Make Sure You Have Fun™ Presents: Crash the Decks: National Drummer vs DJ Tournament 2025

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Teams consisting of a drummer and a DJ will compete against each other and be judged on six key areas: DJ Performance, DJ Creativity, Drummer Performance, Drum Solo, Crowd Participation, and most importantly, Team Chemistry. The team with the highest overall score in each qualifying round will advance to the Championship Round in September and have the chance to become their city's standing Crash the Decks Champions. The CTD Champions in each city will then have the opportunity to compete in the CTD National Championship Round in November 2025, where we will crown the best Drummer vs DJ duo in the country.

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Crash the Decks: National Drummer vs DJ Tournament 2025 | Round 2 - Hartford, CT

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

Arc Street Tavern

242 51st Street

85 Arch St

Hartford, CT 06103

21+

Doors at 8:30 PM

Battle at 9:00 PM

$10 Presale

$20 Day of Show

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Tickets on sale 1/17/25 @ 11AM

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What is Crash the Decks?

Crash the Decks stands as the world's premier and first-ever Drummer vs DJ Battle League. CTD combines DJs with live drummers to deliver an unforgettable competitive musical experience with the goal of finding the best Drummer vs DJ Duo in the world.

What to expect this season?

The 2025 CTD Season is our largest yet, featuring 32 teams from across the United States, all competing for the top spot in a high-stakes tournament and musical showdown. Expect to see carefully paired teams of DJs and drummers showcasing their unique spin on this performance style as they explore musical genres and drumming techniques while also trying to find the perfect spot for a standout drum solo—all with the goal of wowing the judges and keeping their fans dancing. This competition is as much a battle as it is a party.

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Battling Teams

🥁Jocelyn Pleasant + DJ Stealth💿

🥁Brian Zagaja + DJ Nihilist💿

🥁Evan Wood + DJ Gameboy💿

🥁Akin Hobson + IKEGOTJUICE💿

Judges

📝X

📝Brandon Serafino

📝Andy Sorenson

📝Ivan Powell

🎤Hosted by Rosen West

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Curated by Victoria Darrah of Hartford Has Music, Hartford, CT's Crash the Decks Ambassador.

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If you'd like to compete in a future battle, watch previous battle rounds, see the officla scores or sponsor one of our battles, visit us online at https://crashthedecks.com to inquire, register, or 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 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, known together as TRV$DJAM. The two began performing together in the early 2000s, blending hip-hop beats, rock anthems, house, and other dance music genres with live drumming in a high-energy performance that quickly gained a following. They performed at clubs, award shows, and music festivals worldwide drawing thousands, and were known for their innovative mashups and remixes.

Another noteworthy "Drummer vs DJ" duo is the combonation of DJ Jazzy Jeff and Questlove of The Roots. These two hip-hop DJs have also played many venues togehter around the country, showcasing their combined expertise in turntablism, drumming, and musical taste. If you've ever had the opportunity to witness these two live, consider yourself lucky.

In addition to these established pairs, numerous other musicians and performers have adopted and continue to showcase the "Drummer vs DJ" performance style, often collaborating in one-off duos that perform at local clubs and events worldwide. Although this performance style is not new, our battle league brings a fresh and exciting twist to the scene, offering a unique competitive platform for these talented artists to showcase their skills.

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History of Crash the Decks

The concept of Crash the Decks, formerly known as Drummer vs DJ, originated in March 2016 when farESH Brand and Loyal Order co-hosted the inaugural showcase at Spirit Lodge in Pittsburgh, PA. This event marked a milestone in Spirit's history, reaching full capacity on a Sunday for the first time. Over the next two years, farESH Brand organized the event 12 more times in Pittsburgh, transforming it into a battle seeing Giuseppe Capolupo and DJ Red becoming our first ever Drummer vs DJ Champions. We then expanded the battle into a year-long tournament across four dates in 2018. The duo DJ ADMC and Dylan Wood successfully defended their champion title four times and emerged as the winners of the first-ever Drummer vs DJ Tournament held at Spirit Hall.

After a hiatus in 2019 and a planned return in 2020 that was unfortunately halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, farESH Brand ceased operations between 2018 and 2023, leading to the closure of its online shop. However, co-founder Ryan "RB" Brown had established Make Sure You Have Fun™ in 2017, which absorbed the event concept, underwent a rebranding, and repackaged it. As the concept evolved, it adopted the name "Crash the Decks."

In 2023, Make Sure You Have Fun™ hosted the first Crash the Decks: Drummer vs DJ Battle Exhibitions in Pittsburgh, PA; Fargo, ND; and New Haven, CT, under its new name, drawing hundreds of curious and excited fans across the country. In 2024, the quest to find the world's best Drummer vs DJ duo expanded, with battles held again in the original cities, but also adding in Hartford, CT, and Washington, D.C., setting the stage for the inaugural Crash the Decks National Tournament in 2025.

This year, we are hosting the largest tournament in our league's history. Thirty-two teams across four cities - Pittsburgh, PA; New Haven, CT; Hartford, CT; and Fargo, ND - will face off in their local tournament brackets throughout the year, advancing to compete in their city's Crash the Decks Championship Round in September 2025.

See you in November 2025 for the National Championship Round!

Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the battle league , our events promise to convert you into a Crash the Decks enthusiast. Don't miss out on the excitement - be a part of the largest tournament in our history and witness the world's best Drummer vs DJ duos in action.

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Who’s the best?

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