I got a chance to play Simon Cowell as one of the judges for Ice's Ultimate DJ Battle that kicked off Thursday.
Over six weeks, 16 DJs are vying for a piece of $10,000. Each week, four names are picked at random and then it's a mix-off between two hip-hop jocks and then two house jocks. The winners from each move to the next round. At the end, two jocks will walk home with five grand each. This week saw Big Joe D and Mckenzie advance. I've seen quite a few DJ battles and mix-offs in my time, but never one so well put together and intricate. Ice is really going out of its way to showcase local talent and create something that involves the whole DJ community.
As far as judging goes, know that I'm going to be a tough one. Judging is based on technical ability, music selection, crowd response and stage presence—nothing a skilled DJ can't handle. That said, I'm offering one piece of advice: practice your sets til your fingers bleed but don't set your mix in stone. That's one of the biggest mistakes a DJ can make. The biggest responsibility a DJ has is to his crowd. You have to read the room and its vibe and build your set around that.
Look for the Ultimate DJ Battle at Ice every Thursday over the next five weeks. The contest starts promptly at midnight.
In keeping with the DJ theme, it's time to let you know about a couple of new mix CDs from two of our favorite local jocks, Mike Fuller and David Christian.
First up is Fuller's Vegas Passport. It's a haunting mix featuring everything from mysterious Middle-Eastern sounds to world beats to Seal. Vegas Passport isn't about the big club sound, rather the jazzy selections more typical of Fuller's work, but the mix is still laid back and comforting. The disc is a promo so you can't pick it up in stores. You'll have to head over to the Foundation Room for his Monday night Godspeed or Saturdays at the outdoor lagoon at Plush.
Revenge of DC is Christian's fun, new, ambitious double-disc mix. Disc One features break-beats subtly highlighted with trance and house, and includes one of my favorite tracks from the past few years, White Stripes' brilliant "Seven Nation Army." Disc Two is filled with some truly fun, old skool hip-hop. I always look forward to Christian's mix, thanks to his dynamite skills and selections, but its his sense of humor that gets me every time. Previous samples and clips on his mixes included Austin Powers and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; this time it's Revenge of the Nerds.
Christian's disc is only a promo, too. Stop by Ice Thursdays and Sundays to hear him and score your own copy.
Antonio Llapur walks softly and carries a big club. E-mail him at
[email protected].