ie.Merge (also spelled I-Emerge, I.Emerge, ie.MERGE and ie.MERG, and also known as Blesd [1] ) is an American hip hop turntablist who won the 2004 and 2005 DMC World DJ Championships. [2] He has won nine American national titles and four world titles, and is known for his highly technical routines. [3]
Growing up in Northern New Jersey, Merge (aka Micheal Weinstein) [4] was heavily influenced by the New York City hip hop scene. At the age of 13 he began DJing local parties and practicing at home. At 17 he met a group of B-boys (Break dancers) in Naples Florida met best friend Omar (B-boy Omar) Lopez where he learned to B-boy and then took the aggressive style of B-boy battling and applied it to Djing. He practiced along with artists such as former X-ecutioner Mista Sinista and Q-Bert, he is also influenced by other genres as well, such as drum n bass, rock, jazz and soul.
Merge began to enter DJ battles, and was known for his aggression and technique. Shortly after winning the 2002 ITF US Advancements, Merge was inducted into the respected DJ crew – the 5th Platoon. In 2002, he became active at the Scratch DJ Academy, a DJ school in New York City founded by the late Jam Master Jay. [5] Merge became Head Professor, developing the curriculum now taught in the scratch/juggling class.
From 2002 to 2005, Merge won 35 DJ battles. Since 2002, Merge has won 10 national titles and 5 world titles, more titles in 3 years than any other DJ. He has won every prominent US title, becoming America's top DJ in 2003 and 2004 at Guitar Center's annual Spinoff. [4]
He has gained world championship titles in every world DJ competition. Merge won the 2004 2005 DMC World Championship in his 2nd year of participation in the competition, ending a four-year hiatus of American winners. He became the seventh American to wear the DMC World championship crown, after DJ Cheese, Roc Raida, Mix Master Mike, DJ Cash Money, Q-Bert and Craze.
2004 DMC World DJ Championships. [6] The 2004 championships took place on Sunday 5 September 2004 at Carling Apollo Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom.
2005 DMC World DJ Championships. [7] The 2005 championships took place on Monday 26 September 2005 at Hammersmith Palais, London, United Kingdom.
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA system and/or broadcasting equipment so that a wider audience can hear the turntablist's music. Turntablists atypically manipulate records on a turntable by moving the record with their hand to cue the stylus to exact points on a record, and by touching or moving the platter or record to stop, slow down, speed up or, spin the record backwards, or moving the turntable platter back and forth, all while using a DJ mixer's crossfader control and the mixer's gain and equalization controls to adjust the sound and level of each turntable. Turntablists typically use two or more turntables and headphones to cue up desired start points on different records.
Leor Dimant, better known as DJ Lethal, is a Latvian-American turntablist and producer and is best known as a member of the groups House of Pain and Limp Bizkit.
Richard Quitevis known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Qbert, is an American turntablist and composer. He was awarded America's Best DJ in 2010, was DMC USA Champion 1991 (solo) and achieved titles as DMC World Champion in 1992 and 1993.
DJ Cheese is the world title record holder who won the 1986 DMC World Final in London, showcasing the art of scratching in turntablism for the very first time. He also appeared in the 1986 UK tour with Run-DMC. He is known as ‘master of the crossfader’.
The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from London, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Renegade.
Michael Schwartz, better known by his stage name Mix Master Mike, is an American turntablist best known for his work with Beastie Boys.
DJ Craze, is a Nicaraguan American DJ and record producer who plays hip hop, Miami bass, trap, breaks, dubstep, drum and bass, and practices turntablism. He was, until 2020, the only solo DJ in history to win the DMC World DJ Championships trophy three times consecutively (1998–2000).
Noisy Stylus is a turntablist group from Cologne, Germany. It was founded in 1997 and consists of four DJs: Adlib, Tre Styles, Tobeyer and Dynamike.
Daniel Bigeault, better known as Dee Nasty, is a French DJ, producer, and rapper. He is one of Radio Nova's original DJs, and is best known for producing France's first hip hop record.
Rob Swift is an American hip hop DJ and turntablist. He was an original member of the turntablist group The X-Ecutioners until 2004. He has also released numerous solo albums and collaborated with various artists, including Mike Patton, Patton's project Peeping Tom, Dan the Automator and Handsome Boy Modeling School, Lords of Acid, Portugal. The Man, and Herbie Hancock.
John Bayas, also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is an American hip hop DJ and producer.
DJ Woody is a prolific DJ and turntablist born in Burnley, Lancashire UK.
Anthony Williams, better known as Roc Raida or Grandmaster Roc Raida, was an American DJ, turntablist and producer. He was also a member of the DJ group the X-Ecutioners.
DMC World DJ Championships is an annual DJ competition hosted by Disco Mix Club (DMC) which began in 1985.
Kim Sæther, better known as DJ Noize is a Copenhagen-based Danish hip-hop-DJ. His company, Noizeworks places all his activities under one moniker.
DJ Skitz or Skitz is a British DJ and music producer. He was born in 1970 in Cambridgeshire and started DJing in 1991. He has compiled a number of British Hip Hop compilations and other Hip Hop compilations. Along with Rodney P he produced the first track to ever be played on BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2002, when the station launched; the BBC called Skitz a "hip-hop star". They also presented a weekly show on the station called "Original Fever", which formed the backbone of the radio station, until 2007. The Independent considered it the "show of the week" on the radio station. In 2008 he competed in the DMC UK DJ Championship. He had also created his own record label, Titan Sounds.
Jerome Hewlett, better known by his moniker DJ Cash Money is a Philadelphia-based American turntablist, hip-hop artist, and record producer. He was the first inductee into the DJ Hall of Fame.
Samuel Morris Zornow, better known as DJ Shiftee, is a New York City based DJ and turntablist.
Ronald K. Keys Jr. aka DJ Swamp is an American hip hop DJ, turntablist, producer and vocalist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. He currently resides in Los Angeles, United States. In 1996, he won the title of US DMC Champion, his first year entering the tournament. Swamp toured with Beck for four years and later broke away into a solo career with his release "Never is Now" in 2001. Alternative Press gave "Never is Now" an 8/10 rating.
Pete Mescall, professionally known by his stage name DJ Mek or Pete Mescalero, is an Irish award-winning hip hop DJ/turntablist and producer. He has won 5 Irish national Disco Mix Club championships and remixed/produced artists like Ian Brown, The Frames, Zig and Zag and Jon Carter's Monkey Mafia. In 1989, he became the first DJ from the Republic of Ireland to enter the U.K. DMC Championships, and went on to win 5 Irish national titles. He was briefly banned from entering the championships but that decision was later overturned. His group ScaryEire were the first Irish rap act to be signed to a major label. He retired from competitive mixing competitions in 2000 but returned in 2021 to place 5th in the DMC World Foundation Finals