DMC AUSTRALIA

DJing has changed considerably since the first DMC World Championships were held in the 1980s.

For much of DMC’s history, the competition was synonymous with two turntables and a mixer. DJs took equipment originally designed to play records and transformed it into something entirely different, developing scratching, beat juggling and techniques that established turntablism as a performance art in its own right.

That tradition remains at the heart of DMC Classic. But the wider world of DJing has continued to evolve.

Today’s DJs work across turntables, CDJs, controllers and hybrid systems. Digital vinyl, performance pads, cue points, loops, samples and live remixing have become established parts of modern DJ performance. The distinction between turntablist, club DJ and live performer is no longer as clearly defined as it once was.

DMC Open reflects that change.

Opening DMC to a wider generation of DJs

DMC Open gives competitors greater freedom in both their musical approach and the equipment they choose to perform on.

Turntables remain welcome, but they are no longer the only option. DJs can compete using CDJs, controllers or hybrid configurations, choosing the setup that best suits the performance they want to create.

The same freedom applies to the routine itself. Scratching and beat juggling can sit alongside mashups, live remixes, sampling, cue-point routines, genre changes and techniques drawn from contemporary club DJing.

The principle behind it is still very much DMC: originality, technical ability and performance. What has changed is the range of tools available to demonstrate them.

Australia saw the potential of the format in 2025 when Sydney’s DJ Beast Mode won the DMC World Open Championship in Tokyo, becoming Australia’s first DMC World Champion.

In 2026, another group of Australian DJs is competing for the opportunity to follow him to the World Finals in London.

This year, the Australian DMC Open Champion will also receive a prize that reflects much of the same evolution in DJ technology.

A turntable that crosses both worlds

DMC Australia partner DJcity, together with prize partner Reloop, has provided a complete Reloop ELITE RP-8000 MK2 Scratch DJ Pack for the 2026 championship prize pool.

The choice is particularly appropriate because the RP-8000 MK2 occupies an unusual position in modern DJ equipment.

Fundamentally, it remains a professional direct-drive turntable. It has a physical platter and tonearm, high-torque motor and pitch control, and can be used in the same way turntablists have worked with decks for decades.

But Reloop has expanded considerably on that traditional foundation.

Eight performance pads are integrated directly into each turntable, providing access to Serato DJ Pro functions including Hot Cues, samples and loops. Instead of requiring the DJ to move between the turntable, mixer and computer, digital performance functions become part of the deck itself.

Reloop’s Platter Play feature extends the idea further, allowing the pads to control the rotational speed of the platter across user-defined pitches. The turntable can therefore move beyond conventional playback and scratching into another form of live musical control.

It is still possible to approach the RP-8000 MK2 as a traditional turntable. The difference is that the DJ is not restricted to using it that way.

That philosophy has a natural connection with DMC Open.

Both retain the foundations of traditional DJing while allowing technology to extend what can be done with them.

A complete performance system

At the centre of the package is Reloop’s ELITE, a two-channel performance mixer designed to work closely with the RP-8000 MK2 and Serato DJ Pro.

Its layout retains the familiar proportions of a battle mixer, while 16 RGB performance pads provide direct control of digital performance functions across both decks. Three Mini Innofader Pro faders handle the crossfader and channel faders, maintaining the precision required for scratching and cutting.

Dual USB connections allow two computers to be connected simultaneously, further reflecting the way the traditional battle setup has developed into a much broader performance platform.

Together, two RP-8000 MK2 turntables and the ELITE can function as a conventional turntable and mixer setup, a fully integrated DVS system, or something between the two.

For an Open competitor, that flexibility is significant.

The equipment does not dictate a single style of DJing.

DJcity and Reloop join the 2026 Championship

DJcity has been part of Australia’s professional DJ industry for more than two decades, supplying equipment across turntables, mixers, controllers, audio and production technology.

The company returns as a major partner of the Australian DMC DJ Championships in 2026, with Reloop joining as a prize partner.

Their contribution to this year’s prize pool is a complete Reloop ELITE RP-8000 MK2 Scratch DJ Pack comprising:

At its current DJcity price, the complete system is valued at $3,999.

It will go to the 2026 Australian DMC Open Champion.

Tradition and evolution

DMC Classic and DMC Open represent two sides of the same history.

Classic preserves the traditional battle format and the turntablist techniques that have defined DMC for generations. Open recognises that DJing has continued to develop, both creatively and technologically, and gives today’s DJs greater freedom in how they perform.

One protects the foundations. The other provides room to build on them.

The Reloop RP-8000 MK2 follows a similar path. It retains the turntable at its centre while incorporating technology that allows the DJ to take it considerably further.

More than four decades after DMC began, the equipment may continue to change, but the fundamental challenge remains the same: what can a DJ do with the tools in front of them?

Australian National Final

Sunday 11 October, 7pm to 1am
Oxford Art Factory
46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst

The Australian National Final will crown the 2026 DMC Classic and DMC Open Champions, with both winners representing Australia at the DMC World Finals in London in November.