Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated events during Miami’s Winter Music Conference is the WMC/DMC DJ Spin-off. Judged on technical ability, timing, and creativity, DJs compete for glory—and sweet prizes. DJ Izoh of Japan was this year’s Grand Prize winner in the Scratching portion of the DMC Spin-off. He walked away with a serious amount of Mackie equipment—a pair of SA1530z active loudspeakers, an SWA2801z subwoofer, a pair of SRM450 portable active loudspeakers, and a d.2 dj mixer. In a recent interview, he talks about competing in and winning the contest, and shares his impressions of his newly acquired Mackie gear.
Interviewer: WMC DJ Spin Off is not a well-known DJ competition in Japan. How did you find out about it?
DJ Izoh: Ortofon Japan was one of the sponsors of WMC and they told me about the competition. They said that there was a battle and asked if I want to be in it… I had been wanting to play in the US, but actually that competition was my first time. And I found out that Mackie was one of its sponsors after I got there.
Interviewer: How many contestants were there?
Izoh: About 15 people were entered the Scratching competition. There were two categories: Scratching and Beat Matching… In Japan, Beat Matching means Juggling, so I entered this category. But I realized that I made a mistake when I heard everybody doing the club play.
Interviewer: Damn, that sucks! What did you do?
Izoh: Fortunately, Scratching was after Beat Matching, so I asked my friend from NY, who speaks English, to ask the organizer to change my entry. They did not want to do it at first, but then [another] DJ helped me, and I managed to enter the Scratching.
Interviewer: You were lucky that the competition was in that order! Having luck on your side is also key to being a champion.
Izoh: But there was more. I thought the performance was for 5 minutes, but it was actually 3 minutes! Obviously, I organized my routine for 5 minutes.
Interviewer: Oops! And how did you fix it?
Izoh: I had 3 pieces of content to make a 5-minute routine, so I cut one of them. But just cutting the content wouldn’t fit the time for sure, so I played the routine in my head to create the image of this new 3-minute routine. Then on the stage I played what I imagined.
Interviewer: Wow, that’s incredible!
Izoh: I did it somehow. LOL.
Interviewer: And there was another mishap: you were caught in a shower.
Izoh: Yes. It was more like heavy rain.
Interviewer: Was the equipment OK?
Izoh: There was a roof over the DJ booth, but it
didn’t help much because the rain was coming from the side. So the show
crews were holding towels around the booth. The audience couldn’t see
the DJs. After a while they stopped the competition and moved inside to
continue.
Interviewer: That must have been tough. Speaking of equipment, there were Technics turntables and a Mackie d.2 mixer.
Izoh: Yes. They were not what I usually use, but it didn’t matter. They also changed some of the equipment, so every DJ was having hard time. Some DJs pushed wrong buttons, or had needles skipping. I was the last to play, so I guess I was lucky.
Interviewer: How was the new stage?
Izoh: Totally different. Outside it was like resort, but inside everybody was seated … so it was not easy.
Interviewer: How was your performance?
Izoh: I was not happy with my performance at all, and I was really down. I was telling myself, “You paid for the flight to come to the US, and this is what you’ve got?”
Interviewer: But you won the competition. How did you feel?
Izoh: I was released. At the same time, I was really pissed that I couldn’t do it perfectly.
Interviewer: Has the experience improved you as a DJ in any way?
Izoh: I won’t be freaked out by bad situations, like not having familiar equipment or not being able to rehearse. I can do my own routine, with any equipment and in any situation. I wanna continue the promotion in the US. You know, in Japan, everything is prefixed, but in the US, every DJ’s character seems to be more respected.
Interviewer: Japanese DJs will need that kind of promotion in the future. Now tell me about your experience with Mackie mixer. You used it for the first time, on the stage at the competition. How was it?
Izoh: It was much better than I could have expected. The crossfaders are very light, but I heard I can adjust the weight. So I’d like to try that. Also, the sound quality is much better than the [mixer] I’ve been using.
Interviewer: And you got a pair of Mackie 1530z loudspeakers, an SWA1801 subwoofer, and a pair of SRM450 loudspeakers as the prize. How will you use them?
Izoh: I’ll use them for my studio/club. They are awesome, and I’m excited to create sounds with them.
Interviewer: Well thank you for your time. And congratulations! You should go to the contest as the defending champion next time.
Izoh: I’d love to. But I’m not gonna pay. I’d love to be invited by the sponsor. LOL.
