The DJ’s Hit the Turntables

The final round of competition for the Belikin Deejay Championship takes place tonight inside Club Elite.  Eight up-and-coming disc jockeys from across the country are vying for the coveted title in a competition that is organized by Belize’s Musical Ambassador Shyne Barrow.  For the grand finale, popular Brooklyn deejay Max Glazer has been brought in as a celebrity judge.  This afternoon, three of eight finalists were introduced, while Shyne explained the concept of the challenge and the exposure that participants are getting across the country and the region.

Shyne

Shyne, Musical Ambassador

“So far we’ve been in the Stann Creek District, Toledo, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, San Pedro and Belize City and it has been a magnificent turnout.  The crowd attendance has been jam packed and just the talent of the deejays participating has really blown me away.  Initially, we had called it the auditions, but after Dangriga which was the first competition, it was clear to me that it wasn’t an audition because these guys were prepared and they were professional.  So it might not be the established names that we know, but these guys are the future of the deejay industry and so what I set out to do happened exactly.”

Max Glazer

Max Glazer, Celebrity Judge

“First of all, it’s a pleasure to be invited down here to be a part of this.  Belize is absolutely one of my favorite places to travel in the world.  I’ve been down here deejaying a bunch of times and even apart from the deejay competition that we’re here for today, it’s just always been a great lineup of deejays and it’s always been a place that I’ve found that just really loves music and that energy.  So I’m looking for people who are, one; there’s the basics, technical proficiency and confident and comfortable in what they’re doing but also I’m looking for what Belizean deejays can bring to, like Shyne said, an international level, like some of the things that are unique about Belize, the patois, the slang, the talk and the style of how Belizean deejays do their thing that is different from every region.”

The competition begins at eight p.m. inside Club Elite at the Princess Ramada Hotel.