2013 US DMC Finals Recap by Stevie E
Stevie E was at the DMC Finals in NYC and provided us with a bangup recap of his experience which includes some quotes from the competitors. Check it out and also be sure to read Billy Jam's DMC writeup here!
So the DMC US finals took place at Stage 48 in NYC this past weekend and I was lucky enough to attend the event. I have been following the DMC battles since I got into DJing in the early 2000s and I have to say this battle was by far the best the US has seen in years!
Some say "real" DJ battles are dead but after watching an event like this it proved that battling is alive and may be stronger than ever! In my opinion the turnout was great. It seemed that there were way more people in the crowd than last year. I was able to meet a lot of cool turntablism fans from all over which is always really a great experience.
The energy in the room that night cant even be described in words. It truly was Hip Hop at its finest. Every DJ that competed was so dope it was unbelievable. There wasn't one set that didn't have me going crazy! No matter where they placed, each DJ really made a name for themselves and had their names buzzing around NYC after the battle. The judges really had there work cut out for them. I was lucky enough to talk to a couple of the contenders and let me tell you - although all these DJs have crazy skills everyone I talked to was extremely humble and down to earth. I got to get a few quotes from some of them that I've featured below:
"Regardless of the decision was one of the most legit events I've participated in. It wqasn't the cleanest I pulled that set, I couldn't hear my kuts in the monitor and lost my place in my intro also my Serato seemed to drift away from where I set the cue during a juggle. Hey these things happen but I had to keep going." - DJ Traps (San Jose, CA)
"It was one for the records. All the DJs who were in the competition were amazing and all did a great job. I wasn't too pleased with my routine but had some of the most fun I have ever had in my life. Big ups to DMC USA and many a blessings to all! Good luck to Esquire in the worlds!" - Chuck Flava (Chico, CA)
"It was a great opportunity battling the best DJs in the US, although I feel my set didn't translate well through the sound system at Stage 48. I could hear things fine in my headphones, but the monitors where all bass and treble (no mids), and not all the sound made it to crowd either. In my opinion, since I used metal and other kinds of music rather than just traditional hip hop, it was not translated well in the house or to the judges. Otherwise, everyone I met was super cool and the skill level was really high. This was a great opportunity of exposure and a memorable experience." - The Beat Molester (Seattle, WA)
"I honestly can't believe I'm sitting here today as the DMC USA Champion. It still hasn't set it just yet. This year's battle was one of the best ever with so much fresh talent and creative sets. Although my set didn't totally go as planned, I was totally blown away by the amount of support I had in the building. I plan to take every moment from now until October to fine tune every aspect of my routine and represent the USA to the fullest at the World Finals." - US Finals winner DJ Esquire (Brooklyn, NY)
As I said, the show was excellent. Kool DJ Red Alert was an awesome host and was very entertaining. Christie Z-Pabon and everyone at the DMC always organize a great show but this year was the best I have ever attended! I really want to thank them for putting all of this together. All of the DJs deserve major props. There were no losers in my opinion, everyone showed insane talent but 2 people I really want to shout out are Chuck Flava and Traps. They repped the QSU strong and had killer sets. Congratulations to DJ Esquire for taking 1st place! Good luck in London at the World Finals!!
Photos by Ignacio Soltero, deejaysoul@yahoo.com