The DJTT labs are crazy this month! We finally had a chance to watch all of the videos submitted to our PowerTools remix competition and now it’s time to announce the winner of the contest. I was completely blown away by the response to this contest – every entry had some amazing qualities, and the final count was over 65 entries!
Our Grand Prize Winner:
DJ Berik
This video hit a few points perfectly, and for that reason it was an obvious winner:
1) Musical arrangement. The overal style, feel and progression of the live remix was spot on. It was simply a great little track. I was especially pleased that he sat back and let each sample breathe without trying to overplay. All of the powertools samples were used really well and the final result sounded like a very polished mix that could be released.
2) Creativity. There were a number of creative uses of controls in the video including pitch on the line fader and other custom mapping tricks. We really liked that all control surfaces had become such a custom instrument.
3) Performance. The scratching, button mashing and cuts were all on point and well executed. It was the mix of techniques, all with solid timing, that really sold me on this performance.
For these reasons, myself and our entire staff decided this was the clear winner. We’re proud to award the grand prize to DJ Berik – great work!
– Ean Golden
Second Place Runner Up:
HESH (Williet8) and Joshwa Shah (BassManJoshwa)
Audiences love the unexpected, so we were pleased to see a young duo use Powertools and DJ software in a jam style mash up of DJ and drummer. Hesh and Josh took the samples and arranged their own 100% live session. Even though some of the other videos might have been better played, I really liked that they went for it and tried a challenging concept. Our recommendation for future videos – let’s see some more screencapture! It makes watching a performance way more fun for the YouTube viewers if they can learn exactly what is going on.
We’re excited to award these two guys our second place prize, $50 worth of Chroma Caps and the full PowerTools packs.
Honorable Mentions:
Josuepalma
Josuepalma has an awesome Ableton setup, with two Launchpads and an iPad controller between them as the primary feedback monitor. In his video, he does a great job of making a remix that is focused around the PowerTools themselves, and he successfully blends live production and performance in a clever way that separated him from the pack! Our biggest recommendation for next time is to make sure to record your playback internally – audio quality often can make or break an epic video!
DJ Just Greg
Just Greg, we’re putting you in our honorable mentions because your character shines through the video. You might not have the best technical performance, you might not have the fanciest gear in the world, but you know what you do have? Lasers, a cowboy hat, and tunes that aren’t house or Skrillex. Your video was a refreshing change of pace, and we look forward to seeing more of your antics in the future.
DJ Silence
DJ Silence has pads galore- three M-Audio Trigger Fingers and an Akai LPD8 – and he uses them well. We’re glad to give him an honorable mention for rocking a solid set with great structure, overall performance, and beat-synced video editing.
Our thanks to everyone who submitted an official video to our contest – know that we did take the time to watch every single entry, and keep up the great work. We’ll continue to do more awesome contests like this in the future that give you all an opportunity to test your DJ mettle while getting a chance to win awesome gear.
Want to watch all of the videos entered in the contest for yourself? They’re all available for watching here on YouTube.
Want to make your own version? Grab a PowerTools sound pack from the DJTT store!
