Turntablists to duke it out at @live

Sunday afternoon at @live from 1pm to 5pm, 10 of Taiwan's top DJs will spin, scratch and mix authentic vinyl LPs as they battle for mad props, high-end Vestax sound mixers and a top prize of NT$10,000. That's right. They will be using turntables. They will be using 12-inch records. They will not be using CD players and sound boards. Finally, DJs in Taiwan who do more than hit "play."

The event, a first ever, is called 2001 Taiwan DJ Competition and is sponsored by Multiply Trading (麗聲育樂器材公司), an importer for Vestax DJ mixers, turntables and other musical equipment. In a nutshell, the contest is designed to promote turntable deejaying in Taiwan.

"We know it's been all CD decks here in the past, but we're trying to change that," said organizer Chang A-yuan (張阿源), who himself DJs at Cao Tang (草堂), the hole in the wall techno bar on Wenchang Street near its intersection with Anho Road.

For inspiration, the competition calls predominantly on hip hop music, which Chang said is the major sourcebook from which the scratch battlers will draw.

Though there are still relatively few DJs in Taiwan with genuine scratching skills, Chang said the contest has attracted the best turntablists on this island, including DJ Guangtou (光頭) and Hsiao-si (小四), who's best known as the DJ for MC Hotdog, though he also has his own projects.

The competition program will consist of five- to 10-minute scratch sets per contestant. For gear, organizers will provide top-of-the-line Vestax PDX-2000 turntables hooked into a Vestax PMC-07PROA mixer. There will also be performances by Japanese judges Tashi and Takada and by Taiwan's major purveyor of hip hop, MC Hotdog. Filling up the affair's prelude, postlude and other downtime, organizers will show Vestax videos of turntable techniques from around the world.

Total prizes for the afternoon will amount to NT$27,000 in cash and approximately double that value in five Vestax mixers. In addition, the grand champion master scratcher will be sent on to an international DJ battle in Los Angeles later this year.

Admission for the event is NT$500. Though the price is steep and Sunday afternoon is a strange time for a club-style party, Chang's not concerned.

"We're not doing this to earn money," he said. "We're just doing this for ourselves and the DJs. Even if nobody shows up, we don't care. We'll just party by ourselves."What: 2001 Taiwan DJ Competition (刮片擂台賽) When & Where: 1pm to 5pm on Sunday at @live, 15 Hoping E. Rd., Sec. 1 (和平東路一段15號) Tickets: NT$500