Wanting to bring back Thursdays as the best bar hopping night of the week, Downtown Brewing Company hopes to draw in a crowd as they kick off the first round of their month-long Central Coast DJ Competition tonight. In a bracket-style contest, two DJs will face off every Thursday from now until Nov. 19, battling to win $2,500 and the chance to be Downtown Brew’s “resident” DJ for the next year.
DJs will be judged by anonymous in-house judges and a crowd ballot that will run from 12:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. The DJ with the highest total votes will move up in the bracket.
Monte Schaller, Downtown Brew’s event coordinator and promotions manager, said that after receiving a hefty stack of 50 applications, the managers thought about adding more DJs to the competition than originally planned. They decided to stick with having only eight DJs for this year’s contest. The eight chosen were picked to compete based on their distinct mixing skills.
“We’ve got video DJs mixed in there; we’ve got people who mix in punk rock or reggae. There’s a huge spectrum. It’s going to be really interesting because they’re definitely not all cookie-cutters,” Schaller said.
The battle will begin at 10:45 p.m. tonight between DJ Donk and DJ Slick. Take a look at the DJs scheduled to play over the next month.
DJ Donk (The Local)
Twenty-one year old San Luis Obispo native, DJ Donk has been mixing since he bought used turntables when he was 15 years old. Soon after he experimented with DJing, he joined a local hip hop group called the 40oz Freaks and performed with big-name artists like E-40 and Jedi Mind Tricks. After hearing about the DJ competition, Donk turned in his application with the hopes of networking with other DJs.
“I’m not motivated by the prizes, but more the opportunity to connect with new people and work with other professional DJs,” he said. Pumped for the contest, DJ Donk can’t wait to start spinning tracks to win over the crowd. “I have no doubt that I can keep them entertained.”
DJ Slick (The Artist)
This San Diego graffiti artist can be heard mixing beats on Wild 106.1 and found on Wednesday and Friday nights turning tables at The Graduate in San Luis Obispo. DJ Slick got into mixing tracks at underground raves in Southern California at a young age.
“As a Graffiti artist, hip hop culture was a part of my lifestyle, so I guess you can say the love of the arts inspired me at a young age to pursue my musical branch,” he said. “Turntables and a mixer became my new paint and canvas.”
Inspired by pioneer hip-hop DJ Grandmaster Flash, Slick “almost passed out” when he got to meet the legend in San Diego. This DJ veteran of 14 years is going into the competition to inspire other DJs to “‘dig’ the crates” to find songs they normally wouldn’t play and have fun with the crowd. Slick can’t wait to pump up the crowd with another DJ. “I’m actually excited to share the stage with my boy Dj Donk,” Slick said. DJ Slick and DJ Donk will be battling tonight at 10:45 p.m.
The Beat Freakz (Dynamic Duo)
DJ Tommy Gunz and DJ Swift have teamed up to create The Beat Freakz, a set of cousins who have been turning tables together for almost eight years.
“When we spin together there’s little verbal communication between us. I know where he’s goin’ and vice versa. We just get in the zone and put it down and have a good time while were doin’ it,” Swift said.
This duo gets their most recent music mixing inspiration from Italian DJ artist Gigi Barocco, who Tommy Gunz says is “puttin’ it down dirty.” Though they’re competing to become local DJs, these cousins hope their music will take them overseas.
“Our goal is to play in Asia in 2010. It’d be dope to play anywhere over there. They get down and the clubs are hype,” DJ Tommy Gunz said. The Beat Freakz will go head to head against DJ Tony A on Oct. 15.
DJ Tony A (The Outsider)
After relocating from San Diego, DJ Tony A recently opened Pierside Seafood Restaurant in Pismo Beach. He took a break from DJing after mixing beats for 10 years but decided to get back into the groove when he moved to the Central Coast. He says he’s very versatile in his music selection and will “play whatever gets the dance floor going.” Tony A may be new to the area, but he’s confident in his DJing abilities.
“I know I’m going against some heavy hitters,” he said. “I think I definitely have what it takes to win it.”
DJ Sol (The City Slicker)
Originally from Los Angeles, 24-year-old DJ Sol now spins tracks at Native Lounge in San Luis Obispo. Sol draws inspiration from DJ Spryte, a Hollywood DJ. “He always puts on a good show and he is a super humble guy,” Sol said. Also influenced by the sounds of Dr. Dre and DJ Quik, Sol tries to keep the crowd on their feet.
“I try to incorporate quick mixing, lots of tricks, scratching, loops, smooth transitions and I incorporate a variety of music from all sorts of genres. I try to think of the next four or five songs that I am going to play to make it a smooth transition,” he said.
DJ Katchafiya- (The Rastafarian)
Voted as runner-up for best DJ on the central coast by New Times, DJ Katchafiya blends reggae beats with other music genres like hip hop and rock. Inspired by reggae king Bob Marley, Katchafiya’s mixes pay tribute to Jamaica, the foundation of reggae music. He has opened for Bob Marley’s son, Stephen Marley, roots-reggae band Steele Pulse and Jamaican-born Don Carlos. Katchafiya can also be found spinning at local spots such as Farmer’s Market, local cafes, and school events. DJ Sol and DJ Katchafiya will be competing Oct. 22.
DJ C.flo (The Video DJ)
As Mother’s Tavern and Native Lounge DJ resident, DJ C.flo may get to add Downtown Brew to his list of residencies after this competition is over. Coming all the way from Oregon, C.flo brings a whole new element to his music by adding music video clips to go along with his mixes. Online he has received more than two million views on his video remixes. Inspired by the Baka Boyz Hip-Hop Master Mix radio show, he was voted number one club DJ in the New Times Best of SLO 2009 edition. While C.flo enjoys the competitive part of the contest, he has dollar signs in his eyes.
“I’m in it for the $2,500. That’s a chunk of change I can’t not try for,” he said.
DJ Oso Mighty (The House Party DJ)
Starting his DJ career at high school parties in southern California, DJ Oso Mighty has brought his mixing skills to the clubs and bars of central California. Oso Mighty is part of an alliance of DJs called the Mixaholics. Coming from a family of musicians, Oso Mighty considers music a lifestyle rather than a hobby. Find him at Downtown Brew Thursday, Oct. 19 battling DJ C.flo.
Lineup
Oct. 8 – DJ Slick vs. DJ Donk
Oct. 15 – The Beat Freakz vs. DJ Tony A
Oct. 22 – DJ Katchafiya vs. DJ Sol
Oct. 29 – DJ C.flo vs. DJ Oso Mighty