The finalists for the Bench DJ Competition have been revealed today.
Hundreds of finalists from across the globe have been whittled down to just five, who will all battle
on the night to be crowned the Bench DJ 2011 – winning a New Year’s Eve set at Warehouse
Project, the chance to play at Bench events next year, a £2,000 course in Electronic Music
Production from SAE & £1,000 worth of software and equipment from from leading equipment company Vestax.
The five finalists are TJ Kid from Barcelona, Dave Crane from Leeds, Claire Spooner from
Leicester, OdDio from Seville & Nathan Hadley from Nottingham.
A special mention has to go to the five entrants who Bench & Mixcloud were also really
impressed with – Alexx Mas, Ross Michael, Tom Booth, DJ Hadopi & Prime Number. The quality
of entrants was phenomenal and technical ability and originality shone through.
The Bench DJ Competition final will take place at the cool NoHo bar in the Northern Quarter of
Manchester; this should be a night of great music and will see the Bench Parklife DJ Competition
winner from this summer, Rob Drake, play a set too. Specialists from the industry and press will
also be there.
Judges include electro trio The Japanese Popstars, who have played at some of the world’s best
clubs and festivals including BBC Radio 1’s Ibiza Weekend, Reading, Leeds, Bestival, Rockness,
Creamfields and Club NME, Paul Nolan, Head of Electronic Music Production for SAE & a
Warehouse Project representative.
Phil Beckett will be presenting the evening; Phil has ten years under his belt as founder of trail
blazing eclectic indie night, The Rock & Roll Bar. He has DJ’ed at every major Mancunian Club
over the last 18 years including The Hacienda, Home and Paradise Factory and DJ’ed for Oasis
and John Squire. He has opened for Ian Brown, Twisted Wheel and Cherry Ghost. Phil also
mixed and compiled The Hacienda Classics CD, with New Order’s Peter Hook. This eclectic
master craftsman is more than up to the job.
Listen to the mixes from the 5 finalists below:
http://www.mixcloud.com/clairespooner/bench-warehouse-project-competition/
http://www.mixcloud.com/nathanhadley/bench-warehouse-project-competition/