From 17th June, Amplified Vibez has been showcasing some of Durban’s hottest DJ talent at Wahooz, uShaka Marine World. The DJ Battle is giving young, up and coming DJ’s, a chance to win a working contract at uShaka Marine World.
Throughout the competition, the contestants will be judged by three popular local DJs who have made their name within the industry, including DJ HappyGal, DJ Vumar and DJ Clown Dallas. For the first round which took place on 17th June, Vusi Leeuw, who is a legend in the music industry, formed part of the judging panel and will return for the finals on 9th September.
DJ HappyGal is one of the leading female DJs to break out of Durban since 2008. Her specialty is House and Kwaito music, but due to her vast knowledge and collection of music, she also has the skills to play for her crowd and adapt to any market. Her successful career has seen her playing at numerous gigs in South Africa as well as abroad. In 2012, she released an album called, First offering and since then, released 4 hit singles which have been aired on reputable radio stations around SA. She is also the brand ambassador of Face of Africa.
Joining her is DJ Vumar, Gagasi FM DJ, well-known host, MC, presenter, lecturer, brand ambassador for NK Collection Clothing/Free Slave from 2011 to date, and Editor in Chief for House Legend Magazine, South Africa’s very first house music lifestyle magazine. His love for music started at an early age, which grew into a love for dance music and mixing beats. Due to his passion, he was then mentored by DJ Sox from 1998-2000, and this allowed him to build friendships with DJ Muzzy & DJ Sndara. In 2004 DJ Vumar’s career took a rise as he entered the first ever Superfly/ Miller DJ Competition, where he competed against 10 other DJ’s and won.
DJ Vumar has shared the stage with the likes of DJ Fresh, Euphonik, as well as many others, making him a very influential individual in the industry. He is also known for hosting the V-Sessions Dance Mix Show on Gagasi FM (Friday’s from 10pm to 1am), as well as the Sunday Sundowners Mix Show (Sunday’s from 6pm to 10pm).
The other judge will be Ayanda Sigwili aka “Clown Dallas”, who is a multi-talented DJ / Producer/ Re-mixer, residing between Durban and Johannesburg. He started his musical career as a prosper deejay but then he later decided to establish his own record label (DYNASTY MUSIC) which is becoming more and more popular in the house music world.
Clown Dallas has garnered much praise as a rising star in the dance music scene having already shared a stage with world-renowned DJs such as Ralf Gum, Rocco, Glen Lewis, Black Coffee and more. He has worked with vocalists such as Chappell (USA/Netherlands), Marc Evans (USA), Kimara Lovelace (USA), Dihann Moore (USA), Donald Sheffey (USA), Eddie Nicholas (USA) James Werts (Estonia), Scotty P (USA), William Scott (USA), Miranda Nicole (USA) just to mention a few.
The final, which takes place on Saturday, 9th September, will see Vusi Leeuw joining the judging panel once again.
Leeuw has been in the music industry for decades and was responsible for the discovery of many of South Africa’s greatest musical finds, including, TKZEE, Mandoza, DJ Bongz, HHP, Zakes Bantwini, Toya De Lazey, L’vovo, to name a few, and has also mentored DJ’s such as DJ Tira and DJ Kent. He is also Brand Manager for some of TV’s biggest stars including, Nomzamo Mbatha, Boity Thulo and Khanya Mkhangisa.
“We are thrilled to be hosting uShaka Marine World’s first ever DJ Battle. We have always been proud of our commitment to providing opportunities for all types of local talent, having initiated and run Search for the Stars and the Zulu Dance Championships successfully for a number of years now. Moreover, we are happy to have well-known names in the music industry giving up their time to form part of the judging process,” said uShaka Marine World’s Marketing Executive, Mpume Mthembu.
“This first time event will now provide an opportunity to a different type of talent and one we are very excited to be hosting,” she added.
With just over 100 DJs registered, the event is sure to bring out some hot new talent. Each entrant will be given the opportunity to wow the judges and crowds with a performance between 11am and 6pm on 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th July.
Judging will be decided upon each contestant’s hosting abilities, mixing performance, music choices, crowd reaction and very importantly, technical ability as well as support given by fans on uShaka’s social media pages after the semi-final on 29th July.
In addition to standing a chance to win working contracts, the top DJs will have their video clip performances posted on uShaka Marine World’s Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram after the semi-final round. These finalists will then have the opportunity to garner likes and shares from their supporters from Tuesday, 1st August until Thursday 31st August.
Entry to the prelim competition have been closed. Those who make it through the rounds including the newly introduced semi-final round, will perform at the finals which will take place on Saturday, September 9th from 2pm till 8pm. Tickets for the public to enter the final event will be available for just R50 per person through Computicket or uShaka ticketing from 7th July 2017.
To find out more and for the competition format and rules, visit the uShaka website, or alternatively, contact Malibongwe Mhlauli on 031 3288103 or email mmhlauli@ushakamarineworld.co.za.