Stewart Hanna Q&A

The DMCs are one of the biggest highlights on anyone's calendar. You've been doing this a long time, so what has helped you maintain longevity for the Australian leg of the heats-
Although it's hard work, it's still a big buzz seeing the entrants strut their stuff on stage!

The event has been described as the "turntablists' Olympic Games". Do you think this gives outsiders insight into just how much work goes into each entrants' six-minute showcase-
Probably, these DJs are working on their routines non-stop in the lead-up to the event, training like athletes do!

The heats have started. Do you think this is going to be a big year for Australia's turntablists-
Well we've got a lot of new faces this year which is exciting, and we're doing seven heats, so we are truly national this year. Hopefully, the exposure these guys get through the comp can lead on to other things in their careers.

We've seen the likes of Dexter and, more recently, J-Red achieve success through international competitions. Do you feel Australia is finally being recognised as a country that can keep up with the best-
We're definitely up there. Dexter finishing second in 2000 certainly made people sit up and take notice. J-Red and Staen also did well, so the rest of the world knows we're no mugs!

There are over 30 countries participating in the event each year, but a majority of the winners tends to come from North America. What do you think keeps them ahead of the rest-
Obviously their scene is huge, but since DJ Craze won in 2000, the champs have been from the UK, Japan, Canada and France too.

The competition has considerably evolved since '87. What's your take on the progression of local talent since those early days-
Back in the early days, we were still learning and the scene and the discipline have evolved miles since then.

The gimmicky stuff has gone and now it's technical and more mature from an audio side of things, the winners' sets are really musical.


Dates
Rouse Hill Final - Thursday 19th July / The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill
Sydney Final - Thursday 26th July / Gaelic Club, Sydney
NT Final - Thursday 2nd August / Discovery, Darwin
ACT Final - Friday 3rd August / Toast, Canberra
QLD Final - Thursday 9th August / The Met, Brisbane
Australian Final - Friday 17th August / The Metro, Melbourne
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• stewart hanna
• dmc world championships