By Andrew Whitelaw

Time Out KL literally got judgemental with the recent Face Off competiton at Quattro as we rated the contestants and winners. Check out our own MC Andrew rock the mic as well as hear the winner, DJ Reeve, cutting pure gold behind the decks.

Everyone in attendance of the TOKL sponsored DJ face-off finals at Quattro at the end of 2009 was left with an infectious buzz stemming from the DJ’s, to the crowd and even the judges. With a massive RM10,000 up for grabs for the winner, the stage was set following some fiercely competitive heats and when it came down to the moment of truth, the talent didn’t disappoint.

Representing Timeout I sat comfortably in my judge’s chair while swiftly firing out some fairly fierce critiques of the budding talent before me. Drunk on power and Guinness; my ruthless veneer may even have made Simon Cowell feel sorry for the recipients of my stark evaluation. Little did I know I’d later be forced to get up on stage and show the crowd my own ‘talents’ before the night was through…

So there I was, reconvening my judge’s position on a panel that comprised some of Malaysia’s finest DJ’s, club owners and promoters for the grand final of what had been a superb and enjoyable event for all involved. And if the heats had been lively, then the final was down right raucous. We’re talking pyrotechnics, bold cuts, sumptuous scratches, drums, confetti, fresh MC’s, the wickedest freestyles and the fiercest drops; - all set to the backdrop of an audience that was both live and loud with numbers assembling from across the nation.

Earlier heats bared witness to entrants that ranged from youthful to geriatric, sounds that spanned from the commercial to the underground and acts that were at times nervous, often enthralling and always entertaining. The judges were certainly pulling no punches in this one (ahem) and those who failed to make the grade were often served a rude awakening of brutal honesty- though I contend that even the harshest of indictments were of course delivered with nothing but good spirit and those who thrived were, accordingly, heaped in praise.

1st, 2nd and 3rd place were well deserved in the end; top spot was taken by the supremely talented showmanship and technical prowess of DJ Reeve, 2nd was awarded to the dance- floor-filling charm of DJ Sophia and 3rd was granted to Tri-Lethal, a crew who brought the party to the people. Ultimately, the show was capped off nicely with the beaming winners being awarded giant cheques and confetti raining down on the elated spectators.

The night perhaps would not have been complete before the tables were truly turned on the judges who were promptly ordered to get up on stage (gulp) and face the crowd with an improvised performance of their own. Scratchy Steve took to the turntables while DJ Nicky and I got on the mic where I was forced to freestyle for the first time in years and rather poetically, justice was served as the judges became the judged in a fitting end to the night.

Timeout KL has been very proud to sponsor Quattro’s DJ face-off because events like this are so pivotal in developing local talent and promoting the stars of the future. Great stuff all round.