DJ battles are odd things. No longer is simple scratching and beat juggling sufficient to go the distance.

These days, any hip-hop DJ out to show and prove has to understand something: the turntable is a percussion instrument. Combine two of them and a mixer, and you have a full drum kit, just as versatile and funky as anything John Bonham ever rocked.

The finalists at the UK DMC DJ Finals – the prelude before the Worlds later this year – understood this concept. And although not all of them were on form (nearly said ‘up to scratch’, there) the UK has some serious contenders for the world title. While Million Dan, DJ Skitz and the utterly redundant Le Shadow hyped the crowd, the atmosphere was crackling. The Islington Academy, with its low ceilings and back-alley entrance, is a great joint for a hip-hop gig.

Six minutes a set, seven contestants. Most impressed, however it was the top three who were justifiably the only ones really worth mentioning. Switch, in third, brought some spacey, technical moves to the table while defending champ JFB, second here, was probably the most skilled DJ of the night. No question about the winner though, and the crowd co-signed the decision with massive cheers: Skully. The lanky DJ started off slow but ended up smashing it like the proverbial manic drum solo with a huge set.

Prizes, kudos and a slightly random, overly long set by beatboxer Hobbit ensued. If you didn’t catch this, get to the Worlds at Indig02 in September.

Rob Boffard