Vekked

Battle Avenue director Antriks has returned with a new episode of DJcityTV’s Fresh Press series. This time, he reviews Vekked, and Fresh Kils‘ seven-inch scratch record, Fresh Cuts.

Released through Fresherthan Records, Fresh Cuts features a mix of unique sounds meant for both scratching and beat juggling. Side A includes four skipless sentences and Side B contains four skipless drum loops.

Watch Antrik’s review above.

Related: Antriks Reviews DJ Woody’s Scratch Record, ‘Flexicuts 4’

With the growing popularity of live streaming, DJs who want to showcase their skills have several platforms to choose from. DJcityTV’s Mojaxx recently caught up with Vekked, the Canadian turntablist with seven world DJ championships to his name, to discuss the advantages of using Twitch to live stream.

While Twitch is most popular among the gaming community, Vekked uses it to teach DJ lessons on subjects like scratching, beat juggling, and putting together a battle routine. He prefers Twitch because it is more interactive than other platforms.

Watch Mo and Vekked’s discussion on this week’s episode of Tips & Tricks.

Related: How to Live Stream a DJ Set, Part 1

With under two weeks left to enter, Vekked has submitted an entry for A-Trak’s Goldie Awards battle. The five-time world DJ champion made the announcement on his Facebook page.

“Currently on a coast to coast Canadian tour, but I decided to come out of solo DJ battle retirement one last time to take a shot at A-Trak’s Goldie Awards. I put a little spin on a routine you may have heard before… this time with even more Mortal Kombat, some Street Fighter, Earthworm Jim, and NBA Jam.”

Vekked told us that he connected an Xkey Air keyboard to Serato Pitch ‘n Time via Bluetooth to control the pitch of the Sega loop.

The Goldie Awards is a new DJ and beat battle that will feature six DJs and six producers competing in their respective categories. The competition will be judged by a star-studded panel that includes Diplo, DJ Craze, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh, Destructo, and Mija. The deadline to enter is August 6, and the live battle will take place at Brooklyn Steel in New York City on September 7.

Watch Vekked’s routine above.

Related: Watch Vekked and DJ Brace’s Final DMC Online Team Routine

Vekked and DJ Brace have already won the DMC Online DJ Championship individually (in 2015 and 2016, respectively). Now, the Canadian turntablists are competing for the team title under their group name, The Fresherthans. Watch their final entry for the battle above.

Related: DJ Brace Scratches Over Kutiman’s ‘Cheetah Guava’ Using the Fretless Fader

Vekked, the 2015 DMC Online World Champion, has teamed up with Trapment, the 2016 Red Bull 3Style World Vice Champion, for a DJcity Podcast mix. Their bass-heavy set includes scratching, live blends, and some of their own productions.

Tracklist:

1. Vekked vs Trapment ft. Flipout – We Are Canadian
2. Party Favor – WAWA
3. Skrillex & Rick Ross – Purple Lamborghini – Acapella
4. Future – Mask Off – Tha Boogie Bandit Remix
5. Wuki – DADADADA
6. DJ Otto & Freebot – Mi Gente
7. Trapment – Ay Ay Ay Routine
8. D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – Broccoli – Acapella
9. Oro Solido – El Baile Del Beeper – FAB! & JO-ZY Remix
10. Ape Drums ft. Suku – Deva
11. Stefflon Don – 16 Shots
12. Drake – No Long Talk – Tall Boys Double Time Intro
13. Kendrick Lamar – ELEMENT.
14. Kendrick Lamar – ELEMENT. – Dillon Nathaniel Warehouse Bass Edit
15. Trippy Turtle – 21 – Vekked Half-Time Edit
16. Snow – Buried Alive – Lean Up vs Logic
17. Beastie Boys – Sabotage – Vekked Remix
18. DJ Shadow ft. Run The Jewels – Nobody Speak – Acapella
19. Rage Against The Machine – Killing In The Name – The Living Proof Remix
20. RL Grime, What So Not, & Skrillex – Waiting
21. John Lennon – Imagine – Ciskko 2016 Remix
22. Jay Z – 99 Problems
23. Jason Derulo ft. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign – Swalla After Dark Remix
24. Trapment – I Believe In A Marsh Called Mello Routine
25. RL Grime – Reims – Vekked Wonderwall Mash

Follow Vekked on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitter.
Follow Trapment on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitter.

Related: Watch Vekked’s Incredible Set for the MikiDz Show

Chris Karns opens for Pretty Lights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. (Michael Hobby)

Former DMC World Champion Chris Karns has issued a public apology to current DMC World Champion Vekked for negative comments he made about him a few months ago. The statement was posted on Karns’ personal Facebook account on Monday.

Karns wrote:

“Being able to humble yourself and admit when you were wrong can be very difficult sometimes. With that being said, I would like to publicly apologize to Jake Vekked Meyer for my words and actions towards him. Although I may not have started it, I continued it long after Jake made many attempts to make it right. I wrote Jake an angry reply in which I said some very harsh things. Those words were made public a few months back, and I’m glad they were, because it made me realize that the way I was behaving towards him was not the way I want to behave towards anybody in this life, and is not a reflection of who I am trying very hard to be as a person. I reached out to Jake privately about this already and we are on good terms now, but I felt it was only right to let everyone else know as well. Both Jake and I share a common love, which is the art form of turntable music. I will no longer let my pride and ego cloud the fact that he and I are on the same team, and working towards the same goals, which is to advance the turntable as a musical instrument. So Jake, I am truly sorry for the things I said to you that were fueled by my jealousy and animosity towards your successes. Thank you for forgiving me and allowing us both to move forward and build the turntablism community up together instead of creating division amongst our fans and peers. Much respect.”

Karns’ apology has received an outpouring of support, including from Vekked himself, who posted the following response:

“Shout out to the big homie Chris Karns for being a genuine dude :). Obviously a lot of people saw our falling out pretty publicly but he was a big enough man to hit me up privately and we hashed it out privately. I can’t say much more than he’s already said, and we’re good now so I’m not gonna dwell on it. Peace and love!!”

There’s been a lot of conflict and division within the DJ community in recent years, so it’s great to Karns and Vekked squash the beef.

Related: Watch Vekked’s Incredible Set for the MikiDz Show

Vekked, the reigning DMC world and online champion, lived up to his titles last Monday with an incredible set for DJcity’s MikiDz Show. The Canadian’s 53-minute performance was also unique in terms of selection, from hip-hop and soul to rock and drum and bass.

After his performance, Vekked took part in a candid and insightful interview with hosts MikiWAR and Styles Davis. The conversation focused on his unusual background, the current state of turntablism, his recent entry into TV scoring, and more.

Watch Vekked’s entire set and interview below and download the audio via iTunes.

Vekked with MikiDz hosts MikiWAR and Styles Davis

The audience

Related: Watch Craze’s Epic Set for the MikiDz Show

Reigning DMC World Champion and Online Champion Vekked will make his debut on DJcity’s MikiDz Show on Monday, June 13.

A native of Ontario, Canada, Vekked is currently the only DJ to have won two DMC world titles in the same year. Before that, Vekked won the 2012 and 2013 IDA World Championship and 2012 DMC World Supremacy Championship.

The live stream will begin at 7 p.m. PST and include sets by hosts MikiWAR and DJ Dainjazone.

Related: Watch Craze’s Epic Set for the MikiDz Show

 
Vekked has shared a new video of himself performing his winning routine from the 2015 DMC World Championship. Although home and live versions are already available, the Canadian’s latest is professionally produced with special effects. Vekked also put his custom gold Rane TTM57mkII mixer to work.
 
Watch above and go practice.
 
Related: Vekked Juggles Gang Starr’s ‘Full Clip’

 
Gang Starr’s 1999 single “Full Clip” is a certified classic. To pay homage to it, reigning DMC World and Online Champ Vekked has shared a video of him juggling the track. The Canadian turntablist said the juggle was intended for his 2015 DMC Online routine, but was cut out.
 
Related: Vekked Wins 2015 DMC Online DJ Championship