Founded in London way back in the early ‘80s – right about the time when acid house had made its way into the British mainstream – was the world’s first remix/ turntable competition known as the DMC World DJ Championship. Through the years and the evolution of turntablism, DMC has played a pivotal role in developing a new breed of DJs.
In ’88 the DMCs landed on Australian shores for the first time; since then it has launched the careers of a long list of DJs. This year Coniston Lane is the stage for the DMC Queensland Final where a new champ will be crowned and flown to the national final in Melbourne later this month. The Australian champ will then rep the Green and Gold at the World Champs in London this October.
Three-time entrant and three-time Queensland champion (yeah, that’s 100 percent success rate) is DJ Katch – the hip hop veteran of Brisbane and Resin Dogs mainstay. Katch will be hosting this year’s Queensland Final as well as showcasing his undeniable skills to a new crop of turntablists. “There's always been a core group of dedicated people that have always been involved in the Brisbane hip hop scene,” Katch says.
“It was solid and it was people who actually cared and were passionate about the hip hop; it wasn't the bullshit like getting high or drunk and acting like rampaging lunatics.”
In ’96 Katch and Dave Atkins (who would later drum for Wolfmother) started a loose hip hop collective – a cut and paste sample act that use live drums and bass and hip hop plus hip hop samplers to create a fusion of mind-busting sounds – called Resin Dogs who ended up playing every major Australian music festival, signing to a major (Virgin/ EMI) and successfully running Hydrofunk Records, their own hip hop label.
“Initially it was just me and Dave, we used it to put out the first Resin Dogs stuff,” Katch says about his days doing Hydrofunk. “Though before that I was using Hydrofunk at parties and clubs and putting on my own nights. I’d have acts from Sydney and international acts and then, eventually, we built it to where it was a record label… It's sort of a production house; a record company, a booking agency.”
Since his days as a DMC champ a lot has changed. “There's a difference between the Brisbane rap scene and the Brisbane hip hop scene,” Katch says. “A lot of people say they are hip hop when they are actually doing rap or something else, without realising that hip hop is the actual culture of it all.”
With the resume that Katch has crafted, he’s an ideal candidate to spot new talent. “I'm always looking to sign someone if they are really good,” Katch says. “I look for original stuff that is outside the box and doesn’t try to copy everyone else.”
For those first timers attending a DMC event, Katch says you should wear rubber-soled shoes for your own safety. “There's usually about eight competitors going head-to-head in seven minute rounds, then there is a break in-between. Everyone gets to do their seven minutes. That’s what it comes down to; whether it's mixing records or scratching up or just doing some incredibly insane shit on the decks, that’s your time to show up.”
DMC Heats
VIC – Saturday 2nd August @ The Laundry BarNSW – Thursday 7th August @ Play Bar
ACT – Friday 8th August @ Transit Bar
QLD – Friday 15th August @ Coniston Lane
SA - Saturday 23rd August @ Soundpond.net Bar
WA - Sunday 24th August @ Ya Ya's
