Cargo Records

DJ Dusk’s Root Down Sound Clash

Madlib vs Cut Chemist, Will.I.Am vs Thes One, Oh No vs Exile… In 2001, the Los Angeles club the Root Down put on the first of a three part series of events called Sound Clash. It featured Madlib and Cut Chemist going head to head; beat for beat for respect in front of a packed club.

The tracks they used had never been released and with each of the three rounds, the excitement rose. The last round unleashed a partisan celebration from the captivated crowd and it was a beautiful underground hip hop moment. Mochilla founders Coleman and B+ were there with their Sony PC100 single chip cameras, just trying out their new toys… however, “It wasn’t until afterwards that we put both cameras on the floor, rewound the tapes and played them in sync that we realized we might have something”.

A year later, Root Down, organized the second battle, which featured a pre-multi-platinum Will.I.Am squaring up to Thes One of PUTS, and again the Mochilla boys and their cameras duly attended. The drama and controversy of Round Two with huge aesthetic differences on display as well as the theatrics of clothes being taken off and ludicrous names made the night a talking point to this day in Los Angeles beat-maker circles. The last battle featured Oh No and Exile in 2003 and with a relatively dignified display by the youngest pairing of the three, they closed the series with good music and much respect. Mochilla never intended to release this DVD but since the tragic passing of DJ Dusk - Root Down’s host and the man who thought up Sound Clash - they felt it was important to honour his legacy and share his gifts. This is for him: no edits, no overdubs, and no interruptions - just raw hip hop at its most exciting, vital and real.