RECAP: The Goldie Awards [9/7/17]
To be honest, I hadn’t even planned on going to the Goldie Awards. I had read a lot about it, though: world-famous DJ/ Producer A-Trak had started up a new competition for DJs and beat makers. It wasn’t supposed to be Thre3style, and it wasn’t supposed to be DMC. Goldie was to be something all its own.
The competition definitely looked intense online – the field was stacked for both the DJ and Production categories. I wasn’t sure I wanted to drop the money on a ticket, though. But, it was only $20. But I had class the next day. But, it could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime experience! What if the Goldies failed after its inaugural year? All it took was
a random FaceTime from DJ Puffy to convince me; I had my eTicket in my inbox before I hung up. Am I a pushover? Maybe.
Working title for Monday’s blog post – “The Goldie Awards: Low Qual pics, High Qual experience”. #replytweet how corny is that?
— DJ Roodz (@DJRoodz) September 8, 2017
I had never been to Brooklyn Steel, the venue hosting the Goldie Awards, before. It’s a pretty new spot. But, it’s in a great location, in the Bushwick / East Williamsburg area. I didn’t realize until after the fact that I had been out in that neighborhood quite a bit this summer! Both House of YES (where I hung out with Black Ivan and La Patilla), and The Well (where I saw the Statik Link Experience) are within a two-mile radius. So, the fact that the neighborhood was a nightlife spot definitely set the bar high. I wasn’t disappointed. Brooklyn Steel has a chill atmosphere. The bathrooms were super clean throughout the night, and the bar staff was extremely friendly.
The amount of talent in that room was off the charts. Besides the competitors themselves, A-Trak had enlisted Diplo, Just Blaze, Mija, DJ Craze, and more as judges. Dave East hosted the entire event. As if that wasn’t enough, there were a few notables in the crowd too! Puffy brought Jus Jay with him, and we all ended up hanging out with Skratch Bastid, J. Espinosa (2015 Thre3style USA Champ), and Trapment (2016 Thre3style Vice Champ) for most of the night. I also ran into my homies Statik Link and Loup Rouge!
The Battles
I had never seen a beat battle before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, I definitely wasn’t disappointed! Some guys recreated their beats live, by triggering samples and finger drumming. Others just let their beats played while they hyped the crowd.
The DJ competition didn’t disappoint either. A-Trak wasn’t joking when he said he wanted a competition like no other. Vekked, from Canada, brought out his famous “Frankenscrach.” It’s a guitar-like thing: there’s a CDJ where the body of the guitar should be, and a fader built into the neck. It was – hands down – one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in person. Yuto, the 2016 DMC world champion, made jaws drop with his technical skills, and K-Swizz, a 14 year old competitor, made me wonder what I’ve been doing with my whole life. Yeah. He was that good. In the end, Miles Medina took home the first ever trophy. J. Espinosa was definitely happy to see the Bay Area represented on stage.
Lot45
Puffy, Jus Jay and I hit the after party at Lot45 about a mile down the road. It was definitely the perfect venue for the occasion. Coincidentally, it was around the corner from House of YES! There was a food truck set up inside the area, and a local dj rocked the house in the back room where the bar was. The look on his face when Puffy and J. Espinosa snuck behind the booth to say hello was priceless! I would’ve reacted the same way. Puffy and Yuto ran into each other and ended up snapping a picture. It was crazy – they had both won their respective competitions in the same year, but had never met.
All in all, it was a DOPE event. I met a lot of great DJs from all over the world, and for all of us to come together under one roof to celebrate our love for music was definitely transcendental. Were you at the Goldie Awards? Let me know in the comments!
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