Punks Jump up to get Beatdown!

The Allies All-Star Beatdown is now in its third edition, and after gracing London’s fabric with last year’s European Finals, they were back again this time with the World Finals and what promised to be a hell of a show. I spent most of the afternoon holed up inside fabric talking to the contestants and the showcasing DJs (check the interviews), and witnessing Tony Vegas running around trying to get everything sorted. And with the size of the venue and the planned showcases it was turning out to be a bit of a nightmare for Tony. Still everything was in place and ready to go by the time we showed up at the door around 10. As people were packing to get in, the venue was slowly filling up, finally reaching critical mass by the time the Beatdown was to start.

Now DJ tournaments can get a bit tedious, as anyone who ever spent most of their weekend holed up inside a DMC venue can tell you. And this is where the Allies manage to refresh the concept by putting their competition in a club venue, where there is something else to do then just getting pissed and waiting for the next contender to come on. Another thing that separates the Beatdown from other tournaments is their prize. Since its inception they have made a point of not following the trend of giving away sponsor prizes, which generally are not that useful to the DJs. Instead they give out a cash prize and having spoken to a few DJs about it, it is indeed another factor that makes this a competition like no other. So the Beatdown isn’t just about the competition and the DJs, which is a refreshing change, as the emphasis is more on the DJ and the culture as a whole, with one room showcasing the best in drum n bass, courtesy of Roni Size and the Full Cycle crew. Another room was given to Pogo and Bizniss who set up yet another novel idea for a competition: a band vs DJ battle, and enough funk and classic breaks to keep heads bobbing all night. And the last room was home to the competition, preceded by sets from Blakey and the Perverts and followed by a Killa Kela performance and a set by Craze. On top of that the main room was provided with some much needed quality visuals courtesy of Unorthodox Styles (something other comps should maybe think about). So already you know that you are going to be in for a good night, and as always with the Beatdown, the competition isn’t the only reason why most people go there. Others should pay attention!

So it was all setup to be a blinding night of entertainment and fun for all. Blakey’s opening set in the main room was as good as you’d expect it to be, as he cut and mixed his way through all the club classics and some nice party bangers. Showing the skills that have earned him his titles, and showing he is as much of a dope party DJ as a dope technician. The visuals mixed very nicely with his set, sometimes even nearly synced with the music. Over in the dnb room, things were already hotting up by the time we got in, with D-Product and Surge at the controls. They were playing some serious dancefloor action with loads of dubs and party classics from the Full Cycle camp. This went on till about 11.30 when Craze came on and started cutting and scratching on alongside them. Then it was on for a half hour Craze set. He started by showing how hip-hop and dnb should be played together. Switching seamlessly between both genres, as the crowd was dancing and shouting for more, and then going on to play a heavy set of full-on dnb mayhem to an overly ecstatic crowd who couldn’t have asked for more. Meanwhile the Perverts were playing a funk set in the third room and then were back in the main room before the competition started. Plus One was warming up the crowd, going through some classics and then switching to some more dnb while the room was filling to full capacity.

As the clock reached midnight Infamous rolled on stage and we were treated to a little movie of last year’s finals and this year’s qualifications. After that it was on for the night’s unexpected one-man show: Infamous pissed out of his head! After explaining he shouldn’t be on stage because of his drunkenness, he introduced Kodh and Troubl who were doing a showcase. Only problem is he called Troubl, Netic. Not once, not twice but four times, before Troubl had to tell him in his ear. It was a classic moment, and not the last one of the night. Kodh and Troubl were as dope as you would expect them to be. After their DMC showcase, this once again only served to reinforce how good these guys are. They went back to back, each doing a small routine, with some amazing cuts and juggles and some of the most interesting samples and breaks I’ve heard in a while.

And then the show finally started. Bizniss was on hand alongside Infamous, wearing a Union Flag top complete with shining dookie gold rope, that would have made any b-boy proud. As the first DJs were setting up, and taking longer then they should have, Infamous was trying to start the competition no matter what. After shouting that it had started a few times and having a drunken rant, it finally went off. The first round was between Vajra from the States and Jifrock from Japan. Jifrock’s routines were good and really put him in a good light but Vajra was having some problems with the set-up, which ended hindering his routine. Without this technical problems many agree that Vajra could have taken Jifrock on, but it wasn't to be. The Japanese DJs really impressed on the night, both getting to the semis and putting together some funky routines, and quality disses. So Vajra out and Jifrock through, and then the main problem of the night started.

Another main difference between the Beatdown and other comps is that the contestants are allowed their own mixer, which is alright if all goes well technically but unfortunately the setup backfired and the night dragged on for an extra two hours due to the mixer problems. This really was the only let down of the night, which would have been allright if the venue wasn’t so packed. You couldn’t actually get into any of the other rooms by the time the competition had got started and so we ended up in the main room for most of the night unable to see much of what else was going on (but I’m told most of it was pretty dope too, especially the band/DJ battle).

Anyway, mixer problems aside the competition followed on. Infamous seemed to get more drunk every time he hit the stage. He referred to Japan as the land of sushi on a few occasions, getting the sushi lovers in the crowd to cheer them on. Him and Bizniss were on top form as usual, playing off each other and keeping the crowd entertained while people were running around trying to fix the goddamn mixers. Second round had this year’s favourite Tigerstyle facing up to Germany’s Rafik. Both had good sets, with Tigerstyle edging it unsurprisingly, but Rafik was still very impressive, and showed he had a lot of potential (look out for more on him and his crew soon). By this point you could already see that this really was a DJ battle in the truer sense of the term. Back to the old days of attitude, finger waiving and dissing routines. Even if the contestants hugged each other after the bouts, much to the dismay of Infamous (‘kissing and hugging has no place in a DJ Battle, mother fuckers!!’), they all still came on stage with a lot of attitude, energy and wanting to win, which is what a battle should be all about. Round three saw Japan’s DJ-Shun beat London’s Daredevil. Daredevil wasn’t so much on the battling tip as Shun and I suspect that lost him the battle as the Japanese DJ came out full force, ending his routine miming his disses in English and throwing his arms about! Still Daredevil was tighter then Shun, but it looked like it was the Japanese’s night and they weren’t going to be denied. Last round was an all American affair between Cico and I-Emerge (the other favourite). The battle started and I-Emerge unsurprisingly took the round, with some stupidly fast juggles and good old ‘you can’t scratch’ disses. Cico did put up a decent fight with some tight juggles of his own.

Before the semis, we were treated to Bizniss doing a teapot dance! He played the teapot song and got the crowd to sing with him as he danced like a teapot. It was funny, but really has me wondering what they are going to come up with next to keep people entertained. Last year’s Elvis impersonations were by far their funniest stunt and one of the most memorable competitions moment.

The first semi had Tigerstyle versus Jifrock. Jifrock wasn’t so technical and much more battle minded, with some of his scratches and juggles not really falling on point. Which Tigerstyle took advantage of by responding with some tight routines, packing loads of attitude and finger waiving and taking him to the final. I-Emerge managed to also dust off DJ-Shun without too many problems. It’s hard to defeat someone like Merge who juggles so fast and still manages to pack in technical skills and loads of disses. Shun did do his best, and I must admit seeing non-English speaking Japanese DJs dissing people is quality and shows that they were embracing the spirit of the event to its fullest. I personally think they deserved to get to the semis and I’m glad they did as their scene needs the attention and it shows how far they have come in the last few years.

And after more delays, mixer issues and bad jokes between Infamous and Bizniss (about Infamous’ sexual habits) it was on for the final, which was shaping up to be mighty interesting. Tigerstyle was hot on his DMC and ITF wins and I-Emerge is known for being one of the best and doppest battle DJs and so if anyone could give Tigerstyle a run for his money it was going to be him. Both were hyped and wanting the cash prize. Tigerstyle went first with a really strong routine and you could tell by the look in his eyes he wanted to win. And sure enough Merge came back at him full force, making the last round the decider as both were showing enough skills to earn the title. Tigerstyle did good again, finishing with a Pitman diss, but I thought that if Merge came out with the same styles he had all night he could have won it. And it started well, as he got in a ‘you like my style’ juggle, switching it to ‘you like my tigerstyle’, and the crowd went nuts! I thought he was going on to win it. But then a minute or so later half way through one of his stupidly fast juggles he stopped claiming there was some technical problem. They let him go again but by that point he lost the flow and didn’t deserve to win. So Tigerstyle got it, but Merge had him beaten by the looks of it. Should make for an interesting encounter when they meet up again at the ITF world finals.

Before the results, we got the chance to witness one of the UK’s most promising talents: The Spit Kingdom crew. Composed of the Mixologists, Kela and MC Trip they put on a show that really was the highlight of the night. The Mixologists started the show with some tight mixing, and then as Kela and Trip came on stage they turned into a band, each of them taking control of one aspect of the music. They started with a routine based around ‘Morning Light’ by Concord Dawn. As the Mixologists brought the tune in, Kela added some beats to it as only he knows and then took over the song as the Mixologists distorted bass and synths to create a new interpretation of it! Just plain dope. They went on for about 15 mins, showing why Kela really deserves to be considered one of the best, if not the best, beatboxers in the world. Him and Trip did some amazing routines, including a little jungle ragga routine as Trip freestyled over Kela’s beats. All in all they really put on a quality show, which helped make up for the technical problems during the comp. So there you have it. I really think that the Allies are showing the way forward in terms of DJ competitions and how they should be put together. They might have had some technical problems but the whole event had a really good feel to it and from talking to some of the contestants I think its fair to say that in a few years the Beatdown might become the DJ battle by excellence. After all its spirit lies in the old NMS battles and in this sense the Beatown possesses a lot of the elements of these early battles and manages to make it relevant again for a whole new generation of DJs and spectators. Next stop is the ITF!

Interview with artists and showcasers from the Beatdown can be found in our interview archive including chats with Infamous, Blakey & Beni G, Pogo & Bizniss and Shun & Jif Rock.

Thanks to Melissa @ fabric for the hook-up. Check the fabric site for more info on the club. All Beatdown photos are by Ella Cooper.

2003 was unfortunately the last year the Beatdown was held due to internal problems between the organisers. 2004 saw fabric host the Scratch Perverts' Beatdown which wasn't a battle but one massive rave and the best event of 2004. You can check a review of that event in our live events archive and an interview with Tony Vegas of the Scratch Perverts which was done prior to the 2004 Beatdown and which will shed some light on why the battle hasn't happened this year but which also covers the Perverts' forthcoming album and the best night of the year!