a little boy waits...: 22 Crowned no. 1 chief rocka.

On Saturday afternoon I went over to my bro Rodi's house to pick something up and have a beer. It was the night he was to enter (semi reluctantly) the 'Red Bull Thr3e Style' DJ battle/comp. I asked him what he was going to do for it and he just shrugged his shoulders and said "just what ever feels right at the time"

It came 'the time'. Second to last set of the first round and he jumped up. We were right up the front and were yelling all sorts of stuff before he even jumped on. He started with Buddy Holly and I looked around and saw some of the old school battle DJs standing around with a staunch but nervous look on their faces, kinda like 'wtf is this'. Then he started going back to back and echoed it out to a strange silence from the best part of the crowd........... In came the drums of a song that was to be met with a seemingly even stranger silence from the crowd, USA 808 - She a boom (Israeli dance hall) until the hook came in which covers Wayne Smith's familiar under me sleng teng. The crowd had started to ease into the different sound that Scratch was bringing.
The rest of the first round was a bit of a blur. I do remember dancing, singing, shouting and at one point me and Mike booth took our shirts off and spun them around like a helicopter (the song told us to do this)

Then came the news that Rodi had won the Auckland regionals and was to battle Alphabethead in the final that night. Mike and I looked at each other like Mohammad Ali's manager looked at his trainer when Joe Frazier stepped up to be weighed in before the thriller in manila. This is going to be some shit if he is going to win.... Alphabethead is a long time friend of Rodi's and one of the craziest dudes out on the turntables. So much skill and a solid performer. It was hard to see how Rodi's just do what ever feels right could possibly take down Alphabetheads mighty battle routine which would be well rehearsed and well executed.

But, he did it. I am pretty biased in general but that shit was nicer to listen to, nicer to watch and was pretty much as good a club set as can be done.

10/10 for 22.

He is off to Paris and London for the finals and to play in some of the biggest clubs around and will only do what he always does I am sure. Kill shit.

Good shit to all the other dudes that entered esp Alphabethead who was very entertaining, skilled and original.

Below are some mixes you can download.

Scratch 22 THE ARC 2010 and beyond

Peeps Mixtape vol.1 by Scratch22

Paydirt and Scratch22 live at Cassette 9 july 2009 by DJ Paydirt