By Stas Forte, Music Subeditor
This Saturday, Thekla will host the UK Final of the DMC World DJ Championships, as the country’s finest turntablists go head-to-head after battling through hundreds of entries for the chance to represent the UK at the World Finals in London. Hosted by 1989 World Champion Cutmaster Swift and Sarah Love, four decades of turntablist history will take over one of Bristol’s most iconic music venues.
DMC first brought the art of turntablism to the public eye in 1985, providing a platform for top DJs to showcase their intricate beat-juggling skills and exhilarating scratching routines. Its previous champions includes legends of the underground music scene, such as Cutmaster Swift, Chad Jackson, DJ Pogo, Mr Switch, and Plus One of Scratch Perverts.
Turntablism had been developing throughout the 1970s, pioneered in the New York Hip-Hop scene by DJs like Kool Herc, Grand Wizard Theodore, and Afrika Bambaataa, who began using direct-drive turntables such as the Technics SL-1200 as instruments to extend breakbeats and scratch. It was a revolution in the art of mixing, setting apart DJs who simply mixed one record into another (sorry Bristol bedroom DJs), and those who transformed two or more tracks into an entirely new piece of music.
Roger Johnson’s groundbreaking set saw him crowned the first UK and World Champion in 1985, setting a precedent for the generations of turntablists that followed. Winning the DMC World Championship places a DJ in a lineage of artists who have pushed the technical and creative limits of turntablism, with the final serving as the ultimate test of skill and originality.
For this year's competitors, winning in Bristol means earning the chance to represent the UK on the world stage at the DMC World Finals in London this November.
Bristol’s trip-hop roots, its role in the development of British dance music, and the thriving scene it still boasts today, provide the perfect backdrop for celebrating underground music culture. Since the 1970s, areas like St Pauls and Easton have filled the streets of Bristol with music, bringing turntablism and Caribbean soundsystem culture to the UK - a legacy still celebrated today through the legendary St Paul's Carnival.
It comes as no surprise then, that Thekla joins the roster of venues to host the UK final, having previously taken place at some of the UK's most renowned venues, such as Shepherd's Bush Empire, Hammersmith Apollo, and Boomtown Festival.
Silvie Baker
Since 1984, Thekla has been a home for musical experimentation, hosting early performances from Massive Attack, Portishead and Roni Size. The DMC final is therefore a natural addition to Thekla’s long-standing reputation as a cornerstone of Bristol’s underground music scene.
So, how do you actually judge DJing?
The competition is split into three categories:
- Classic - polished six-minute routines built around technical skill, musicality and showmanship.
- Scratch - 16-bar displays of turntablist technique, with precision and creativity at the forefront.
- Supremacy - head-to-head knockout battles, putting DJs against each other in direct competition.
The most impressive routines go beyond technical precision, using the turntables in unexpected ways. Cutmaster Swift famously used his face to scratch and mix during his phenomenal winning set in 1989, setting himself apart from the competition with his imaginative performance.
No doubt, the room will be packed with talent this Saturday. Amongst the lineup, DJ Rasp is one to watch, competing across all three categories: Classic and Scratch before facing Statik in an electrifying head-to-head Supremacy battle. Tommy P Nuts is also doubling up, competing in Classic and Scratch. Having beaten hundreds of competitors to get to this stage, the full lineup: DJ Rasp, Huw Wackman, Mr Big Mouth, Revrt, Scratch Master Slider, Simon T, Tommy P Nuts, DJ JTL, Felix The Kut, Kutclass and Statik, will have plenty to prove.
The DJs will be judged by an equally impressive panel: 1989 World Champion Cutmaster Swift; former UK Finals winner and Radio 1Xtra DJ Blakely; the genre-bending Quest; Nik Nak; and veteran club DJ, radio broadcaster and journalist Sarah Love.
Between the battles, Mr Thing, Sarah Love, and the rest of the showcase lineup will be keeping the dancefloor grooving. Scratch Café Bristol, the UK’s leading scratch community, will take over Room 2, putting Bristol’s existing DJ community at the heart of the event.
The competition will take place from 5-11pm on Saturday 12th of September, and tickets are available now on Skiddle.
With the World Championship heading to KOKO Camden this November, Saturday’s final is a chance to catch some of the UK’s best turntablists before they take on the world, and witness an important moment in Bristol's music history!
Featured image: DJ Rafik / Sliding Doors Publicity
Will you be heading down to Thekla for the DMC UK Final?
