DJ COMPETITION

Rip It Up, Issue 144, 1 July 1989, Page 25

DJ COMPETITION

NUMARKDJ CHAMPIONSHIP TheSiren,2B,29July

Okay, lef's just get this straight. Hip hopin New Zealand ain‘t no passing fad, it has a history, it has roots. Most take it back to the bop days, the era of Planet Rock, the perfect beat hitting the streets. But it goes back further — it began with the first shining black

American record to hit our shores. Jazz, rhythm and blues, rock n’ roll, funk,

Tamla and disco are the heritage of hip-hop. American DJsin clubs and sound systems have been creating new sounds out of other people’s records for over 15 years, mixing from one to another, extending the instrumentals, using the technology, converting itto their own ends. The key things here are turntables and records. The technology is all, the medium is the message. It'simportant to stress its democratic, orrather anarchistic, nature, in that the professional DJ, the club DJ has ‘become just an aspect of the whole. The wheels of steel can have many drivers. Now the Sirenis a good place to hold such an event. Itis, how shall we say, infimate. There's Ricky Morris “hey see me fuck up today,” he is of course discussing 3.45 Live who are filming this display of culture. Not too sure how many of those here would watch it. It's the usual crowd; the boys in the froop jackets, more sportswear here than

thereisin the L.A. Lakers’ dressing room. Lots of Hacksaw Jim Duggan

chants, loud whistles and noisy enthusiasm. It was indeed fime to pump up the volume. Auckland finals the first night resulted inSam, Nigel, Ned and MC Bass finding the right groove. Pity about DJ Mark not quite hitting it, just loved ‘Brown Girl In The Ring'. Also fellow homeboy MC Sire had some bad luck, but he was the only one to break into a rap and look as though he was having some fun.

Content-wise, Dave Petuali impressed with a solid electro set, bop tracks with a sense of space that a lot of current hip-hop lacks. Looked as

though he was having some trouble with the equipment, too; alot of DJs make their jams up athome on some tough old beasts like the family 3-In-1, belt-driven and difficult to get the right flow. It's a shame that access to the right stuffisnt available, and a good reason to enter this competition with $5,000 of Numark technology up for grabs. Second night had just the right edge oftension for an Auckland vs :

Wellington confrontation— not nasty, but not exactly brimming with brotherly love either. Gotta stop this sort of shit, the only differences in hip-hop are - stylistic. Sure, it's a tough individualistic struggle; like pro-boxing, a close and sweaty fight. : Firstup was Wellington’s MCRaw, a - good name for the cool gum-chewing kid who started with the ‘Journey Into Sound' bit and then went brutal. The Wellington boys attacked the tables,

starting off with atheme and then perverting it, turning it around and beating the hell out of it. Like tall and lanky MC Glide, who went crazy in the ‘middle with some avant garde noise — like the Dougie Fresh cuts. In fact both MCRaw and MC Glide impressed me with their aggressive approach, butin many cases the beat justgotlostina wail of scratch and transformer activity. The Wellington champ Rocket V didn't have a good time (dropping the mixer didn'thelp) but it was interesting that he was the only one notto go hardcore hip-hop. Nice beat mixing of Alyson Williams and Hall & Oates!

First Auckland boy (via France) was MC Bass, with afine set of Eric B (The R’), Sugarhill, Go-Go, and — best bits for me —the Jackson Five under Public Enemy and a sped up ‘Only You' by the Platters. He was the firstto get the

crowd really moving. Also agreat

surprise in Soul Master C from Christchurch; the only one to wear any gold and his name on a baseball cap. A great set of beats working in time and first bit of dirt with Two Live Crew's 'We Want Some Pussy’ mixed in with ‘Push . He was cool.

Sowas Sam, with the Liberace intro andthenthe Big Ewith‘Quando

Quando’, nice mixinto PE’s ‘So : Physical’. Sam was a crowd fave and a hip-hop fan from way back, and his set showed great confidence. Nigel Mu opened with the LL Cool J scratch and put on a great technical display, with good taste including Cash Money’s ‘Mighty Hard Rocker’ — very hard core. During the break, Mr Rhys B was

gefting keyed up as Nick D’Angelo pumped the crowd with records and posters. When Rhys did getgoing he knocked me out, kicking like a ninja with James Brown ‘Funky Drummer’ (“Ain'tit funky”) and Run DMC, transforming with his nose, standing on beer crates and then standing on the mixing desk. But it wasn'tjust tricks for the crowd so much as the way the Wellington boys literally threw themselves at the tables, . attacking like a pit bull. He was good, very good. Lastup was Ned, who had done a hot setthe previous night. Tonight he didn’t repeat the same things but did completely different set, even hotter. Nice cute touch with The Sound Of Music’ intro and then hardcore rhymes galore, revolving around quick cuts and spot on mixing and scratching. Ned won because he had a very calculated and thought-out attitude to the tables, plenty of tricks and crowd: pleasers but always on the one. With no falters, the mix flowed and made sense, itwas a product of hip-hop logic. This beat forms this beat, combine and mix, then you have a new mix, a new beat. He was clever and cool. Ned first, Rhys second, Nigel third. Idon’t know what you thought about

it (well, | do know some things!) but hell, I had fun and a good chance to see the developmentin NZ hip-hop—andto getalittle stupid and pump that bass. KERRY BUCHANAN 3