Perverts Beatdown,
05/11/04, featuring Ian Brown, Jazzy Jeff, Scratch Perverts, Mixologists, Dillinja & Lemon D, Ed Rush & Optical, J Majik, Mampi Swift, Roots Manuva, Vadim and Blakey
@ Fabric
It’s 2004 and DJ battles are really starting to get played out. The attraction is still there for some, but for the majority the idea of cramming yourself in a venue to watch a bunch of DJs cutting up the same breaks and scratching “ahhh” isn’t the exact idea of a good night out. Enter the Beatdown DJ competition, which in 3 short years became one of the favourite battles on the DJ circuit with its “by the DJs for the DJs” approach, and its now legendary 2002 European final, held at fabric in London. The 2002 final is still looked upon as one of the most, if not the most successful and enjoyable battle of recent years. With their mix of a DJ battle and a full on club night all within the cosy interior of one of London’s best and biggest club, the Beatdown was a recipe for a success. But the 2003 world final (again held at fabric) didn’t turn out as expected, and while still enjoyable was plagued by too many problems that a good old rave next door couldn’t make you forget. So how do you top this?
Simple you can the DJ battle and instead organise a full on rave the likes of which London hasn’t seen for a good while. And let’s face it having some of the world’s best DJs and performers from the fields of rock, hip hop and drum n bass battling it out for your attention is way more enjoyable then any routine you can come up with (ok there are exceptions but now is not the time). And as Tony Vegas put it this is exactly what the Perverts Beatdown 2004 was all about. Line up some of the most talented (and their favourite) UK artists and let them vie for the public’s attention. On the bill were Ian Brown, ‘Madchester’ legend, frontman of the Stone Roses and successful solo artist for the last ten years, doing a one off 30 minute live set, which in turn meant that the club was busier then it has been in years as people fought to get in and see Mr Brown, whose regular live shows sell out major venues in days. In the same room were two of the UK’s favourite party rocking teams, namely the Mixologists and the Scratch Perverts (both veterans of the battle scene) who played back to back for the last hour and the one and only Jazzy Jeff, who held the floor tight for two hours in the best way possible. The first room was rounded off with the man like Skitz, one of the UK’s finest producers. Room 2 offered you the best of the drum n bass spectrum with heavy hitters Ed Rush & Optical, Dillinja & Lemon D, Mampi Swift and J Majik, backed by the Perverts again (whose love of dnb have made them fine purveyors of dancefloor mayhem). Finally Room 3 held another excellent party rocking line up with Roots Manuva doing a DJ set alongside Vadim and the 2004 UK DMC champ Blakey (the busiest DJ in the whole of DMC). With a line up like this in a venue like fabric, you really have to make an effort to not ensure a good night.
Ian Brown’s half and hour was simply splendid. Backed by his live band he gave the crowd old favourites and new tracks from his solo work, and created an atmosphere I have never seen or felt in fabric. The place was crammed from wall to wall, sweat dripping from the ceiling and everyone asking for more. Drums, guitar, trumpet and djambes all came together to form the best possible start to the night. After much clapping and requests for more, Ian Brown conceded the floor to Skitz who promptly got the place rocking again, in anticipation of Jazzy Jeff’s set. Meanwhile the second room saw the Perverts tear through an amazing dnb set, keeping the crowd raving like lunatics and dropping the right amount of turntable trickery to make the ravers go ‘uhh!?’ They were followed through by Dillinja and Lemon D, kings of the shakin’ bassbin and thundering basslines. But frankly they both failed to impress, with not so tight mixing and dub after dub that just didn’t sound right on the fabric system (probably due to Dillinja’s reknowned mastering demands). Still we kept at it for a while but it just didn’t feel right. So off we went through room 3 in time to catch Roots Manuva doing what you wouldn’t think he does best, rocking a crowd with records! It has to be said Mr Manuva is a fine DJ and kept the smallest room sweaty and packed.
As 1.30 am approached it was time to go and experience what Philly’s finest had to offer for the night. As anyone who’s ever seen Jeff will tell you, this man knows how to command a crowd and keep it alive playing everything from Jungle to Mobb Deep to House via funk classics. Jeff got the party started with a few classics including Ganja Kru’s classic Super Sharp Shooter before getting into the thick of things, helped along by Mad Skills who was hyping the crowd and doing a decent job of hosting the set. Shame we didn’t get treated to some more vocal action from him. It has to be noted that Jeff’s whole set was performed using Serato Scratch Live, which allows you to manipulate digital files on turntables using a laptop, much like Final Scratch. Jeff has been singing its praises for a while, and it was amazing to see him rocking a party like he always does but doing so using such a piece of equipment which many DJs still frown upon. Could it be a case of the old showing the way for the new?
The night was rounded off in style with Blakey taking control of the third room in his inimitable style while J Majik and Mampi Swift dished out obscene amounts of quality floor smashers. It has to be said that while J Majik came through with a tight and quality set, Mampi really showed once more why he is one of the best party rocking dnb DJs today. He stormed the second room for the last hour with dubplates galore backed up by old classics, something that is too rare these days. His tight mixing and selection skills really coming through as he double dropped track after track, marrying the best of the old and the new in a break infused frenzy that kept the audience smiling till it was time to get out. At the same time the first room was in the expert hands of the Perverts and Mixologists who also showed why they’ve become such strong party favourites with both the hip hop and dnb crowd. They kept it dark and grimey until the end, rounding off a quality night.
5am comes quicker then you could have thought and after over 6 hours of DJs fighting for the audience’s attention, I think it’s fair to say that this year’s edition of the Beatdown without the battle was by far the best move anyone in the Perverts’ position could have made. Good time was had by all and fabric and the Perverts have bagged themselves the accolade of ‘best night and line up of the year’ without a shadow of a doubt.
Be sure to check our forthcoming interview with Tony Vegas of the Scratch Perverts for more on this and how the battle came not to pass as well as details of the Perverts’ forthcoming LP. Also check out our forthcoming interview with Jazzy Jeff about his forthcoming work. Both these will be online shortly.
www.turntableradio.com
– the only radio show dedicated to turntable music and which features audio
extracts from the both the Tony Vegas and Jazzy Jeff interviews.
Related Links:
Perverts Beatdown,
05/11/04, featuring Ian Brown, Jazzy Jeff, Scratch Perverts, Mixologists, Dillinja & Lemon D, Ed Rush & Optical, J Majik, Mampi Swift, Roots Manuva, Vadim and Blakey
@ Fabric
It’s 2004 and DJ battles are really starting to get played out. The attraction is still there for some, but for the majority the idea of cramming yourself in a venue to watch a bunch of DJs cutting up the same breaks and scratching “ahhh” isn’t the exact idea of a good night out. Enter the Beatdown DJ competition, which in 3 short years became one of the favourite battles on the DJ circuit with its “by the DJs for the DJs” approach, and its now legendary 2002 European final, held at fabric in London. The 2002 final is still looked upon as one of the most, if not the most successful and enjoyable battle of recent years. With their mix of a DJ battle and a full on club night all within the cosy interior of one of London’s best and biggest club, the Beatdown was a recipe for a success. But the 2003 world final (again held at fabric) didn’t turn out as expected, and while still enjoyable was plagued by too many problems that a good old rave next door couldn’t make you forget. So how do you top this?
Simple you can the DJ battle and instead organise a full on rave the likes of which London hasn’t seen for a good while. And let’s face it having some of the world’s best DJs and performers from the fields of rock, hip hop and drum n bass battling it out for your attention is way more enjoyable then any routine you can come up with (ok there are exceptions but now is not the time). And as Tony Vegas put it this is exactly what the Perverts Beatdown 2004 was all about. Line up some of the most talented (and their favourite) UK artists and let them vie for the public’s attention. On the bill were Ian Brown, ‘Madchester’ legend, frontman of the Stone Roses and successful solo artist for the last ten years, doing a one off 30 minute live set, which in turn meant that the club was busier then it has been in years as people fought to get in and see Mr Brown, whose regular live shows sell out major venues in days. In the same room were two of the UK’s favourite party rocking teams, namely the Mixologists and the Scratch Perverts (both veterans of the battle scene) who played back to back for the last hour and the one and only Jazzy Jeff, who held the floor tight for two hours in the best way possible. The first room was rounded off with the man like Skitz, one of the UK’s finest producers. Room 2 offered you the best of the drum n bass spectrum with heavy hitters Ed Rush & Optical, Dillinja & Lemon D, Mampi Swift and J Majik, backed by the Perverts again (whose love of dnb have made them fine purveyors of dancefloor mayhem). Finally Room 3 held another excellent party rocking line up with Roots Manuva doing a DJ set alongside Vadim and the 2004 UK DMC champ Blakey (the busiest DJ in the whole of DMC). With a line up like this in a venue like fabric, you really have to make an effort to not ensure a good night.
Ian Brown’s half and hour was simply splendid. Backed by his live band he gave the crowd old favourites and new tracks from his solo work, and created an atmosphere I have never seen or felt in fabric. The place was crammed from wall to wall, sweat dripping from the ceiling and everyone asking for more. Drums, guitar, trumpet and djambes all came together to form the best possible start to the night. After much clapping and requests for more, Ian Brown conceded the floor to Skitz who promptly got the place rocking again, in anticipation of Jazzy Jeff’s set. Meanwhile the second room saw the Perverts tear through an amazing dnb set, keeping the crowd raving like lunatics and dropping the right amount of turntable trickery to make the ravers go ‘uhh!?’ They were followed through by Dillinja and Lemon D, kings of the shakin’ bassbin and thundering basslines. But frankly they both failed to impress, with not so tight mixing and dub after dub that just didn’t sound right on the fabric system (probably due to Dillinja’s reknowned mastering demands). Still we kept at it for a while but it just didn’t feel right. So off we went through room 3 in time to catch Roots Manuva doing what you wouldn’t think he does best, rocking a crowd with records! It has to be said Mr Manuva is a fine DJ and kept the smallest room sweaty and packed.
As 1.30 am approached it was time to go and experience what Philly’s finest had to offer for the night. As anyone who’s ever seen Jeff will tell you, this man knows how to command a crowd and keep it alive playing everything from Jungle to Mobb Deep to House via funk classics. Jeff got the party started with a few classics including Ganja Kru’s classic Super Sharp Shooter before getting into the thick of things, helped along by Mad Skills who was hyping the crowd and doing a decent job of hosting the set. Shame we didn’t get treated to some more vocal action from him. It has to be noted that Jeff’s whole set was performed using Serato Scratch Live, which allows you to manipulate digital files on turntables using a laptop, much like Final Scratch. Jeff has been singing its praises for a while, and it was amazing to see him rocking a party like he always does but doing so using such a piece of equipment which many DJs still frown upon. Could it be a case of the old showing the way for the new?
The night was rounded off in style with Blakey taking control of the third room in his inimitable style while J Majik and Mampi Swift dished out obscene amounts of quality floor smashers. It has to be said that while J Majik came through with a tight and quality set, Mampi really showed once more why he is one of the best party rocking dnb DJs today. He stormed the second room for the last hour with dubplates galore backed up by old classics, something that is too rare these days. His tight mixing and selection skills really coming through as he double dropped track after track, marrying the best of the old and the new in a break infused frenzy that kept the audience smiling till it was time to get out. At the same time the first room was in the expert hands of the Perverts and Mixologists who also showed why they’ve become such strong party favourites with both the hip hop and dnb crowd. They kept it dark and grimey until the end, rounding off a quality night.