CRASH THE DECKS
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FUN™ BROUGHT THE HEAT TO NEW HAVEN WITH THIS DJ - DRUMMER BATTLE.
DJ DPHR & Drummer Jonathan Alexander's set
Media courtesy of Julia @junglexjulia
On Thursday, May 30th - Make Sure You Have Fun™ brought their battle of the bands series, “Crash The Decks” to Stella Blues in downtown New Haven to kick off the Summer season. The competition featured 4 DJ-drummer duos going back to back with the opportunity to display their technical skill, charisma, and ability to keep the crowd invested in their set.
New Haven residents showed up and showed out for the competition. The venue was packed from front to back, and if the bass shaking up the block wasn’t enough to pull people in (and it totally was, it put me in a trance) - I’m sure the familiar names on the bill encouraged their supporters and plus one’s to pop in.
Musician Tang Sauce had a mesmerizing energy about him as the host and kept the crowd involved throughout the evening, consistently checking in and even handing over the mic to encourage participation.
Tang's Crowd Work
The competition was intense, each DJ/drummer pairing had a timed slot to make an impression on the crowd with their musical chemistry. The competitors included:
Reigning 2023 (& now 2024!) Crash Champions drummer - Jonathan Alexander & DJ DPHR
& Drummer Jock & DJ Rnice
Each duo played with a range of genres during their sets giving the crowd a nice dose of Amapiano, reggaeton, and throwback rnb - there was something for everyone at Stella’s.
The competitors got an opportunity to make a lasting impression on not only the crowd; but also its judges including familiar names like DJ & Producer Ch’varda, Producer Airforeffect, DJ KissmeimFamous, and drummer JStixx.
They were judged on their performance, the crowd’s reaction, and their musical chemistry.
With their music expertise as their background, the judges held nothing back but maintained a constructive tone - making it clear they chose the right people for the job.
In the end - contestants Jonathan Alexander & DJ DPHR defended and kept their title as the reigning Crash The Decks champions, no doubt thanks to their impressive timing and chemistry on stage (and of course, a perfectly chosen drop of “They Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar that had the crowd screaming the lyrics).
2023- 2024 Crash The Decks Champions
The other contestants showed their sportsmanship through the cheers, and it was obvious that no love was lost. From beginning to end the energy in the room was nothing less than stellar, and we’re super excited to see what else MSYHF brings to the city of New Haven, or honestly, just Connecticut in general.
