Tonight, New Orleans is hosting a regional qualifier for the world’s largest DJ competition in the world and premier turntablism event, the DMC World DJ Championships.

DJ Spin

The DMC pits DJs of any genre of music (hip hop, house, techno, funk, etc.) against each other in the age-old turntablist battle of technical virtuosity. The winner of tonight’s qualifier here will move on to the US Finals in New York later this year for a chance at the world stage.

Whatever the results, one thing’s for sure: there is no way anyone will be criticizing the judges for a lack of knowledge and first-hand experience. On hand to decide the fate of tonight’s turntable gladiators will be DJ Shiftee, last year’s DMC World Champion; Mista B, the runner-up to Shiftee in the 2009 United States final; and local legend DJ Spin, one of the first Louisiana DJs to ever compete in the DMC Competition. Both DJ Shiftee and Mista B will showcase their own skills at the end of tonight’s competition.

Although virtually all DJs now rely on laptops and a piece of software called Serato Scratch Live, which connects with two vinyl “control” records to manipulate songs on the computer, the DMC battle requires the DJ hopefuls to use only the most basic equipment: two turntables, a standard mixer, and regular vinyl records. Computers be damned—there will be no technological crutches.

The New Orleans DMC National Qualifier starts at 10 p.m. tonight at The Hookah on Decatur St. Tickets are $15 if you buy in advance here, $20 at the door. Local MC Truth Universal will be hosting the event.

For a better sense of the event, here’s a video by OffBeat’s Colin Jones about last year’s DMC Qualifier, which took place at the Howlin’ Wolf.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/5761338[/vimeo]