And then there were three! The third season of SMIRNOFF’s MASTER OF THE MIX DJ competition aired its penultimate episode last night as the remaining DJs battle for a grand prize of $250,000.
On this weeks episode, the remaining DJs which include JayCeeOh, Incrediboi, DJ Chris Karns and Loczi, were tasked with creating an original remix to Grammy Award-winning singer Estelle’s new single, “Do My Thing” featuring Janelle Monae. Not only was Estelle’s track the key ingredient in this weeks challenge, the beauty from Britain was a guest judge on the panel as well.
The episode began with the DJs arriving at a Miami mansion that was later revealed to be the famous Circle House Studios. SMIRNOFF’s MOTM host Amanda Seales greeted the DJs and filled them in on their task for the episode. “Today you are all producers,” she said following the instructions for the challenge. Each DJ was given three hours to work with an engineer and create an original, creative and Estelle-centric remix to the singers’ new song.
Loczi began crafting a more dubstep-centered remix, while Incrediboi was leaning heavily on the influences of trap music. Chris Karns on the other hand went straight for the soul as he used a classic Marvin Gaye instrumental as the backdrop for his remix while JayCeeOh built his remix from scratch. Estelle then stopped by the studio as the guys were working to check out what they had accomplished so far.
With the second-to-last challenge ready to being, JayCeeOh took the stage first to premiere his remix to Estelle’s “Do My Thing.” JayCeeOh immediately worked on pumping up the crowd and proclaimed, “I’m about to show you how a real DJ flips a remix!” Amidst the pounding drums and bass drops, JayCeeOh went to work scratching live in areas that he had let blank so that he could showcase his DJ’ing skills in addition to what he was capable of as a producer. With all three judges on their feet following the song, Kid Capri spoke first. “I didn’t want it to stop,” he said. “You set the bar very very high.”
DJ Loczi was up next. “This record goes out to everyone who isn’t afraid to be themselves,” he said. His dubstep-laced remix roared through the speakers. Despite Loczi’s lack of actual DJing during his set, he made one heck of an impression on the judges. “That was like a tsunami!” Capri shouted. “I wish I would have seen some more turn-tabling but that beat was absolutely crazy.” Even Estelle came out and said that while it wasn’t exactly her cup of tea, she absolutely loved what Loczi had done with the song however his lack of actually touching the turntables would not be forgotten.
Incrediboi followed with a more soulful and bouncy remix that allowed him to showcase the strength of such technical skills as scratching and live mixing. His blend of reggae, doo-wop and trap helped create a truly unique sound that was adored by all the judges.”You’re an incredible DJ and your scratching is amazing,” judge Ben Maddahi said following the set. “Your production ability is a lot better than I thought it would be.”
Last up was Chris Karns who won Estelle’s heart the second he dropped the instrumental for Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar” behind her vocals. Throughout his set, Karns showcased his scratching skills over a double-timed beat and undoubtedly had more DJ skills on display during this challenge than any of the other DJs. “It was super creative and flawless,” said Ben. Judge Mia Moretti also had some kind words for Karns when she said, “that was the perfect marriage of turntablism and production!”
Following the four sets showcasing each DJs remix to “Do My Thing,” the judges gathered to deliberate and decide who was the challenge’s winner and who would ultimately be getting their “record scratched” this week. The unanimous champion of the challenge was revealed to be JayCeeOh while DJ Loczi was sent home for not actually using any live DJ skills during his set.
Next weeks season finale will find the final three DJs battling it out for a grand prize of $250,000 and the official title of SMIRNOFF’s MASTER OF THE MIX!
Check back next week for another episode recap!
