Red Bull Thre3Style National Finals 2012 Recap

As one of the top U.S. destinations, Orlando proved to be a perfect location to showcase the cross-country talent that hit the stage at Red Bull Thre3Style National Finals. The three-day event began with semi-qualifiers held the first two nights to determine the final six to play for a chance for the championship title. The 10 competing DJs for the semis represented their region with pride; they include the following, listed with the regional qualifying city won: DJ SKU (Kansas City, MO); Four Color Zack (San Francisco); DJ LayZBoy (Boston); Mike 2600 (Chicago); DJ Dynamix (Los Angeles); DJ Ginsu (Columbus), DJ KU (Charlotte, NC); Abe the Assassin (Austin, TX); DJ Spinser Tracy (Washington, D.C.) and local wild card DJ Rincon (Orlando, FL). Tasked with the innovative Red Bull Thre3Style format, each performed a 15-minute set that included at least three different musical genres. The judges, who included Jermaine Dupri (Producer / DJ), Big Once (2011 Red Bull Thre3Style U.S. Champion), M-Squared (2010 Red Bull Thre3Style U.S. Champion), Angel Riviera (Host of SBK Show), and Shelly Flash (Blogger and Founder of EventJunkies.net), had the challenging task of selecting the winner based on track selection, creativity, mixing skills, stage presence and crowd reaction.

Featured performer and judge, Jermaine Dupri gave an insider tip for the competitors, “Listen to the local radio to hear what is played in that city. This way you are better prepared to understand what the crowd would want and then play to their style.”

Reading the crowd while mixing a special blend of his personal musical influence is what put Four Color Zack in the champion seat. Of all the talented DJs in the finals, he impressed the judges the most and had the crowd rockin’ with a seamless mix ranging beyond just the three genres required. He wove in between Latin rhythms, rock, hip hop, electronic, oldies, and punk.

“I nerded out,” Zack proclaimed. “It’s a give and take relationship with the crowd and to win feels surreal. The road was hard, but to make it to the main stage is something to strive for, it’s indescribable.” The 30-year-old art director and designer has been on decks since the age of 14 when he fell in love with the idea of adding technology to the production of live music. Four Color Zack will head to Chicago in September to represent the U.S. on home country turf as he competes against some of the top party rockers in the world.

To check out his regional qualifier mix at Red Bull Thre3Style San Francisco, please visit here, which will feature his U.S. winning set as he advances to the world finals. Follow @RedBull3Style and visit here for more information.