The 2020 Australian DMC DJ Champion is Victoria's DJ Wallzee, now a two-time Australian DMC DJ Champion after successfully defending his 2019 crown.
No doubt, 2020 proved to be a challenging year but by pivoting to a digital format it opened the competition up to a host of new turnatablists from all corners of the country.A competitive elimination round whittled contestants down to the final 10; DJ D (NSW) took the endorsement deal from Pioneer DJ Australia. Fourth place went to Max Best (TAS); third place was a tie with Yoshidog (QLD) and Ole Mate from Pirie (SA); second place was awarded to J Red (VIC) and the overall winner was Wallzee (VIC).
We catch up with the champ to get his thoughts about the 2020 competition and what'd he cook us if we were coming over for dinner.
Given COVID and the social restrictions what are your thoughts on how it was all presented online this year?
I personally prefer live battles, but doing it all online via video submission has its pros and cons. The stream however was one of the best streams of all the national competitions this year.
Time for a quick shout-out to the prizes you've won this year; what did you think of the goodies you scored? What are your thoughts on the new Technics decks and the new Pioneer mixer?
The mixer and turntables are still en route. I'm stoked just to get the trophy and bragging rights to be honest.
You're now part of the field for the World DMC DJ Championships; how confident are you that you can place in the Top 3 globally?
Anything can happen at worlds, especially with the format change this year. I think I'm still fairly green as far as the world scene is concerned but I'll be making some noise.
2021; can the Australian DJ-scratching community expect to see Wallzee go for a third straight title?
One hundred per cent without a doubt!
Do you see yourself still DJ battling in 5-10 years, or are there other creative outlets you want to pursue?
More than likely, we'll see how I rank in the next couple of years.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why?
Toronto. It's been on my bucket list for a long time. Snow/ ice hockey/ basketball is a winning combo in my books.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party?
Dimebag Darrell (lead guitarist of Pantera, my number one musical influence. R.I.P). Larry Bird (Celtics legend, competent drinker) and Grandmaster Roc Raida (X-Executioners, the first tablist I watched when I started that made me want to battle. R.I.P).
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us?
My pesto ravioli; it gets the job done.
The last time you saw the inside of a gym?
Five years ago.
What's the one chore you dislike the most?
Cleaning the fridge.
Do you have any phobias?
Magpies. I got swooped as a kid and I've hated them ever since.
