After who knows how many years, the DMC battle is still going strong. But despite the introduction of the online battle, there has always been an element of not moving with the times. Well this year, much of that will be addressed with all new categories including a pure scratch section.
Words from DMC HQ:
DMC World announces the 2015 DMC DJ Battle Event Schedule: Exciting Plans + New Categories!
2015 DMC ONLINE DJ CHAMPIONSHIP: March 1 – July 15
DJs can begin uploading their 2 min. sets on March 1. Videos for Round 1 go live on March 10. There will be 8 rounds – two weeks each – with the final on July 15. It’s year 5 and the world is invited! Please visit www.dmcdjonline.comfor more info.2015 DMC ONLINE TEAM DJ CHAMPIONSHIP: July 14 – Aug. 11
Teams will compete online this year with the winning team performing live at the DMC World DJ Championships in London (October). 2 rounds of 2 weeks each! Any equipment! 2 – 4 DJs, self-filmed. At last, DJs can form teams in any country and find themselves at the World Finals in London!2015 DMC ONLINE VISUAL DJ CHAMPIONSHIP! Aug. 25 – Sept. 22
DMC is challenging DJs to new levels of creativity using film and music productions A new frontier, we’re very excited! 1 round of 4 weeks. The finals for this competition will take place on Sept. 22 and the champion will be announced on Sept. 29. More details coming soon!2015 DMC PURE SCRATCH COMPETITION – dates to be announced
In response to the DJS and fans calling for a scratch competition, DMC will also be launching the PURE SCRATCH competition later on in the year. 4 rounds of 1 week each.DMC UNDER 18’s CHAMPIONSHIPS will launch in early 2016
Let’s encourage the next generation of DJs!
So DMC is embracing online battling with a passion. There will still be live events in the US and probably other countries too, but there seems to be a shift towards online competition. The teams move is smart, if only because of the logistics and diminishing popularity. But the winners will still get to perform at the live final.
But it’s the introduction of the video, scratch and under 18s sections that are most interesting. Video DJing seems to be in perpetual infancy, but there are some truly amazing video DJs out there who going head to head could create quite a spectacle.
It’s also great that under 18s will get their own category. It’s quite daunting when you’re faced with such an amazing pool of world class skill (that just get better as they get older) that the realistic expectation is that you’re going to lose. At least now, young DJs will be able to get involved in battling knowing that they might actually win.
But it’s the pure scratch category that interests me the most. DMC certainly aren’t first at this, but it’s time that a best scratcher was given a recognised crown. I’d say that most turntablists are mainly scratchers who can juggle a bit as well but have no desire to put together a full set to win a title. Thus a best scratcher crown is going to appeal, and probably cause a heap of argument too. But what’s a DMC battle without online beef right?
Time to blow the cobwebs away and get itchy Gizmo
Forgive our ignorance, hip-hop’s not our thing till the point we thought the whole DMC was about scratching…well all those things they do combined, right? But from the outside I see now that we take scratching for turntablism and the former is just a part of it, could someone elaborate on the “pure scratching” thing? We always felt amazed about what those guys do with the same decks we use. Thanks in advance.
Well DMC was not about scratching i the beginning, it was about mixing dancemusic, but with a uninteresting tile of events it evolved to scratch where it sits today. now its evolving even further in a way which im not to content with.
DMC should not be online, let wannabe youtubers deliver their fair share of
*Caviar* lol
No DMC should reclaim the floor and get people to wanna compete, not just because of great prizes, knowlage, comradery and honor, but for the love of music and tradition!
As of now DMC just went down the drain, along with any other “GRINDFEST” like Corona, Carlsberg and MTV. Thats not competitions, thats just guys buying their seat at the table! and stand infront of a crowd for show!
Thats what DJTOP 100 need to do, make it personal. head to head, Avicci Vs Guetta, Hardwell Vs Laidback luke and so on!, that shit i would pay money to see, easy!
Peace – I like it that DMC is online – esp for the fact that so many DJs from countries who don’t have a DMC branch to battle at live – can compete and get their name out there on the http://www.dmcdjonline.com platform.
Everything you said was great until you listed the dj’s at the bottom. Guetta who has been caught playing premixed sets? Hardwell who mixes the same 64 beats into vocal over and over? Fucking snoozefest man, seriously.
Peace! Actually there are a lot of DJs who were not entering DMC DJ Battles because they ONLY wanted to scratch and didn’t want to do a whole well rounded routine that most world champions traditionally win with. Many Scratch DJs don’t want to beat juggle at all. On the other side, some just want to beat juggle and not scratch so much (happens a lot in NYC). When DMC US threw a live “test run” of a scratch competition last year in San Francisco – a lot of DJs entered for their first time because this was a battle that was for them. At least 2 lady DJs entered too – maybe more! We are looking forward to 2015 to see how everything develops. Christie Z-Pabon DMC USA
Dear Mr. Prince, I think Sally and the gang do a phenomenal job of running the organization, but I do think that the DMC suffers from the fact that the public doesn’t see other djs, particularly turntablists representing the DMC, as it’s public face.
I would also suggest some physical changes to the competitions. They need some drama. All this everybody’s a winner and we all love one another stuff is ruining competitions everywhere. How about the battles inside a boxing ring with the entire crowd around them. Or a CA$H prize for “flashiest” performance. (i’m talking about dress, or costume, or doing a crazy gimmick) the sameness of competitors is making the comp sooo boring. You need to force them to be creative or stay home. This ain’t about just technical abilities anymore. There are a LOT of technically able people on planet earth today, so we must “encourage” innovative creativity, with money.
“being the opening act at the world finals” should also be incorporated into the dmc as a prize, and this should be connected with the “flashy” element.
A good rule of thumb for judging might be to look at how surf competitions are scored and judged based on style. It is this “style” element that is vitally important. I also think a cash prize is important.
of course, as always, anything I can do personally, just ask.
I remember the good old days, i just leave it at that, to much h8 going on today!
http://youtu.be/MSzyC2sBBMY
Seems relevant to the current state of affairs in the dmc
The pure scratching element is a great idea. The DJs in the DMC are the greatest in the world. I don’t give a shit what other competition you win. The dmc is the gold standard and always will be. Now, that being said, there are some lessons we can learn from those other comps. 1- the technically gifted DJs, like Mr. Switch, need to spend as much time on song/sample selection as they have on learning to scratch and juggle. I’m only singling him out, because heres a guy who is off the charts talented, yet I don’t feel a connection to the music played. That’s an element that has been lost in the dmc. You gotta use tracks that the crowd knows and loves, ya just have to! (And for heavens sake, dress like your somewhere important. Hire a stylist if you have to.) 2-Something has to change about the stage. Personally I want to see the entire stage cleared for each performer. He or she should be the only person up there when they are performing. I don’t want to be distracted by some other dj practicing. The time for practicing has came and went. 3-it pains me to say this, but something has to change with the judges/judging. I’m thinking somewhere in the online system, that we institute a voting system to elect the judges. AND… make the judges stand out in the crowd!!!!! No more hanging out behind the dj, nodding your head, get up on your feet, and vote for the dj that made you move your feet
Hey I appreciate the input you are giving them, and I can tell it’s with good intention. :) However, with all due respect, let me point out some things to consider, as I have been performing for 17 years, have observed/studied other performers, and recent part of my performing over the past couple/few years or so has been deejaying, and i have been observing/studying them as well in that time, especially DMC.
1 – This part is dependent on perspective. Mr. Switch actually did have a popular song and sample selection, and though it is by perspective on what songs people remember or don’t, he had stuff that is popular in pop culture. Examples: Walk this Way by Aerosmith ( which was also redone with Run DMC), Run-DMC sample, Jay-Z’s sample “Allow me to reintroduce myself,” I don’t remember where the intro is from but I recognized it. He even used a well known dubstep track that goes “You got to know.” And the rest was other EDM tracks, but he made his own original remix like everything else in the set, and in DMC, thats practically one of the biggest standards. On this, this really depends on the perspective and what you know about music overall like I said, but their is mainstream proof that shows popularity in most of the music he used.
2 – I get your point about the stage and the deejay, being distracted by that, and yes, they’ve had quite the time to practice before this. But, consider this if you may: going live in front of thousands of people, in-front of cameras that will record this and share with the world, a live set for a deejay can still be nerve shaking and create all kinds of anxiety, that can happen to any performer in general, no matter how long they’ve done what they do, or how great or bad they are. In being on stage practicing, this can help calm them and them into a good flow like they would in the comfort of their bedroom. We have great deejays all around us, but a common case among deejays, we don’t see their best and their anxiety and comfort level can affect this. Following with that, they are also doing this on electronic, analogue equipment/hardware (it’s digital music, but hopefully you catch my drift); they have to check to make sure everything is working, no matter the quality of equipment, just to make sure everything is set and sounding right. Even if someone checks before, things can still happen. Overall, the deejay needs the practice on stage before they go on, so they can do their best, and that may still not happen regardless, but still, practice and preparing right before you go on lowers these chances quite a bit.
3 – Not a bad idea for judges, i see where you are coming from too, but you did say DMC is the gold standard (despite imperfections), and they are very much in tune with Hip-Hop culture (which deejays and turntablists do get categorized in) as well as deejay culture in general and what goes on behind the scenes. And the judges that DMC selects have just as much inside knowledge and credibility, if not more, on how a deejay should really be judged. True, maybe there is a conspiracy, but it’s Hip-Hop culture: these guys will shed truth if need be. Chris Karns actually proved that over Facebook, after one of the challenges on Master of the Mix. And I’m not 100% sure on this, but I don’t doubt crowd reaction is judged. Nevertheless, people can be silent-in-awe too, and people process different views every second of the day. Maybe they should let the people vote too (though their can be errors with that to consider). And about the deejays in the crowd, I get where you are coming from, subjective vs objective judging. But, they need space to critically think and choose too, but still, not a bad idea either.
Overall, despite me going very long essay-ed about this, hopefully this can at least have you consider the possibilities and then really know what DMC needs and doesn’t need to do. :)
Switch was one of the few DJs in the 2014 DMC World Finals that used known tracks. He kicked it off with Royce Da 5’9″ – Boom + the original sample, then went into Walk This Way.
Theres a great line from the commentary on one of the first James bond films, where Peter Hunt is telling Colby broccoli, “We must be careful not to imitate our imitators” the dmc has, is, and should remain a trailblazer. So break the mold, shake t up, venture into uncharted water and set the trends.