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Johannesburg - One of the globe’s coolest and most innovative music experiences is about to hit Orlando Stadium in Soweto. The Red Bull Culture Clash is the ultimate sound battle – and to win, the four chosen crews on four different stages will have to take things to the next level. Which means surprise special guests but also exclusive, one-night-only dubplate specials. Inspired by Jamaican sound clashes, the event will feature AKA and Top Boyz sound system, Ghanaian star Patoranking and Red Hot sound system, DJ Tira and Durban Massacre sound system and Admiral and Jahseed with African Storm sound system. They represent some of our biggest sounds: hip hop, house, Afrobeats and reggae. Past winners include Channel One, Boy Better Know, Rebel Sound and Admiral and Jahseed.
So, what are the rules? Red Bull Culture Clash is split into four rounds. A crew’s set in each round lasts between five and 15 minutes. A countdown clock appears on the main screen 10 seconds before the end of each set. When the time is up, sound will fade out, then cut.
Crews are actively encouraged to play custom-made dubplate specials and to introduce their secret guests any time during the event. However, in the final round, it’s dubs, remixes and live performances only. No regular records whatsoever. Strictly no repeats. If a crew repeats a tune played earlier in the night, they’re disqualified from that round. The only exception is if the record is explicitly announced as “counteraction”. A round is won by crowd reaction – the audience decides who is the best in terms of originality, performance, song selection and energy.
The final call rests with the hosts. At the end of the night they will decide who the winner of Red Bull Culture Clash is, based on noise from the audience. It’s hard to predict a victor, but on the Red Bull SA website there’s a noise meter which measures social media support for each crew, with DJ Tira and Durban Massacre sound system way ahead of the rest.
How you can take part:
The action will be on Saturday, 23 September. Tickets, available at Computicket, range from R200 to R350. Follow #redbullcultureclash on Twitter for updates.
To win one of two double tickets, SMS the keywords RED BULL CULTURE CLASH, your name, surname, email address and province to 34217.
SMSes cost R1.50, free SMSes do not apply.
