Selecta Twist does it again!

It was a marvelous event with a huge crowd to enjoy all the trimmings that Heineken had to offer, but in the end only one DJ could have won –having withstood the onslaught of his opponents both onstage and off- stage. It was the grand finals of the 2012 Heineken Green Synergy DJ competition, the most talked about event of the summer here in Saint Lucia. And, in the preceding weeks, it was the most talked about event at night spots, barber shops and on the blocks. And so the fans followed the hype all the way to the finals. According to Shelley Black, Marketing manager of Windward and Leeward Brewery Ltd, the parent company of Heineken, it was wonderful to see that the crowds and fans are still very supportive of Heineken Green Synergy. “We are extremely pleased that over the nine years the crowds keep coming back and supporting us. This year we had tremendous support and the event was incident free not a scuffle, no mishaps, nothing. It was just a great event in a peaceful atmosphere and the only explosions were from the firework display we delivered to cap off the event,” Black said. The 2012 Heineken Green Synergy DJ competition final was held at the Fond d’Or Park in Dennery Sunday September 2. The upgraded park with a new amphitheater setting, allowed organizers to stage an event of the highest quality in a venue with an unmatched ambience. Sunday’s event was more than just about the music, it was about friends, food, drinks, comradery, friendly rivalry, north meeting south and yes the DJ as the center piece. The finals which was hosted by MC Donavil featured 8 DJ’s all aiming for the title of Heineken Green Synergy DJ Champion which in 2011 was won by Selecta Twis who was again competing this year. The other DJ’s were Mega B, DJ Lovely, Sly Eli, DJ Spy, DJ Smokey, DJ Thurum and DJ Flexx. The rules: the DJ’s played in pairs and was judged in two parts. During the first component where they played for ten minutes, they were judged on “music selection,” “cross over mixing,” “technique,” “mic/DJ synergy” and “crowd response,” for a total of 100 points. The second aspect, the clash, was worth 50 points and the DJ’s were judged on “clash selections” and “crowd response.” The winners of this round then moved on to the second round. From round one, Twis who came up against Thurum was quite confident and offered an eclectic world class mix of music. Thurum came back hard in the clash, but Twis was unstoppable moving on to round two along with DJ Lovely, Mega B and Smokey. In the second round it was Lovely vs. Mega B and Twis vs. Smokey and the DJ’s were required to play five minutes of old school music (anything before 2000) in the first segment. In the clash segment they were required to play one “foundation” song and one Hip Hop. DJ Twis, maintaining his composure made light of his opponent whilst Lovely put up the fight of her life. Mega B however dug deep to pull out some rarities from his old school stock scoring much higher there. Lovely did not fare as well, crossing the bridge over the 90’s. However during the clash segment she was on fire with the crowd fully behind her, but on total points it was not enough to save her. In the end Twis and Mega B were left standing and toe to toe during their ten minute mix they were both good. However DJ Twis exhibited confidence, maturing and an understanding of both the expectations of the judges and the crowd. During the clash as well his approach was different, not just bashing his fellow DJ but using songs to “big” himself up as well. With 292 points to Mega B’s- 279 Selecta Twis one of the crowd favourites from the start was also the judges choice for Heineken Green Synergy 2012 champion. Gaius Harry, the Heineken Brand manager speaking after the event, expressed satisfaction overall. “This year under our H-Marks the spot tag line we took the event to a new level and I want to thank all of the DJ’s who took part as well as the fans for coming out. I believe that it was a wonderful final and whilst in any competition there will be different views about the outcome, I think the judges did a good job and overall the results were well received,” Harry said. The Heineken Green Synergy DJ Champion taking home the trophy, over EC$8,000 in cash and prizes. Over the next year he will play at all Heineken events and is looking forward to representing Saint Lucia and Heineken overseas as well. Fans of Heineken Green Synergy are asked to follow the Facebook page all the way to 2013 the 10th anniversary of Heineken Green Synergy in Saint Lucia.