The air was heavy, the temperature warm and the bass was rumbling through the streets. As we entered the Becks Festival bar at Hyde Park Barracks we were welcomed by the end of DJ Sampology's Super Visual Disco Party set. I have not previously seen or heard Sampology before but I can certainly say, he is an amazing DJ to watch. He's essentially the Aussie version of DJ Yoda. Hailing from Brisvegas, Sampology (Sam Poggioli) was exercising his creative flair, seamlessly mixing video and beats. The end of the set was a mini tribute to James Brown (as was his untamed hair), pumping out classic hits, such as "Get on Up", to a funky hip hop beat and of course classic James Brown video clips and interviews on screen to back up the wild mixing. It was a climactic ending, leaving the crowd singing and wanting more. Sampology certainly knows his way around the turntables and is fast becoming a master in the craft of audio and video mixing.
Anticipation then hung in the air. The Becks was flowing and the crowd started to really build in the rectangular white marquee that was the venue for the evening. In an instant, the crowd fell silent and DJ Yoda was up on the decks with the crowd going wild. The introduction to his set was a clichéd Star Wars-esque text scrolling up the screen, prompting the crowd to get ready to hear some awesome tunes and get excited. It was quite entertaining as the crowd was busy reading and, if by chance all reading at the same speed, cheered as the words "make some noise" appeared on the large projector screens behind him. Leading into the set, the screens announced Yoda would be starting with a little "Jackson 5 vs. DJ Hero". A little confused and very intrigued, I watched and listened attentively. To my amazement, the game screen from the popular console game "DJ Hero" (to which DJ Yoda contributed two mixes, including a Jackson 5 "I Want You Back" vs. Gang Starr "Just to Get a Rep" mashup) appeared on the giant screens. He was recreating one of his two mixes he contributed to the game! As if by magic, he would scratch as the cues on the game screen indicated to scratch. He'd drop a new beat as a button icon would pop up. He would cut between beats, just as the game told him to do so. He was playing DJ Hero live. This hooked everyone in the crowd but DJ Yoda was only just getting warmed up.
The early part of his set was mainly hip hop/RnB focused with clips from "Everybody Hates Chris" to the Senior Citizens Hip Hop Choir singing Nelly's "Getting Hot in Here" (no I'm not joking, this is one of the funniest YouTube videos ever to be seen! See here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFSvHgg5MQM at 4:20). To wrap up this part of the set, Yoda threw in a bit of old school Country tunes, only to have the beats hip-hopped up of course.
Whilst the crowd had not really "gone off" before this point, this was soon about to change. Yoda worked his magic, mixing, chopping, screwing, mashing and just downright stunning the crowd with his skills. The atmosphere became electric, and no-one was holding back any longer. Yoda dropped in "Bonkers" by Armand Van Helden and Dizzee Rascal and the crowd went crazy. Everyone started to dance and you couldn't help but move. The air started to cool as the rain poured outside, but no one cared. The party was well and truly alive.
Appealing to the older audience present, classic 80's Tetris game screen filled the screens. The unforgettable theme music was mashed with a Drum and Bass beat, which got the crowd super hyped. Moving his way past Tetris, we were presented with a house style mix of a classic Gladys Knight song, "If I Were Your Woman". As serious as DJ Yoda is about his music, he also has a very comical, light-hearted side. His sets always deliver on the comedic front. Kanye and Taylor Swift. Yes, THAT video.
Further Yoda magic included mash-ups like Foxy Lady vs Wayne’s World, to the hilarious "In the Air Tonight" Cadbury Gorilla ad. Digging through the YouTube archives further, Yoda played some beatboxing beats with Son of Daves cover of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". In my opinion, this one pushed it a little too far. While it is an awesome cover in its own right, it just didn't seem to sound right. Given that it was only about 2 minutes in an otherwise awesome set, my horror was quickly averted when toward the end of his set when DJ Yoda scratched to "Dueling Banjos" from the movie ‘Deliverance’, like the CD Turntable was his banjo. This one simply left me speechless. With the scene from the movie playing on screen, Yoda was playing call and reply. Scratching the sound like it was the banjo the crowd was amazed. The man is a genius. Such ingenuity and creativity.
Then Yoda wrapped the set up with a classic outro, mashed scenes from various clips sounding out "DJ Yoda". The crowd was craving more, stamping on the aged wooden floor. Yoda delivered. He came out for what seemed to be an excellently rehearsed dedication to Australia mix. Starting with "Sk8er Boi" from Summer Heights High, he worked his way to Corey Delaney's infamous A Current Affair interview "I'll say sorry but I'm not taking my glasses off", being scratched, rewound, replayed and scratched again. But this wasn't enough, Yoda moved to classic "Chopper" skits from the Ronnie Johns show, to Toady of Neighbours getting his ponytail cut-off. Of course, the climax was saved with Johnny Farnham's "You're the Voice" wrapping up the encore.
The man did not stop for the full two and a half hours. He was constantly engaged, cueing up the next song to cutting to the next video. I think not only myself, but every member of the crowd had the upmost respect for him and the skills it takes to mix video and music so well. He must spend hours surfing the net, thinking of clips from TV Shows and movies to sample. Many average DJs struggle to build a decent set with just music. DJ Yoda can not only mix, but mix classic video clips at the same time! An amazingly talented DJ to watch, a master of the decks and a leader in the art of video mixing. I certainly hope he comes Down Under again soon.
Finishing off the night, was Bentley (a.ka. Banjamin Chinnock). Considering his extensive guest appearances and role as a supporting for numerous acts, his "Beck's Late Night Artists" set left me flat. While he playing some great beats like "Heard it on the Grapevine" and the legendary "Trick Me" by Kelis, the mix seemed somewhat inconsistent with a couple of mixes seeming almost half-hearted. It seems the crowd thought much the same with the majority of the venue not sticking around after DJ Yoda. Hard act to follow?
