A photo posted by Red Bull Thre3style (@redbull3style) onSep 18, 2015 at 4:45am PDT
When we turned up at Club whom for round 4, DZ Izoh from Saitama had set off the night with a banging set running many 2000's classics and flexing his skill with doubles. It's so great that at each of these events the level of DJing is so high and constantly inspiring. It's also great to see the local talent Japan has on offer - it certainly has plenty!
Kosovo rep DJ 69 is the first competitor this year (ever?) to rock it with a controller and without a doubt he used it to its full potential! Tasteful tone-play of Young Joc "Goin Down" set it off nicely, and a nice array of dancehall and throwback classics contributed to a clean start. Although the the crowd liked some the more obvious "club bangers", I think it would be a little tired on the judges.
DJ 69 - Kosovo - World Finals 2015: Night 4 by Red Bull Thre3style on Mixcloud
Next up was Taiwan's Din Din. He got off to a great start to his set with a very timely selection of Earth, Wind and Fire “September" and using the vocal outro to smoothly transition into “idfwu" by Big Sean.
Consistently delivering crowd pleasing hits back to back and cleverly staying in key to tone play his way through Kendrick Lamar’s "Maad City” to "Careless Whisper" and then into Dawn Penn "No No No".
Din Din had both the musical chops and the right selections.
Executing a fantastic melody flip of Dr Dre “Xxplosive" into Marvin Gaye “Lets Get It On" (highlight of the night for me) had us all impressed with the musicality of his set as he navigated his way through and really brought the party vibe to Tokyo.
DJ Din Din - Taiwan - World Finals 2015: Night 4 by Red Bull Thre3style on Mixcloud
Koreas DJ Tezz rocking a fresh Fila sweat (yes that's important) brought us back to the early 2000s with classics. Suffering from a couple less than precise cuts his performance didn’t quite have the extra kick it needed. Tezz did bring plenty of energy but due to his placing in the night had the unfortunate position of playing a few joints that had already been run by the other competitors. However a nice addition of some jersey club and bass tunes kept it interesting. Ending his set with Linkin Park was a smart choice for the crowd, and met with great response.
Talking to Tezz after though, I could tell he felt unsatisfied by his set. You only get one chance...
DJ Tezz - South Korea - World Finals 2015: Night 4 by Red Bull Thre3style on Mixcloud
Germany's Dan Gerous kicked it off with a dub of "Bad Boys" by Inner Circle and made his way into some Chilli Peppers which again seemed to make the local audience react. Clearly there were a few rock fans in the crowd. Pulling out the flames with an actual gas torch was again received well and as he made his way through his set he kept it interesting and on trend with twerk jams and popular tunes like "Lean On".
DJ Dan Gerous - Germany - World Finals 2015: Night 4 by Red Bull Thre3style on Mixcloud
Grandtheft followed up with a crazy set of bangers and exclusive and new remixes. So many jams Grandtheft made have gone on to be huge anthems. "Summer", "Flying" and his new joint with Sleepy Tom "Hold On", and a preview of a joint called "Wavey".
After all was said and done, the judges deliberated as they have every night so far and DJ Flipout made the announcement that Dan Gerous would advance to the finals. Eskei83 was pretty happy with result as was the rest of Germany :)
2013 world champion and local hero Shintaro jumped on deck after the announcement to proceed to provide the party just what it required and D-Styles of not only the Invisible Skratch Piklz, the Beat junkies but also the Low End Theory crews (!!!) rounded out the night with a great and balanced set as he showed his track selection skills and individuality - that's what it means to be one of the best in the world.
Signing off
Matt, Rui, Nick and Gary
Last round tomorrow !