The soundCLASH—New Orleans’ monthly premiere beat battle, local hip hop artist showcase, and networking event—launches a new challenge and moves to a new venue, the Hi Ho Lounge for its monthly edition on Thursday, May 16. The vent was formerly held at the Maison on Frenchmen, but the Hi Ho is booking more and more hip hop shows, under the venue’s new management team, who also own the Maison.
The soundCLASH hosts its first-ever full DJ battle on May 16.
The event series producer, El Williams of OnPoint Productions says, “We’re breaking all the rules this month. The soundCLASH has never hosted a straight DJ battle like this before.” The series, now in its fourth year, is known for its beat-maker competitions, and Williams promises that “if you are a music lover, this is the event of all events. We will have some of the top DJs from the New Orleans area, as well as Texas, Mississippi and beyond.”
The May 16 edition of The soundCLASH will feature at least eight DJs who will compete for two prizes. Only the first place winner will go on to compete in regional battles and receive the opportunity to compete nationally, through The soundCLASH’s network of similar partner collectives in other states. The first place winner from Thursday’s battle will receive a number of prizes: a pair of Shure SRH750DJ Professional DJ Headphones, a ProMix DJ Academy Prize Package, an official soundCLASH trophy and $100 in cash— plus the opportunity to move on into next level contests. The second place winner will receive a ProMix DJ Academy Prize Package and $50 in cash.
Featured DJ performance showcases at this month’s event will include DJ E.F. Cuttin and Tony Skratchere (both former Red Bull NoLa DJs), among others. The DJ battle will be judged by local disc jockey favorites, Raj Smoove, E.F. Cuttin and DJ Chicken. The event is hosted by MCs OG Legs and Strategy with resident DJ RQaway.
The DJ battle is open to any New Orleans-area DJ, but interested DJs must pre-register in order to enter the contest here: http://scdjbattle.eventbrite.com
The soundCLASH also hosts an open mic session for rising MCs, spoken word artists, singers and poets from 8 p.m. – 9 p.m. To sign up for the open mic, interested artists must email [email protected] or arrive by 8 p.m.
The soundCLASH – May, 2013 Edition & DJ Battle
Date: Thursday, May 16
Time: 8:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Location: The Hi-Ho Lounge
2239 St. Claude Ave. (map)
Neighborhood: Bywater / St. Roch
Admission: $7 Advance, $10 Door
Ages: 18+
