Red Bull Culture Clash is the ultimate soundclash. Four crews, assembled from the best musicians that planet Earth have to offer, come together in pitched battle with the aim of winning over the crowd and lifting the ultimate prize – the Red Bull Culture Clash trophy.
On the night, you’ll hear all sorts of music, from dub and dancehall to hip-hop, jungle and grime. And this being Culture Clash, you can expect all sorts of surprises – from secret special guests to exclusive, one-night-only dubplate specials.
The Rules
1. Red Bull Culture Clash is split into four rounds.
2. A crew’s set in each round lasts between five and 15 minutes: synchronise your watches!
3. A countdown clock will appear on the main screen 10 seconds before the end of each set. When the time is up, sound will fade out, then cut.
4. Crews are encouraged to play custom-made dubplate specials and introduce secret guests anytime during the event. However, in the final round, it’s dubs, remixes and live guest performances only. No regular records whatsoever!
5. Strictly no repeats. If a crew repeats a tune played earlier in the night, they’re disqualified from that round, so listen up good. The only exception is if the record is explicitly announced as a so-called “counteraction”, and somehow altered – dubplate, remix, live performance, etc.
MORE: Listen to an exclusive dubplate mix by Dub Smugglers
The Rounds
Culture Clash unfolds over four rounds.
Round 1: Pressure Drop
10 minutes per crew. Time to check your levels, mics, watches and selection – clash is coming! DJs take the temperature of the crowd and then turn it up a notch.
Round 2: The Selector
15 minutes per crew. DJs play any style, and crews are judged purely on tune selection. Knowledge is king!
Round 3: Sleeping With The Enemy
10 minutes per crew. Crews twist it, playing an opponent’s style of music. Big test. The mighty may fall.
Round 4: Armageddon
Two x five minutes per crew. Clashing crews pull out their biggest anthems. This is the final round, so double points and double daring!
MORE: 8 incredible moments from Culture Clash history
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How will the crews be judged?
A round is won by crowd reaction, pure and simple – the audience decides who is the best in terms of originality, performance, song selection, and energy. The final call rests with the hosts. At the end of the night they will decide upon the winner of Red Bull Culture Clash, based on noise amongst the audience. Too close to call? A decibel reader brings the science.
MORE: How the decibel system works
What are the prizes?
The winning crew will be awarded the Red Bull Culture Clash trophy and invited to defend their title at the next Red Bull Culture Clash in London.
Glossary
“Dubplate special”
A dubplate special is a song recorded by a crew that only they can play. It’s usually an alteration of a well-known hit record, with a new beat or special lyrics praising the crew (and dismissing others). A “custom dub” is a dubplate special that was recorded specifically for the night. It references the clash it is played in and the other crews taking part in it.
“Replay”
Every record can only be played once during Red Bull Culture Clash. This is to ensure the highest level of entertainment, and put the crews’ originality and spontaneity to the test. If a crew repeats a song that has been played earlier on the night, it’s called a “replay” and leads to disqualification from the round. The disqualification is determined and announced by the hosts.
“Counteraction”
A counteraction is the only way that a record can be played more than once during Red Bull Culture Clash. It’s very easy: If Crew A already played ‘X’, Crew B can only play ‘X’ if they somehow alter the record (remix, dubplate, live performance) and announce it as a direct counteraction. Any other replay leads to disqualification from the round (see above).
And that’s that! May the best crew win.
