photo courtesy of weareyourheroes.com.

A major part of my life has been hip hop.  As a former DJ/Turntablist, I was very excited about the 1st Annual MMA (Mix Master Arts) DJ Battle in Greensboro, NC.  This event was held at the Greene St. Club on January 19, put on by the Jukebox Heroes (consisting of DJ EV, DJ SK, DJ Forge, and DJ Paradime) and DJ Soden.

The competition consisted of 10 minute sets of mix battles and DMC style scratch battles.  This is where the DJs demonstrate their mixing skills utilizing the turntables and Serato.  Since living in Winston Salem, I have been out of the loop in the DJ world and dedicating all of my time to my job and my family.  I visited DJ Forge last week and he gave me a tutorial on Serato, a DJ system that makes crates of records unnecessary (but not unloved), which has taken the DJ game to extreme levels.  This gave me an idea of what the contestants would be using in their arsenal, but I was happy to see some purists who are sticking with the vinyl.

The competitors who stepped up for the mix battle were Climax, Yona, Red October, Skinner, LottaNoiz, 818, Bro Soul, Will I Am the DJ, Red, Finger Blast, and A-Minor.  The DJs in the Scratch Battle were Taz, Skinner, Trizack, and Adam.  DJ SK was the host and an all-star panel of judges (THETZONE, J-Flex, Drew McMath, Sound Machine, and King Pin).  All the performers gave exceptional performances.  The selections varied from hip hop to drum and bass to RnB to Pop to Rock.   After an intense show of all performances, the winners for the mix battle and scratch battle were announced.

The winner for the mix battle went to Finger Blast aka SPCLGST.  Finger Blast had a buzz in the crowd before the performances even began.  His performance was live and full of energy and crowd pumping.  He sported a wig, airbrushed t-shirt with his name that was shiny from the glitter, and NO PANTS!  His set was entertaining and a great demonstration of skills.

The winner for  the scratch battle went to Taz.  Taz blew the crowd away with his raw skills.  He was straight vinyl and represented turntablism in pure art form with his scratching, beat juggling, and behind the back moves.

Thank you all performers, Jukebox Heroes, and DJ Soden for an amazing event.  Mad respect to all.

Visit www.weareyourheroes.com to book any of the talented Jukebox Heroes for events or venues or just to enjoy the downloadable mixes and podcasts from these amazing DJs.  Support your local DJs…………….