12 of Nairobi’s finest DJs selected for next round of Battle of the Beats

Smirnoff Battle of the Beats on Friday held its first round of auditions in the Nairobi Region at Quiver Eastlands.

Now in its third season, the competition seeks to give a platform to upcoming entertainers and unearth the next biggest DJ in Kenya.

More than 35 DJs turned up at the Nairobi auditions to showcase their skills on the decks for a chance to impress the three judges - DJ Grauchi, DJ Redbone and DJ Karoski.

This follows successful auditions at the Coast, Mountain, Rift Valley and Lake Regions where Rattihy the DJ, DJ Kryptic, KJ the DJ and DJ Insta emerged as the winners respectively.

“With the platform that we currently have at Smirnoff, music is a cultural vertical and we’re here to champion and celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of Kenyan music. 

“For the DJs who will participate, it will not only be a platform where they compete and leave, we’re looking to partner with them and giving them opportunities across our various brand events,” Jonathan Rutto, Smirnoff’s Shopper Marketing Manager stated in an interview with Pulse Live Kenya’s presenter Shem Muikia.

Final 12 DJs set for Live TV battle

The judges scored the contestants for originality in their style, stage presence, look and creativity with music selection.

With four minutes to make their mark, the final 12 DJs showed impressive skill in incorporating dancehall, arbantone and afrobeat into their mixes.

1. DJ IRick emerged as top scorer of the day, impressing the judges with branded merch and a club mix guaranteed to keep revelers on the dance floor. He had an impressive mix of Afrobeats, dancehall, Kenyan hits, Hip Hop and Arbantone.
2. DJ Leeboy created an interesting blend of Sauti Sol & Ogopa DJs hits, Rhumba and International Pop inviting the crowd to move to the mix with exquisite MCeeing.
3. DJ Karl Draggo stuck to Dancehall and Arbantone while incorporating stellar MCeeing in his four-minute mix.
4. DJ Aga was one of the few contestants who brought on the Rhumba sound to a creative playlist which also overlaid Gengetone hits to signature Dancehall beats.
5. Sity the DJ exhibited a natural flair for mixing Afrobeat, International Pop and Riddims.
6. Rubbo Entertainment’s mix blended Kenyan Hits from the 2000s with Arbantone and Dancehall, tying them together with creative wordplay.
7. DJ Funkeed owned the decks with his impressive blend of Afrobeats, Reggae, Kenyan Hip Hop and RNB.
8. DJ Dycee incorporated a number of crowd pleasers from Arbantone, Afrobeats, Hip Hop and Genge into his mix, owning the stage with a great intro.
9. DJ Seville Esco impressed the judges with a mix that included Mugithi, Dancehall, Gengetone, 90s beats and Afrobeats.
10. DJ Varcie was a crowd pleaser with his MCeeing skills and a mix of Afrobeats, Dancehall and Wakadinali hits.
11. DJ Olivieta took the crowd on a journey with a mix of classic Afrobeats, Arbantone and Dancehall.
12. DJ Klasiq impressed the judges with creative wordplay, stage presence, branded merch and his mix of Dancehall and 90s Hip Hop beats overlaid with Kenyan 2000s & currents hits.

The winner of Smirnoff Battle of the Beats stands a chance to win a DJ kit which will include a MacBook, deck, flight case, hard disk and opportunities to play at EABL events.