-seven zones to compete for cash prizes, trophies, national bragging rights
LOCAL DJs will have an opportunity to showcase their musical talent and compete for cash prizes, trophies and a place in the national spotlight following Thursday’s launch of Banks DIH Limited’s Guinness Smooth Pull Up DJ Skillset Competition.
The nationwide initiative aims to recognise and develop emerging talent. The competition kicks off in Berbice on October 16 and will roll out across seven regions or zones where Guinness Smooth is distributed, giving consumers the opportunity to come out, show support for their favourite local DJs and enjoy the entertainment, with artistes adding to the excitement.
With DJs going head-to-head under strict competition rules, winners can look forward to a number of prizes as the competition builds up to the national finals in December.
Beyond the music and competition, the initiative is about giving local talent a platform to shine while giving back to the consumers who continue to support the brand.
The competition, which begins on Friday, at Froggie’s Guinness House, Number 30 village, West Coast Berbice, will feature selected DJs from seven zones across Guyana. Unlike traditional DJ clashes, the competition is designed to highlight participants’ musical selection, creativity, technical skills and ability to engage an audience through clean music and seamless mixing.
Guinness Brand Executive, Jeoff Clement, said the initiative forms part of the company’s efforts to develop the Guinness Smooth brand while creating opportunities for young DJs to grow. “The idea is not to clash with any DJs. There are different competitions that involve clashing. This competition outlines basically talent and craft. You are actually doing your juggling, doing your selecting…it is for you to show your skill set in terms of music,” Clement explained.
He said the competition is also intended to encourage younger DJs to recognise the opportunities available to them within the music industry. Participants could use the platform to build their experience and potentially advance to regional and international opportunities.
“Just to give some of the junior DJs or younger DJs confidence that even though they might come to this competition to participate, there are opportunities for you to grow in the area, there are opportunities for you to show your craft, and who knows, you might be a top DJ for Guyana. Who knows you might be a top DJ for your region or for your zone. But it is just for you to get an idea that this is basically talent,” he said. He added that audience participation will be an important part of the competition and he used the opportunity to encourage the participating DJs to focus on engaging the crowd as fans at selected venues will be voting for their favourites.
Competition Coordinator Richard Francios, known as DJ Big Z, said the contest will be governed by specific rules and performance requirements, with seven rounds comprising four preliminary rounds and three knockout rounds. DJs will be expected to demonstrate versatility across different musical genres, including old-school, hip-hop and dancehall, before moving into the smooth-style freestyle segment, where they must transition seamlessly between genres announced during the competition.
Participants can also demonstrate their creativity through mashups, scratching, and other technical skills. However, Francios stressed that clean music is mandatory, warning that “Any dirty music will result in immediate elimination.”
He said the judging criteria will include music selection, use of technology, crowd interaction and response, unique performance, technical skill, creativity, and confidence. “I think we have a really good competition on our hands. I am asking the DJs to do their work, research, come with your ‘A’ game, because Guinness is a premium brand, and so we’re looking for premium performances,” he said.
The competition will move through seven zones covering West Berbice, New Amsterdam and the Corentyne, West Demerara and Essequibo, Linden, Bartica, the East Coast of Demerara, and Georgetown, before culminating in the national final. Zone winners will receive Guinness-branded mixer-turntables, trophies, and cash prizes, while the top participants will earn places in the national final, where they will compete for additional prizes and bragging rights.
Brand Supervisor Joel Ward said the launch event will also give consumers an opportunity to win branded merchandise while supporting the participating DJs. At selected venues, consumers can receive prizes such as caps, jerseys, and wireless headphones through qualifying purchases, while a Bluetooth speaker will also be awarded through a drawing. Entry to the national final will require fans to purchase at least one six-pack of Guinness Smooth at selected locations countrywide.
Ward encouraged residents of Berbice and persons travelling from Georgetown to attend the opening event and support the local talent.
Communication Executive Sonya Forrester said the initiative reflects the company’s wider aim of connecting with consumers while supporting talent and industry development.
“As you are familiar with Banks and how we do things, we want to ensure that a big part of who we are, it allows for growth in many industries. And the Guinness smooth pull-up activation allows us to do this well, because we get to connect with our consumers, we get to grow an industry and talent, and we also get to give you an opportunity to be a part of something that is amazing,” she said.
