Shure's Vinyl Kombat Crowns It's First National Champion

Illtraxx Takes Top Prize In New DJ Battle's Championship Round

 

Shure Incorporated recently announced that Illtraxx is the first national champion of Vinyl Kombat, the microphone manufacturer's new U.S. DJ battle. The national finals were held earlier in September at the House of Blues in Las Vegas.

 

"Our congratulations go out to Illtraxx and all of the regional winners who competed in our first-ever Vinyl Kombat," said Bill Oakley, Marketing Specialist/Phonograph Product Manager for Shure. "We were really thrilled with the energy, intensity and level of competition at each event, and the great response from the fans. Everyone had a really good time."

 

The eight regional winners were:

  • Los Angeles, CA: Quixotic (Trooperz) from Los Angeles
  • Boulder, CO: DJ Skwint (Platter Pirates) from Fairfield, IA
  • Austin, TX: Kico (Platter Pirates) from San Antonio, TX
  • New York, NY: I-Dee (Trooperz/VA All-Stars) from Fairfax VA
  • Washington, DC: Marcus (Addicts/VA All-Stars) from Amherst, MA
  • San Francisco: Illtraxx (Evolution DJs) from San Jose, CA
  • Seattle, WA: DJ Tre' (Sloth) from Seattle
  • Chicago, IL: Swan...John Swan (Fader Grimmlins) from Milwaukee, WI

 

The unique aspect of this competition was that it operated under a "Keep it Clean" rule at each battle in order to offer a safe and positive environment where competitors and audiences of all ages could participate. The "Keep it Clean" rule extended to all of the Vinyl Kombat hosts and performers. All competitors had to be very creative and articulate their responses without using any profanity or vulgarity when battling their opponents.

 

"I think the 'Keep It Clean' rule really brought out the entertainer in quite a few of the DJs," said Vinyl Kombat Event Coordinator Christie Z-Pabon. "The whole event was terrific, but we were especially flattered that Illtraxx chose to battle in Vinyl Kombat rather than go to England for the DMC World Teams."

 

Shure, which manufactures industry-leading phono cartridges and has been intimately involved with the Hip Hop scene and its artists for almost 10 years, presented Vinyl Kombat because most DJ battles exclude the bulk of turntable music enthusiasts who are under the age of 18 by staging events at nightclubs which only admit adults or by accepting sponsorship from alcohol and/or cigarette companies. By strictly adhering to a 'Keep It Clean' rule and admitting audiences of all ages, Shure literally opened the doors for more young people to discover the DJ element of Hip Hop culture.

 

The highly regarded panel of judges for the Vinyl Kombat National Finals event included the World Famous Beat Junkies, whose members are Rhettmatic, J-Rocc, Melo-D and Shortkut, and DJ Quest from the Bullet Proof Space Travelerz.

 

Each of the eight Vinyl Kombat regional champions received prizes from Shure Incorporated and other Vinyl Kombat sponsors, Rane, Serato and Remix magazine. They also received roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations to the Vinyl Kombat US Finals in Las Vegas.


Release 38