One of the DJ's who had long been a fan of Shortee's innovative approach to hip hop and R&B, and was a regular listener to his show, was American DJ Josh Hodge (known professionally as DJ@War).
"To me Shortee is one of the few DJ's I have heard over here who carries a particular swagger and never misses a beat," he said. "He's one of the guys I'd be proud to say represents the best of what's going on in the UK."
This month DJ@War emerged as winner of the competition, having been judged to have produced the most creative 25-minute mix. He arrived at KISS-FM's London studios to be congratulated by Shortee Blitz, to pick up his pair of DN-S3500's and to be invited to make a guest appearance on his show. "I have a studio in Cambridge and these Denons will be a great addition to it," he said.
DJ@War came to the UK four years ago as a member of the US Air Force, but turned to music full time in 2004 having been inspired by DJs like Kid Capri (from the Def Comedy Jam), Cash Money, and Jazzy Jeff.
DJ@War's mix was singled out by a panel including Shortee, his manager Jacqueline Turner and producer Nancy Prentice. Yet the DJ nearly missed a shot at the main prize. "I was getting ready to fly out to Mauritius when I got a call from Jacqueline saying the original CD I had sent in had been broken; so I unpacked and redid it - and I'm glad that I did."
He says he is now looking forward to delving into the many facilities on the DN-S3500, with its powerful 12-pole Direct Drive motor - including the seven on-board effects, intuitive control and support for the different cueing protocols.
Summing up the competition, Shortee Blitz said: "There were a lot of people who were playing basically the same thing - but @War had his own flavour and I knew what he could do. He did just enough cutting, but not too much. I now look forward to having him on my show."
(Chris Henry)
