Entertainment

'Tune for tune' at Heineken Green Synergy

By MEL COOKE, Freelance Writer

Winners in last year's Heineken Green Synergy Tour from left, DJ Kevin, DJ Inferno and DJ Rohan. - WINSTON SILL

western bureau:

GARETH GEDDES, BRAND manager, Heineken, announced an addition to this year's Heineken Green Synergy DJ Competition at the Vibes Lounge, Red Stripe, 214 Spanish Town Road, on Wednesday evening.

He said that in the semi-finals and finals, the deejays will play not only their own half-hour segments, but in the final half hour they will play tune for tune.

"A deejay will play and a deejay will have to respond," Geddes said.

'Clash'

The 'clash' will not be the only focus of the contest, though, as Geddes said: "The challenge is not to play the latest music; it draws on the ability to go between genres," he said. The contestants will have a half hour "to play different genres in a way that the crowd can enjoy."

The person who wins the finals at the Asylum Night Club on September 2 will have a lot to enjoy, with $350,000 worth of DJ equipment and an internship at FAME FM among their prizes. The second prize is $200,000 in DJ equipment. The winner will be selected by a panel of FAME FM and Heineken judges.

Entries must be submitted to FAME FM, 32 Lyndhurst Road, St. Andrew, by Monday, July 4. Play-offs will be broadcast live on FAME at the Asylum every Friday from July 8 to August 19, with the winners being selected by text messages from Digicel and bMobile cellular phones.

The mix will not be cut after September 2, however, as the winner will compete at the Heineken Green Synergy finals in St. Lucia on October 8, where there will also be intensive DJ tutoring.

Past winners DJ Denvo and DJ Inferno were enthusiastic about Heineken Green Synergy. "It has given me exposure as a young DJ. The name DJ Denvo is now out there. I encourage everybody - young DJs aspiring DJs - to get into the competition. It is a booster for your career, a starting point," he said.

"It's been real outstanding," DJ Inferno, winner of the first Green Synergy contest, said of his experience. "I had my mentor Kurt Riley right there beside me," he said, also mentioning other FAME DJs Colin Hines and Mixmaster Marvin. "It's been awesome. If you want your name out there, if you want the exposure, come out. Make your mix tapes, send them in," he said.

Winford Williams of CVM Television, which will be carrying footage from the contest, including the preliminary rounds, addressed DJs in general when he said: They have a responsibility to help to shape Jamaica's music. Dancehall, especially, is faced with some challenges. DJs can shape what people are dancing to".