Battle Recap : October 16 2014

Posted by jordimack on October 21, 2014
Posted in: Battle Wrap Up. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Our 7th night of competition was the closest battle we’ve had all year.  The evening ended with a double tie breaker bout, and our winner was crowned by a margin of only 13 points.  That’s close!

Here is how it all went down…

Mike-A-Knight [429] VS Mil Yezzy [326]

mike1

Battle veteran Mike-A-Knight came ready to battle in his return to the MTBD.  He told us before he got on stage, that he was going to surprise all of us.  And he sure did.   In his first battle against rookie Mil Yezzy, Mike scored over 100 points more than his opponent.  Quite the impressive first round for Mike.

Came One [414] VS Coby [425]

10301207_10152832516576913_7399060597812230437_n

2012 Miltown Beat Down champion Came One returned to the ring to face rookie Coby.  We don’t think Came One was exactly ready for what Coby was going to bring to the competition.  We have seen live beats through out the years of this competition, but nothing like what Coby brought to this battle.  He expertly executed his beats, changed tempos and freaked his patterns with skill.  He beat the 2012 champ in this round, and set the stage for an exciting night of battles.

Coby [368] VS Mike-A-Knight [426]

10593065_10152832520036913_5904221633106574275_n

Mike-A-Knight seemed much more prepared to battle Coby in round three.  He brought undeniable heat and exciting sounds that captivated the audience.  Coby’s performance was technically perfect, but lacked some of the excitement he brought in the last round.  The crowd was with Mike in this round, and so were the judges.  Mike won his second battle of the night, with a score of 426.

Came One [430] VS Mil Yezzy [352]

10262072_10152832521256913_619771758612034722_n

Mil Yezzy stepped it up in his second bout of the night, but he was always a few steps behind Came One in this battle.  You could see that Came One was not happy to have lost his first round, and he came at his opponent with everything he had.  Racking up an impressive 430, Came One was the victor in this round.

Coby [464] VS Mil Yezzy [339]

10710675_10152832518931913_5820065675453761151_n

Coby was ready to leave his mark on this event, and he did so in a big way for his final appearance.  He performed his three beats flawlessly and even used some clever samples to keep the audience on his side through out this round.  Coby ended up with the highest score of the entire night, and beat Mil Yezzy with a total of 464 out of 495 points.  Impressive!

Came One [463] VS Mike-A-Knight [439]

1920274_10152832523771913_4199340809035404899_n

At this point in the night, Mike and Came One both knew they needed to win this final battle.  If you were keeping score, Mike was only ahead of Came One by a few points.  That number remained close through out this final round.  Each producer brought the hotness, and after 3 beats each, we went into a tie breaker #beatoff.

10730983_10152832524196913_2367487683546221185_n

Then after the tie breaker, we went into another round of beats!  The audience was split on this one, and we were biting our nails to see how the scores would come back.

1902942_10152832527351913_4804426711151392315_n

After all added up, Mike-A-Knight won two battles and racked up 1,294 points. Came One also had two victories, but scored a 13 more points than the mighty Mike-A-Knight to win with a total of 1307.    Came One returns to the Miltown Beat Down finals on November 8th, as he tries to be the first to win this competition two times.

10523906_10152832527006913_9201763588108610284_n

Battle Recap : October 9, 2014

Posted by jordimack on October 10, 2014
Posted in: Battle Wrap Up. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Our 6th evening of battle in the 2014 competition saw a few (almost perfect scores) from young sensation Auggie and the talented rookie Strehlow.  With exciting new sounds from rookie KT KILLIN EM and dynamic performances from Elete Trax; this was our favorite night of battle so far!

Round1: Auggie [368] vs Elete Trax [385]

auggie

Battle vets Elete Trax and Auggie know how to win at the Miltown Beat Down.  Both have found themselves in the finals in year’s past, so we knew the night would start off with some bangers.  Elete brought his sample savvy funk, while Auggie hit us with some tempos and sounds we’ve never heard before.  After 6 beats, Elete Trax came out ahead in the first battle.

Round 2: Strehlow [448] vs KT Killin Em [383]

kt

Miltown Beat Down rookies Strehlow and KT we ready to show the crowd what they were packing in round 2.  KT hit us up with some dark and bass heavy beats that explained exactly why he goes under the moniker KT Killin Em.  Then Strehlow showed how he lives up the MTBD motto, “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Beat.”  He brought a big beat, then another and another.  He kept that stride though out the battle, and won his first battle by a large lead.

Round 3: Auggie [446] vs KT Killin Em [370]

auggiekt

Auggie had some ground to make up in the second battle.  While KT kept coming at Auggie with dark trap tempo beats, Auggie’s unique sounds and samples impressed the judges and the crowd.  He seemed to draw from a style of electronic music we were not ready for, and when we got the groove, it captivated everyone.  Auggie racked up an impressive 446 points, and won that round.

Round 4: Strehlow [465] vs Elete Trax [425]

elete

Elete Trax knew he had his work cut out for him in round four, but little did we know he had a few tricks up his sleeve. ( or rather in his pocket ).  Strehlow again raised the bar on sound, creativity and crowd participation, getting pretty much everyone in the room to OOH and AHH at every beat he played.  By the time we reached the end of the battle, Elete said, “Fuck It’ and pulled out his phone.  Now this would usually be a cheesy and poor decision to make, but Elete Trax wowed everyone in the room, when he perfectly executed a live beat from 16 pads on his Samsung!  With both producers scoring over 400 points in this round, Strehlow won with a total of 465.

ROund 5: Elete Trax [394] vs KT Killin Em [372]

elete1

Riding high from the reception he received in the last round of battle, Elete Trax brought some very creative beats in his battle against KT.  Their styles were very different, and each brought his A game for this last appearance on stage.  Without a doubt, the reason Elete Trax won this battle, was his live manipulation of his beats.  He beat KT with a score of 394.

Round 6: Strehlow [479] vs Auggie [451]

strehlow

Strehlow and Auggie were without a doubt the most sonically dynamic producers on the stage in night six.  Each of them saved their best for last, and brought the energy level up to 11 in this last bout.  Auggie’s playlist was loaded with huge synths and more high energy electronic vibes.  But Strehlow was not bowing down. He proved that he deserved this win, and expertly orchestrated a completely original style of chill tempo high energy beats.  The crowd had a really difficult time picking a winner for this battle, and we went into a MTBD#beatoff.  With a total of 8 beats in this bout, Strehlow came out on top.

crowd

In his final appearance of the night, Strehlow got a damn near perfect score, 479 out of 495.  With a grand total of 1,392, our winner for round six is Strehlow.  He will compete with the top 8 producers in the 2014 Finals, on November 8th at the Miramar Theater.

2014-MTBD-Finals-Flier

Battle Recap: October 2nd 2014

Posted by jordimack on October 8, 2014
Posted in: Battle Wrap Up. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

We enter the month of October with another dynamic night of beats.  The 5th round of the 2014 Miltown Beat Down featured battle vets Oh James, Drewcifier, ediS-B, and the 2014 rookie of the year ( so far ) B4Lazers.

Here is how it all went down.

Round 1: ediS-B [442]  VS B4Lasers [389]

IMG_1560 2

If we could’ve known in advance how dynamic this battle was going to be, we would have saved it for the end of the night.  ediS-B and rookie b4Lazers came out swinging in our first round of the night.  B4Lazers got the crowd chanting and moving within the first few kick drums.  ediS-B was ready and brought a three pack of dirty and dark beats that won over the crowd and judges.

Round 2: Drewcifer [315]  VS Oh James [313]

Screen Shot 2014-10-06 at 8.42.45 PM

Both Drewcifer and Oh James have been on this MTBD stage in the past, but neither of them brought as much excitement in the past, as they did in this round.  Drewcifier blurred genre lines with his eletro inspired rap beats, while Oh James brought bis bass and some real cool samples.  This was a VERY close battle, and Drewcifier won by only a 3 point margin.

Round 3: ediS-B [389] VS Drewcifer [318]

IMG_3032

Drewcifier and ediS-B each tried a new approach in this round.  While ediS-B gave us some more abstract beats, Drewcifer went even deeper into his biggest bass.  The diversity of styles in this round was impressive, but the energy was a bit lower than either of their previous appearances on stage.

Round 4: B4Lasers [412]  VS Oh James [390]

IMG_2965

Rookie B4Lazers hit his stride late in the night, and was ready to stomp out his competition.  While Oh James was ready with some of the best beats we’ve ever heard from him.  His flip of SNAP’s “I’ve Got The Power” was one our our personal highlights of the night.  While Oh James had his highest score of the night in this round, B4Lazers won over the crowd and the judges in this round.

Round 5: B4Lasers [370]  VS Drewcifer [342]

1969267_10152771793061913_6616185485826591254_n

This was a particularly interesting battle.  The energy was on a dynamic incline from the first beats of the bout, and came to a (personally” disappointing end.  We knew these producers had some heat left in there collections, and we asked them to give us each one additional beat to help the judges decide who the winner of this battle.  After four beats a piece, rookie B4Lazers pulled out another win.

Round 6: ediS-B [366] VS Oh James [287]

IMG_1556

In our last bout, each producer took a much different approach to their finale.  While Oh James opted to use well knone samples like Norah Jones, Coldplay and Street Fight II sounds; ediS-B pulled out a patch work of hard beats and diss samples that were reminiscent of early Dr Dre and Bomb Squad tracks.  While Oh James score high for sound quality, ediS-B won over the crowd and scored high in the creativity category.

 

In the end rookie B4Lazers only lost to one producer, and that producer was our overall point leader ediS-B.  With a score of 1,197 and three batttle victories, edis-B moves on to the 2014 finals on November 8th at the Miramar Theater.

 

 

 

Battle Recap : September 25 2014

Posted by jordimack on September 29, 2014
Posted in: Battle Wrap Up. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The fourth evening of battles in the 2014 Miltown Beat Down featured DJ/Producer Moses, MTBD veteran Soul Trak and was dominated by two dynamic producers; Bennie D and *hitmayng.  Live scratching, creative synthesizer performance and technical difficulties  were some of the highlights of the night.

Here is how it went down..

Round 1: *hitmayng [450] VS Bennie D [444]

10405675_10152770948736913_5708665869910383685_n

If there was ever a battle that was too close to call, it was our first round.  New comer Bennie D brought a high impact and high energy style that was tough for the seasoned MTBD vet *hitmayng.  Now Bennie is no battle rookie, but the crowd didn’t know what to expect from the new producer.  He caught everyone’s attention right away.  Riddled with technical difficulty, *hitmayng simply closed his laptop and freaked some beats on his SP-404.  In the history of this event, producers with this much technical woes have bowed out, or just lost.  But *hitmayng fought through it, and WON his first round of battle.

Round 2:  Soul Trak [416] VS Moses [435]

10686810_10152770944281913_6507471985474329762_n

Armed to the teeth, with turntables, scratch records and fresh beats, rookie Moses made quite the impression on the crowd in his first Miltown Beat Down appearance.  Soul Trak and Moses had almost opposite styles.  While Moses focused on funky samples and big bass, Soul Track showed us he was a synth guru.  The crowd seemed with Moses from the jump, while the judges seemed to be impressed with Soul Trak’s unique style.  A close one, but Moses came out on top.

Round 3:  *hitmayng [410]  VS Soul Trak [332]

10702194_10152770946876913_8399259172424223756_n

After some computer TLC, *hitmayng returned ready to win in his second appearance.  Soul Trak brought a variety of new sounds we’d not heard on the MTBD stage this year.  While he won over many of the judges, Soul Trak was no match for *hitmayng’s slumpy and fat sound.

Round 4: Bennie D [442]  VS Moses [371]

10712813_10152770957476913_8059366674262956194_n

Rookies Bennie D and Moses faced off in the fourth round of battle with a completely different approach.  Mosese was trying to get the audience hype to his energetic style and dynamic scratch techniques.  While Bennie D played it cool, and let the beats do all the work for him.  Bennie threw out a few flips that won over the judges and the crowd ( that wasn’t yelling for Moses ).

Round 5:  Bennie D [465]  VS Soul Trak [341]

10696228_10152770958511913_2803705750652161358_n

Bennie D stepped back into the ring to face Soul Trak in their final appearance of the night.  Bennie wasn’t just going for the win, he was throwing everything he had at em.  While Soul Trak definitely brought some of his best beats in this last round, Bennie D flipped a Daft Punk classic into a hip-hop / house hybrid that took him over the top with the crowd.

Round 6:  *hitmayng [462]  VS Moses [398]

10421120_10152771792791913_4153829949672913702_n

Off stage, these two are friends and collaborators, but in the ring of battle, there were no holds barred.  Moses was ready to out perform *hitmayng, but unfortunately for Moses, *hitmayng’s computer was back up and running.   We can only imagine the heat that *hitmayng was planning to bring in the competition, because the three beats he played in this round nearly started a riot!  Moses, a true master of ceremonies, got the audience so into what he was doing, that we had to go into a tie breaker #beatoff.  After 4 beats, *hitmayng came out on top.

With a total score of 1,322 *hitmayng was runner-up to Bennie D’s impressive final score of 1,351.

10670116_10152771794336913_4994344873580980149_n

Bennie D moves on to the finals at the Miramar Theater on November 8th 2014.

Battle Recap : September 18 2014

Posted by jordimack on September 20, 2014
Posted in: Battle Wrap Up. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Our third round of battle was some of the most exciting bouts we’ve seen so far in the 2014 season.  No rookies on the stage Thursday night as we saw the return of AG, Goodwill, Mike Regal and Allerian.  The diversity of styles was a welcome change of pace.

No two producers were in any way alike, and each round had plenty of surprises in store.

Round 1: Allerian [408] VS Goodwill [387]

10609455_10152754787791913_7485501630772865947_n

We all were excited to see what Allerian was going to bring to the table this year.  Last season, he was a surprise to all who faced who faced him.  In 2013 these two competitors faced each other in a very close bout.  This year was no different.  With only a 21 point differential, Allerian pulled with a win in our first battle.

Round 2: AG [338] VS Mike Regal [433]

10609685_10152754790316913_4957105514205431175_n

It’s been several years since AG has been on the MTBD stage, and it’s obvious that he’s been perfecting his craft since.  From what we saw from Mike Regal, he too has been busy in the lab honing his battle skills.  Mike stepped out of the gate strong, with an arsenal of hot beats and some Mortal Kombat samples!  Mike offered up a FATALITY for this round.

Round 3: Allerian [394] VS AG[329]

10288699_10152754791911913_1242482299756775918_n

Allerian’s electro hybrid style was tough for AG to keep up with in this round.  While AG had some heat, Allerian was captivating the crowd with his Elektron Octarack.  Live manipulation of the beats came with ease for Allerian, and if those who didn’t care for his sound, were on his side as he freaked the funk.

Round 4: Goodwill [399] VS Mike Regal [441]

10671363_10152754794366913_3656181282582549987_n

This was the battle we had been waiting for all night!  Goodwill and Mike Regal brought the HOTTEST of HOTTNESS in this battle.  Goodwill’s bass heavy bangers went toe to toe with Mike’s hard hitting samples.  After six beats, the crowd wanted more.  Before we could get the audience to vote for their favorite, a MTBD #beatoff was called for.

(beat down verb \ˈbēt\ \ˈdau̇n\: tie breaker battle of the highest caliber )

After 4 rounds of battle, Mike Regal came out ahead with a 42 point lead.

Round 5:  Allreian [351] VS Mike Regal [421]

1979704_10152754797481913_2410608339961856733_n

Coming back into the ring, after a big win against Goodwill, Mike Regal really hit his stride.  While Allerian’s style was no match for Mike’s hard-hitting anthems.  The crowd was with him, and so were the judges, as Mike Regal won his third round of competition.

Round 6: Goodwill [375] VS AG[353]

10653738_10152754797851913_8038131993604129370_n

Goodwill seemed determined to knock out AG in this final bout.  But AG came correct, and brought his 3 best beats of this night in this round.  You could tell each of these producers were ready to claim a victory in the final competition of the night.  AG’s style was giving Goodwill a run for his money, but in the end, the judges awarded a few more to Goodwill

10645040_10152754799616913_7460157089666675172_n

In the end Mike Regal not only won each of his battles, but he won over the crowd as well. With a score of 1,295 Mike Regal is our 3rd finalist for the 2014 Miltown Beat Down and will compete in the November 8th Finals.

10505351_10152754797181913_8946645686788402176_n