August 9, 10pm, California
Commercial hip hop is bigger than ever in Hong Kong, but for DJs wanting to push the boundaries of the genre, opportunities to play to a large crowd are scant. The Hong Kong finals of the DMC World DJ Championships, which take place next week, are a platform for the city's DJ pioneers to show their prowess behind the decks.
Now in its 20th year, the competition is a test of traditional DJ skills: entrants can only use vinyl, two turntables and a mixer. But that's where tradition ends. In the six minutes they get to perform, the DJs have to create an original beat or sound by mixing, cutting and scratching. Although samples from hits can get a crowd going, new rhythms are what the judges are looking for, says organiser Alan James Jewell.
'The DJs use classics and they drop in old-school tunes to get some crowd reaction, but most of the set is usually unknown,' says James Jewell, who came to Hong Kong in 1983 and has been running the local finals since 1987. He also organises the Singapore contest, which will be held on August 18.
British company DMC (Disco Mix Club) started the contest to provide a platform for DJs from around the world to go head to head. Entrants are judged on five categories: originality, technical skills, creation of breakbeats, running mixes and beat juggling, and audience response.
Hong Kong's preliminary round takes place on the afternoon of August 9, behind closed doors. Five or six will make it through to the final contest later that night, and the winner will fly to London to compete in the world finals in October.
