Make Sure You Have Fun™ Presents

Crash the Decks: Drummer vs DJ Battle - Pittsburgh, PA

Saturday May 13th 2023

Spirit Hall

242 51st Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15201

21+ with valid ID

Doors at 7 PM

Competition at 8 PM

Tickets on sale now: https://posh.vip/e/crash-the-decks-drummer-vs-dj-battle-pittsburgh-pa

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Get ready, Pittsburgh, PA! After an almost 5-year hiatus, Crash the Decks: Drummer vs DJ Battle is back and better than ever. Four pairs of talented DJs and Drummers will compete in an epic one-night-only event to determine the first Crash the Decks Champions in Pittsburgh, PA. The winning pair will receive sponsored prizes, the prestigious Crash the Decks Championship Belts, a cash prize of $400, and ultimate bragging rights in their city.

This is the first time we're hosting this event since 2018, and you won't want to miss out on this unforgettable experience. Be sure to mark your calendar and join us for the world's largest Drummer vs DJ Battle in Pittsburgh!

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🥁Battling Teams 💿

DJ Alex Rivera + Paul Keys

DJ Inception + Ryan Socrates

Doctor Dap + Jon Sampson

Slim Tha DJ + Jimi Julz

Judges

Selecta

Nate Da Barber

DJ Yamez

Marv Stixx

Hosted by Gabbi Gabbi

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Do you want to compete? Help? Sponsor a future battle? Visit us online at https://crashthedecks.com for more information.

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What is "Drummer vs DJ?"

“Drummer vs DJ” is a niche performance style that fuses the excitement of a club DJ with the energy of a live drummer for a mind-blowing and one-of-a-kind experience.

The "Drummer vs DJ" performance style has its roots in various musical genres, including hip-hop, rock, and electronic dance music (EDM). The concept of live drumming and electronic music production coming together in a performance is not new, but it gained widespread popularity in the mid-2000s with the emergence of a few key performers.

One of the earliest and most influential "Drummer vs DJ" pairs was DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) and Travis Barker of Blink-182. The two began performing together in the early 2000s, blending hip-hop beats with live drumming in a high-energy performance that quickly gained a following. They performed at clubs, award shows, and music festivals worldwide and were known for their innovative mashups and remixes.

Another notable "Drummer vs DJ" pair is DJ Jazzy Jeff and Questlove of The Roots. The two hip-hop DJs have been known to perform together in a variety of formats and are recognized for their virtuosic skills and improvisational style.

In addition to these pairs, there have been many other musicians and performers who have embraced the "Drummer vs DJ" concept, often in one-off duos that play sold-out shows at local clubs and events.

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Event History

In March 2016, farESH Brand and Loyal Order co-hosted the first-ever Drummer vs DJ showcase at Spirit Lodge in Pittsburgh, PA. This event became the first in Spirit's early history to reach capacity on a Sunday. Over the next two years, farESH Brand hosted this event 12 more times in Pittsburgh, while transforming it into a battle and expanding Drummer vs DJ into a year-long tournament that took place over four dates across 2018. DJ ADMC and Dylan Wood successfully defended their reign as champions (4x) and won the first-ever Drummer vs DJ Tournament in Spirit Hall. They decided to take a break hosting the battles in 2019 to regroup, revamp, and prepare for a 2020 return, which was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between 2018 and 2023, farESH Brand ceased operations and closed its online shop. Co-founder Ryan "RB" Brown founded Make Sure You Have Fun™ in 2017, which absorbed the event concept, rebranded it and repackaged it. As the concept evolved into its entity, it deserved its own name beyond the widely recognized "Drummer vs DJ" moniker and adopted "Crash the Decks."

In 2023, Make Sure You Have Fun™ will host the first two Crash the Decks: Drummer vs DJ Battles under its new name in Pittsburgh, PA, and New Haven, CT, while targeting other cities to host one-off exhibitions while preparing for the 2024 Crash the Decks National Tournament.

Join us at Crash the Decks to experience an event you have missed dearly or a brand-new event that will leave you awestruck and convert you into a Crash the Decks enthusiast.

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THANK YOUS

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of the talented individuals who have participated in and contributed to shaping Crash the Decks: Drummer vs DJ Battle into the event that it is today. This includes some of Pittsburgh's finest DJs and drummers, and we would like to give a special shout out to those who have made significant contributions, such as DJ Nugget, DJ Bamboo, Benji., Christo, Josh Williams, Shawn Klocek, Selecta, DJ Alex Rivera, Julz "Jimi Julz" Powell, Professor Asap, Preslav, Pete Butta, Throck, Loran Mann, Evan Meindl, Giuseppe Capolupo, DJ Red, EYEJAY, Jx4, Big Bacon, KEEB$, Cam Mariotti, Maestro, Carvis Fisher, Dennis Snyder, Gianni, Arie Cole, Ron Worthy, DJ Spillz, NateKodi, DJ Petey C, Dylan Wood, DJ ADMC, Slim Tha DJ, Seams, DJ SMI, Paul Keys, Joe Garner III, Blakk Steel, Kevin Munnerlyn, DJ Cake, Kole Brown, J-Spin, Neal Yakopin, Deesus, Make It Nasty, Dr. Drummond, Allen-Mychael Jackson and all of the talented musicians and MCs that graced the stage.

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Spirit and their amazing staff for hosting this event over the years, with a special shout out to Warren Pryde. Additionally, we would like to express our appreciation to Carvis Fisher and N Stuff Music for assisting with the backline over several shows and to Sarah Kochin, Brian Tolbert, DeVaughn Robinson and Josh Snider for their support with logistics, strategy and merchandising. Thank you for helping if you weren't mentioned above. All of the contributions small and large have helped get us here.

Finally, we would like to thank the city of Pittsburgh for believing in this concept and supporting it over the years. Crash the Decks has been our highest requested event and we are thrilled to bring it back. Once again, thank you to everyone who has contributed to making this event a success!