What’s the concept behind the Wax Wars turntablist battles? How do they work?
The concept centres around turntable battles with a difference: two contestants compete on two separate DJ rigs, each with twoTechnics 1200 turntables and a Rane 62 mixer. A GoPro camera and projector screen the footage of their routines live on the wall behind the DJs giving the whole crowd a front row view of the turntablist styles, juggling, wordplay, dissing and scratching techniques up close and personal.
The event runs over seven weeks – six heats and two finals, running weekly until the finals on Friday December 19, witheach heat consisting of three rounds of two minutes per DJ, with a total of eight DJs entering the comp. Wax Wars will be hosted byMCs Nick Knowledge and FBi Radio’s Stolen Records host, Shantan Wantan Ichiban. The MCs introduce each competitor and hype the crowd after each round to decide the winner.
What makes a champion turntablist – is it more about selection or skills?
Razor-sharp juggles, clean cuts, precise wordplay, quick mixing, body tricks and dope tune and sample selection make a turntablist stand out from the standard disc jockey – but it’s playing the turntable like it is an instrument that sets them apart.
With the spread of DJing technology, has the art of spinning wax been left behind?
Not at all. With Serato and Traktor and especially the Rane 62 and DJM-T1 mixer and a good set of Technics turntables, if anything it has allowed for more freedom and expression, and this is why the art form is making a huge comeback. You will see turntablists in the comp using Serato on wax and also just straight-up, good old black gold vinyl.
You’ve been directly involved in the record industry for years. What is it about wax that turns you on?
Working at the record store for nine years and amassing a wax collection of over 5,000 records, you can imagine I am a huge vinyl addict. Wax is so tactile and it’s much more precise for cutting and doesn’t have any digital lag, plus it’s also much better sound quality as it’s recorded as a continuous wave, giving you many more frequencies and a heavier bottom end – and it’s just plain louder!
How strong is the Sydney scene at the moment? Where will it be in five years’ time?
The turntablist community in Sydney is thriving and there is a bunch of the next crop talent coming up through the ranks. Sydney and the Blue Mountains have a strong beatmaking community and the two things tend to go hand-in-hand, with a lot of the beatmakers generally also talented turntablists.
Wax Wars with MCs Nick Knowledge and Shantan Wantan Ichiban atPlay BarEvery Friday until December 19.
