Even if one does not drink, take drugs or succumb to a seizure, it's tricky to retain the particulars of an event such as The Pitch Ultra Music DJ Contest at NV. The intense strobe lights, the thunderous and rapid beats, the smoke and glitter pouring out of the ceiling, and the general overstimulation of all senses -- all of that makes for an awesome party.
But not one that's easy to write about afterward. But I do remember what's important.
I remember, for one, that it was fun as hell. You have not lived until you have surrounded yourself with the finest company in a swank dance club, mixing your own drink from a chilled bottle of Svedka, while all around you, people dance feverishly to the best DJs in Kansas City.
It started around 10 p.m., with our contestants Scott Carpenter, Jamel Rockwell, Kiko De Gallo, Shaun Duval and Kipsquared playing 30-minute sets, back to back, before a dance floor of hungry-hungry hipsters and a discerning panel of judges.
We handpicked these finalists last month, from more than 20 homespun mixes sent to The Pitch office.
Helping to judge this year's event were last year's champs: Sheppa and Johnny D. of the duo Nomathmatics. Joining them were ex-Kabal owner and talent booker Siamack Zahabi, Record Bar owner and renowned local rocker Steve Tulipana, plus Pitch staffer Nadia Pflaum and me. Huge thanks to all of them and to NV resident DJ Shaun Flo for being our ad hoc emcee and for ensuring that things ran smoothly -- and for the bottle of vodka.
In the end, after the final beats of the contest faded out, all but one of the judges voted for Duval. In the minority was Tulipana, who thought Rockwell had delivered the most interesting set. He had a good case, too.
Going second, Rockwell, who is the live DJ for rapper James Christos' True Spittaz Click, had driven the beats per minute to the near-blistering 150 mark and mixed two Nirvana tracks into his set, as if he wanted to turn the dance floor into a mosh pit.
Carpenter, who had gone first (the order having been chosen by a random drawing), had the smallest crowd. But the judges could just as easily have sided with him had his set been great. But instead, it was light on mixing and heavy on songs like CeCe Peniston's "Finally," which would go over great at Missie B's, but at this contest, eh, not so much.
De Gallo, a truly fine DJ born and bred in the clubs of his native Spain, played a solid but, I felt, conservative set. If he had taken more risks and thrown out more surprising and intense bangers, he might have edged out Duval. He's one of the most talented and eclectic DJs in town, but for this contest he packed too light.
The Turkish-born brothers Tunc and Timo Kip of the night's final act, Kipsquared, put on a set that was the most unusual if not the most roof-raising. Tunc and Timo set up their laptop-enabled rig (all the DJs used laptops) on a table at the end of the dance floor that was opposite the club's DJ booth. The move seemed to compact the dance floor, and bejeweled lamps on the DJs' table gave their set a lounge-within-a-club feel.
It was the first gig in Kansas City for these KU grads. And though the Kips' blend of spicy, trippy house music kept folks dancing, it didn't match the energy or the accessibility of Duval's.
It's tough to quantify what was so awesome about Duval's set. He just fucking nailed it. His mixing was solid, and his grasp of what his equipment was capable of and what the crowd wanted was so complete. The man is a total wizard of the decks. If you have a party coming up that you'd like to turn into a balls-out, flying-dragon, dance-until-you're-numb extravaganza, then I recommend you call Duval.
So it's with pride and pleasure that we present Duval with the rights to brag and two tickets to the Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Go forth and kick ass, Shaun.
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ok, it is saturday may 16th. i'll probably start playing music around let's say 10am for soundcheck.
feel free to stop by! i'm always down with a 12 hour set but it's a lot more entertaining to me to hear other people's selections - everyone invited!
Whatz good
Is there any where i can here the mixes that were entered for the contest?
hey ben, that sounds awesome!
thanks for reaching out. hit me up with any more info about that: mail(at)shaunduval.com.
That sounds good, too, Ben.
Thanks for offering! I'm always down to play with other dj's and have fun.
Jamel,
We can always do it at my regular Friday night gig at One80 (Westport). There, I play everything! and you can do the same. If we keep the same intensity than last Friday, it would be sick!
Kiko
kikodegallo@gmail.com
http://www.myspace.com/djkikod...
i volunteer at the crossroads infoshop at 3109 troost. we're working on putting something together for troostfest saturday may 15th.
our goal is to have music going inside the infoshop all day . . . you're all welcome to come down and play any time through the day/evening that you're available.
Apology accepted Ben. and just know the previous post is not my usual nature or personality. ya just gotta be careful when you tug on the tail of Hannibal's elephant in the middle of the Pyranees, nah mean? I'll certain check out your blog tho, Homey.
Also, to clarify about the choice of rigs, i used serato and turntables simultaneously, probably because i have yet to care about if i have a fully functioning spine by the time i become a grandfather. considering the overall style of music played that nite, tables are generally considered unnecessary, so in reality, there was no difference between 4 of the 5 dj's methods(and the kip brothers were on some space age shit i WISH i understood. it was like some binary shit goin on between them. nice job!). I'd be more concerned about gear if we were in the DMC'S or something(and that's something i probably will never be able to claim to have done).
NOW,
with all of that out of the way, we need to get an actual party goin with all the dj's involved instead of a competition. anyone got any ideas?
punched in the mouth, humiliated, and humbled. i already regret it, and i sincerely apologize to all involved, from the pitch down to those who've read/commented on all of this.
my frustrations got the better of me, and that's never cool.
Nice, Jeanee.
Rotary phone! That was cool.
I just think that we all try to push things in KC. Some are dj's all the way, other ones dj and produce, others produce and dj sometimes, other ones are great at promoting and networking, other ones play every week, other ones play once a month, etc.
There is no point on being mad at a competition or who wins or not, who enters or not, etc.
We all try to do our thing and put KC on the map!
Much love to all the KC dj's that show respect for each other. Ben, you are the first one that I know that doesn't and I can tell you that I know a lot of dj's in KC.
Shaun, Kipsquared, Jamel and Scott, it was nice to share the night making people dance at NV last Friday. Everybody did great. Shaun won and the decision was, totally, fair. I'm glad for him.
Love and be loved, hate and be hated.
I�ve been holding my tongue, but now I have to put my two cents in!
Oh Ben, Jamel just slapped you in the mouth!
I must agree with Jamel and my husband Shaun. The DJs in the competition can�t show all of their styles of music and tricks in a 30 min. set. And Kansas City isn�t the spot for all music and a dance scene. Believe me if it wasn�t for my awesome job Shaun and I wouldn�t be living in Kansas City! I just think that it�s wonderful that The Pitch holds this contest to give DJs exposure and TRY to expose the community to new and different music / styles of DJing.
Yes there are other well-known DJs in KC, but uhm� maybe they didn�t enter the contest. If you want to hear them compete go ahead and hold your own competition.
As far as records go... Shaun and our friend Kiko spins records. I�m sure the other DJs do too. Going digital is so much cheaper and you can get so much more music that isn�t available on vinyl. Records are freakin� heavy! I�m glad I no longer have to help carry them. New technology is the way. Do you still use a rotary phone?
Thanks to everyone who actually came to NV on Friday ^.^
~ Mrs. Shaun Duval
No offense to the fine dj's who played, and to the winner, but some of the best dj's in KC weren't at this event. That's not a slight to anyone who was, but there are sure as shit some names missing from what Harper calls the "best dj's in KC". That said, congrats again to Mr. Duval.
Would have been nice to see a dj with actual records, though.
ben,
thanks for your comments and opinion on the dj competion. while you do sound a little harsh coming from someone who didn't attend the dj competition, i think we can all agree that variety is the spice of life and that taste is subjective, especially in music. creative criticism is one thing, but c'mon bro, all that haterism just ain't called for.
i entered this competition because it allowed local talent to be showcased and recognized for doing something they love to do, hopefully opening some doors and dancefloors to their craft. no one believes this dj competition is intended to find "kansas city's bestest dj ever in the history of djing". i think most of the people who did attend the dj competition enjoyed all the performances, no matter who they were there to support. i for one was very impressed with what kipsquared did at the competition and they are two of the nicest dudes ever i've met, period.
as anyone who really knows me as a dj will tell you that i have a wide range of music that i spin, from soulful house to hip hop to downtempo to top40/urban to whatever. what you heard in my 45 minute submission mix (and missed last friday night) was one style of music that i personally enjoy, but doesn't define me as a dj.
some people thought that kipsquared should have won, some rockwell and some kiko. that's all good, we all won as far as i'm concerned. we got the chance to be seen, heard and validated for what we bring to kansas city's dance music culture.
so you keep doing you, ben. all the best to you in your dj career. i hope i can come check you out somewhere soon.
~shaun
Congrats to Shaun on an excellent set. i agree with jason, it was kinda like a perfect storm when he went on. special thanks to all the contestants for making a virtual stranger feel at home.
as for ben....
i guess a half-ass thank you is in order since u gave a half-ass compliment. player, you have no idea how deep my crates go, and it certainly would take more than a 30 min set or 48 min mix to give u the full scope of them, and im sure that goes the same for the rest of the contestants. i drop hits, period. could give a fuck what year they came out.
i was halfway tempted to put my playlist up here, but you know what? the game is to be sold, not to be told. i agree that there are problems with the club/dance scene: too many cats player-hatin' from the sideline like a bunch of wallflower douchbags. if u dont even attempt to support local dj's by scraping up a DOLLAR(wit' ya broke ass) to check them out, who really cares about your opinion of the community you're not a part of.
Please delete any mix u get of mine ben, you probably wouldnt understand it anyway. just remember what you said here in a year's time. ill commit myself to making sure you regret it.
Guerilla is the movement....
fair enough. sorry for being so harsh on everyone's good time. if you went to this and enjoyed it, more power to you.
as a resident of kansas city's dancefloors for the past 15 years, i wanted more soul in all of the mixes. that's why rockwell's got my vote out of the 5 submission mixes, and duvall's came in a distant second.
i hate to hear soul-less music of any kind perpetuated, especially by those who have the power of dj'ing. if it works for them/you though, i guess just keep on keeping on. i'll take my issues with it elsewhere.
best of luck to all involved in all their future endeavors.
@ben
dude, for reals? hahaha!!!
nice critique on an event you didn't even attend. spoken like a true hater. you sound foolish son. get over yourself.
Ben, once again, the contest was based on Friday's playlists. And your comments will always be based on assumptions because you weren't there to listen to any of them.
Btw, I doubt that anyone plays richie hawtin down at wmc. Please look through the latest charts, that name doesn't show up.
I'm sure everyone appreciates your feedback, but it's important to stick to the facts.
I'm sorry you weren't there to witness the contest, but if you are a dj, sounds like you will need to do some research first then need some luck to make it out there. It is clear that Shaun already had done his and did a great job on Friday.
Apparently ben is interested in the contest because he just spent two and a half minutes writing an essay on a blog about the contest. where is your tracklist if your so great at it : at least that is what it sounds like. right? am i wrong. walk tall with a big stick - your going to need it.
no i was absolutely not at this contest, and if you were, i would have to guess it was a waste of two and a half hours of your life. based on the original five mixes, there was no reason to have attended this, as they were so stuck in the past, it was more than the ridiculousness as i've come to expect from just about anyone who identifies themselves with the kansas city "dance" scene.
do you all not understand that the rest of the world has continued on without us? really?
pat nice was playing down at bar natasha, that would have been one otherwise worthwhile event to have attended than this.
i give rockwell credit in that his selection was somewhat more inventive on his submission mix, and it sounds like his final mix followed suit . . . everyone else, i really can't believe there was not a single better even hiphop dj in this whole city than what was selected as a finalist for this competition. i hope the links are still available for perusal and reflection after the fact.
i will say i held on to those mixes long enough to play them for others mockingly and then deleted them straight away. they were terrible, beyond belief.
pitch, you asked for feedback, and here it is.
i challenge any/all of these djs to post their tracklists on this message. let's see what they played.
i'd love to see how any of these kc djs stack up to, let's say, a villalobos (never played here), hawtin (never played here), martyn (never played here), or hell, even a music journalist like philip sherburne (never played here) . . . the list goes on and this blog doesn't have the bandwidth enough to contain the google searches for the required artists' names therewithin.
good luck shaun duvall - you're going to need it.
i'm proud of the people in this city who do more than this, beyond just "good enough". once again.
this - wasn't it.
Ben, did you watch the contest on Friday? just fyi the contest was based on Friday's performances.
i have a feeling that, based on the submission mixes, anyone who was anyone was not at this contest.
thankfully, the pitch is helping carry on that tradition for kansas city at WMC.
good job to tulipana as rockwell was my vote also, based on the original mixes. i wouldn't be caught dead in this club, listening to these djs, or, in reality, reading this paper if this is the current state of delusion it happens to be in.
kansas city, you never fail to disappoint.
now, i guess, it's up to the moderators to approve this message. we'll see if that happens.
you guys are too polite kipsquared, i agree with mandy, the decision was announced not even 5 min. after the set was over. to me it just seems that people were a little shocked at how well kipsquared really did and frankly if they were going to lose to anyone, it should have been kiko. regardless of how biased the decision was, congratulations shaun duval and know that you've got some serious competition.
All the DJs put on exciting performances, and we especially congratulate Shaun Duval on his unmatched performance which brought him success. You well deserved it Shaun.
We were already happy to be considered as competition to the other seasoned finalists and we hope that our sound matched everyone's expectation.
Thank you Pitch for organizing a pioneering event like this and allowing kipsquared to be a part of it. Also, thanks to everyone that came out to support us, we got our energy from you guys.
Congrats again Shaun! We have no doubt that you'll represent KC in the best way possible.
I think Kipsquared did an amazing job. The pitch seemed to write an good article about them, but the heat was amazing. I think they were totally underestimated and totally took it to the house. Unfortunately, it seems that the decision was made before their set was even over. Look out, they will be back I have a feeling. Woop Woop boys!!!
wow, i gotta say 'thank you' to the pitch, all the judges, club nv, the shauntourage and the other awesome finalists who all rocked the house. i am truly grateful for all the support i've received here in kansas city. this was my first ever dj competition and the first time i will attend wmc in miami. so keep on supporting your local djs and i'll see on the dancefloor!!!
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