Eight of Phoenix's most premier DJs are gonna to fire up their laptops and fire off their pimpest remixes at the Venue Scottsdale tonight for both the enjoyment of the crowd and the benefit of the judges in what's sure to be a dope-ass donnybrook. Each participant gets a 15-minute party-rocking set and get the audience on their side with only three songs and some grandiose mixing skills at their disposal.
The cat who's chosen as the winner will head to the Thre3Style national finals later this year for a chance at fortune and glory, much like last year's local champ D-JR (who's since moved on to some major gigs in L.A.)
And it's kind of a good thing that D-JR's gone, as it leaves plenty of his brethren (including several selectas who were runners-up last year) to get their own moment in the sun.
Who's our pick to win? Read on.
DJ Circle
Claim to Fame: Club DJ extraordinaire
Genres Spun: Pretty much hip-hop, house, and electro.
Seen At: Zuma Grill, Suede, Axis/Radius
Specialty: "Being able to just kinda read a crowd and play what you think they want to hear."
Odds: 1-20
Why He Might Win: DJ Circle has surprised us with what he can pull out of his repertoire and song list over the years, so who knows what he'll come up with tonight.
DJ M2
Claim to Fame: Power 98.3 Personality, Groove Candy Host, Mixtape Pimp
Genres Spun: Neo-soul, reggae, funk, classics, old school, and Top 40.
Seen At: Disco, Bar Smith, Stoudemire's, Majerle's, Sky Lounge, PHX Nightclub, Axis/Radius, Suede, Myst, Dirty Pretty
Specialty: "I can cut a sound, cut a record, and can go in and rock the crowd and make people have a good time. I like taking them on journeys and trips that they weren't even thinking about going on."
Odds: 4-1
Why He Might Win: Tune into M2's daily shifts on Power 98.3 (or download any of his mixtapes) and get an earful at his staggering selecta skills, beat-matching abilities, and even a little of scratching acumen.
DJ Astonish
Claim to Fame: Member of the Versatile DJ crew
Genres Spun: Hip-hop, Top 40, neo-soul, old school, remixes
Seen At: ACME, Hidden House, Bar Smith, Lost Leaf
Specialty: "Making crowds move with his electrifying style," and "[Taking] his music knowledge and transforming any party to a night you'll never forget."
Odds: 3-4
Why He Might Win: He might just impress the judges with both killer cuts and supreme scratching talents.
DJ Epidemic
Claim to Fame: Silver Medallion's Official DJ
Genres Spun: "I use a lot of B'More, Kuduro, Baile funk, disco, or 80s 12-inch cuts. I also like Miami bass, anything with heavy bass and backbeat, or anything that's Latin or African-influenced with its rhythms."
Seen At: Homme, Bar Smith, GLAM, Fat Tuesdays
Specialty: Electro party rock and masterful mixing
Odds: 3-5
Why He Might Win: Joel Davis (a.k.a. Epidemic) has been hyping up crowds for his entire career, either through his gigs at popular hipster/electro dance nights or touring with Silver Medallion. He also knows a thing or two about how to put a song together, as evidenced by his remixes of indie and pop.
Pickster One
Claim to Fame: Globe-trotting turntablism titan
Specialty: Turntable tricks, scratching, remixes
Genres Spun: Everything
Seen At: Yucca Tap Room, Hollywood Alley, Club Red, Bar Smith, Rocky Point Cantina, Pita Jungle
Odds: 10-1
Why He Might Win: Dusty Hickman (a.k.a. Pickster) is an absolute Jedi when it comes to the decks. His knowledge of music is staggering, his mixes divine. He's already toured and traveled far and wide spreading his genius and is most definitely the odds-on favorite.
Death to the Throne
Claim to Fame: Remixes lauded by Rolling Stone, Spin, Vibe, and the blogosphere
Genres spun: Electro, indie, pop, Top 40
Specialty: Transforming indie rock and pop songs into mixes of sonic gold.
Odds: 3-2
Why He Might Win: When he isn't at his regular job dealing with danceterias in Old Town Scottsdale, DTTT is at home crafting his wicked-sounding bootleg electro and disco-punk remixes his favorite songs. We're expecting him to rock the best of both worlds tonight, crafting a mix that will electrify the audience.