel bound by
hip-hop and drum and bass, and who treat the turntables more like a musical
instrument, and try and do something a bit more melodic and aesthetically
pleasing.”
Get
personal
Some contestants play snippets of tracks with relevant lyrics about battles or
disrespectful subject matter to competitors to set the tone. “Just find a
balance,” says Q-Bert, “I like a fighter to waste no time and incorporate
scratching and juggling together. Also Start and end your set like a song with a
theme at the beginning that comes back in at the end. There really is no best
way, but I’ll tell you this much, I do hate it when there is like a two minute
time limit and the guy is playing, like a diss phrase that lasts a whole minute.
I like the battles where when they say go, you go!”
Always
push it one further
The real trick is maintaining a high level of skills throughout your allotted
time, and then taking it higher. The best DJ’s keep raising the bar for
themselves within their sets, taking it as high as possible then again. This can
be done by laying down a solid juggle then reversing it or doubling the speed.
1998,’99 and 2000 world champ DJ Craze once even battled himself in a bid to
outdo each routine.
The
finale
For the end of your set you should pull one last trick out of the bag. For the
1996 US winner, DJ Swamp, it was shattering a record and attempting to cut an
‘S’ into his naked chest with a shard. But for you it should be a bit more on
the technical side, and copying someone else’s style is one of the worst crimes
anyway. Unless it’s used to take the piss. If you are copying take their
signature moves and redevelop them beyond their means, or throw it back in their
face. When Roc Raida took on Mix Master Mike in the first International
Turntablist Federation battle, the East coast X-Ecutioner directly lampooned
Mike’s sideways baseball cap and forearm scratches in a goofy looking parody,
proving that a well-timed sense of humour can be as vital as a deft cut or beat
juggle.
Recovery
tactics
Failure is no laughing matter. Losing your bottle on stage, or fumbling a trick
looks bad, and battle audiences are as forgiving as a Roman emperor at the
weekly Christians versus the Lions five-a-side. Which is why it’s important to
master the art of recovery. Regaining composure is one of the hardest things to
do in a meticulously prepared routine, as you can completely implode if you find
yourself off course. “My top tip for recovering from a mistake” says DJ Woody,
“is to simply act as if you never messed up and just carry on with the rest of
the routine, don't let it phase you because most of the time the only thing that
tells people you messed up is when you sport your 'I just made a fuck up face'
and start having a tantrum. Hopefully you'll have practiced your set enough to
know how to recover, i.e. make sure you know your records well enough so that if
the needle jumps mid-set you know where the record jumped to and how get it back
to the right place.”
What
do I do when I’ve won?
Winning a major competition can certainly give you a platform and it will open a
few doors. “Winning a title is like having an authenticity certificate,” says DJ
Woody, “people start to take you a little more seriously than before.” Respect
aside, the real reason for all those years of practice is quite clear. “Winning
the DMC can make you a house hold name,” says DJ Yoda, “and put you on Top of
the Pops on a Saturday morning with Ferne Cotton, who is quite fit.” Never mind
the trophies, bring on the chicks.
For details about entering the DMC heats in your area go to the DMC 2004 website
at www.dmcworld.com.
DMC
Heat Breakdown:
The DMC UK Final is Saturday 3rd
July - London
Venue: Shepherds Bush Empire.
Saturday 1st May - Leicester.
The Venue. 10pm-2am £5
Thursday 6th May - Leeds.
Drum Major, The Wardrobe. 10pm-2.30am £7
Tuesday 11th May - Bournemouth.
The Opera House. 9pm-2am £4
Friday 14th May - Cardiff.
Higher Learning, Toucan Club. 10pm-2am £8
Thursday 20th May - Glasgow.
Glasgow School of Arts. 10.30pm - 3am £3/£4/£5
Wednesday 26th May - London.
Show Some Love, Ruby Lo. 8pm-2am £6
Thursday 27th May - Manchester.
The Beat Route @ Manchester Metí (K2) 9.30pm-2am £4.50 / £5.50
Sunday 30th May - Derby.
4th Birthday, Off The Hook @ The Gatehouse. 8pm ñ 2am £7
Saturday 5th June - Bristol.
Hi Fidelity, Carling Academy Bristol. 9.30pm-4am £12 adv.
- DJ
Moneyshot
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