Carlsberg Chill DJ battle

Female DJ Madalitso Gladys Jana going by the moniker DJ Shorty made history when she made it to the second round of the Carlsberg Chill DJ battle.

With female DJs shying away from the contest since it started in 2013, it was something positive and historical for the competition to have female representation in this year’s battle.

But hopes of DJ Shorty writing another script in the competition by becoming the first female DJ to make it to the national final vanished on Friday.

DJ Shorty was among the six DJs that battled it out during the second round of the competition at Blue Elephant in Blantyre where only two top DJs had to be selected.

As the only female DJ against five males which included the experienced DJ Trick, who was seeded in the first round, it was a tall order for DJ Shorty.

But the male dominance of the line-up of the DJs on the night did not at all intimidate DJ Shorty, who was the last to perform.

She received an overwhelming response from the impressive audience from the word go.

But at the end of their mixing and scratching, DJ Shorty came fourth with DJs Trick and Five claiming the first and second positions, respectively.

Trick was over the moon saying he is now looking forward to the final.

“It was tough battle but I am happy to have come out top. This competition has made me improve my skills,” said Trick, who was last year’s finalist.

Five, who came first in the first round said he will now work hard to improve in different areas ahead of the national final scheduled for next month.

“The national final will be tough and all I can do now is to start preparations,” he said.

DJ Shorty may be disappointed that she did not make the final but she surely won the hearts of the people and can take solace in that out of the six, she managed to come fourth beating two other DJs.

She also showed on Friday that women have the potential to excel in the contest and all what is needed is grooming for them to get the basics of disc jockeying.

A student at Blantyre International University, DJ Shorty, who said got the name from her friends who used to call her short, said she was compelled to participate just to give it a try.

“The competition for a longtime has had no female participation and this time around my colleagues encouraged me to participate and so this was all about giving it a try,” she said.

All the six DJs were given 15 minutes to show their magic on the decks and the judges according to host Chimwemwe Chikwana alias Mr C were assessed based on among others creativity, crowd reaction and skills.

Some DJs stood out on song selection with Trick and Five standing out in almost all the areas although there is still more to be done in terms of the skills on the decks.

Almost all the DJs restricted themselves to playing foreign songs and gave local quantity just a bite.

The other six DJs that battled it out were DJs Skip, who was third, Ray on fifth and Madball on sixth.

During the competition, people also had time to win various branded Carlsberg items which included T-shirts and sun glasses.

From Blantyre, the second round battle moves to Lilongwe where DJ Reubie, DJ Chronic and DJ Pronown, who made it through in the first round will battle it out alongside DJ Maya who was seeded before going further to Mzuzu.

In Mzuzu, the second round battle will feature DJs 5G, Ghetto Fresh, Ro, Logic, Ken and Ernie the DJ.

Carlsberg Malawi is running the DJ battle using their Chill beer and according to the company’s Senior Brands Manager (Alcoholic) Twikale Chirwa, the platform is aimed at allowing the DJs to showcase their skills.

Last year’s winner DJ Doug Fresh from Blantyre, who went away with a brand new Kia Picanto said he was satisfied with the results.

“I am satisfied with the results; we saw a lot of talent tonight. I just want to thank Carlsberg for putting up this competition,” he said.

The winner this year will walk away with brand new disco equipment with the runner up pocketing K1 million.