I love Red Bull for a multitude of reasons. There is the obvious: The juice keeps you awake and alert when you need it. (Red Bull is my drink of choice at music festivals and on road trips.) But there’s also the energy drink’s contribution to the cultural sphere.
Red Bull loves a good party, and they throw a great party. We’ve raved about various Red Bull throw-downs over the years — from the old Moon Tower days at South by Southwest to the epic Big Tune battles all over the country. But perhaps our favorite of their signature events is the Thre3style, a battle series that tests DJs in their quest to be the best. The Thre3style basics: A DJ covers three genres in a bangin’ 15-minute set.
It’s that simple. Which is to say that it’s anything but simple.
On Saturday, I judged the Thre3style national finals at — with my esteemed colleagues Amir “?uestlove” Thompson (of ), DJ Jazzy Jeff, Beta owner Brad Roulier and owner Noah McMahan. It was a good time listening to each DJ’s set, and each of us had our favorites. The night’s winner, Michael McPherson — a.k.a. DJ — had a set that was both crowd-pleasing and technically masterful. And he deserves his crown — and his upcoming trip to the global finals in Paris, where he’ll represent the U.S. in a battle against DJs from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Ecuador, France, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and England.
Cheers to M-Squared, as he deserves his win. But I’ll admit he wasn’t my No. 1 choice. Phoenix’s threw down a set that was truly mind-blowing, incorporating mostly underground cuts alongside the occasionally familiar sound effect. Wearing a political shirt dissing his homestate’s notorious stance on immigration, D-JR’s set was the evening’s most memorable — though the audience didn’t react to his deep cuts as they did M-Squared’s proven dance floor-fillers.
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Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post.
