The X-Ecutioners tour was something no one ever thought would happen… some four years ago when the visit was initially on the cards, the group split and reuniting didn’t look possible. Fast forward to 2008 and the impossible has happened, with Roc Raida, Total Eclipse, Boogie Bind, Precision and Rob Swift rejoining forces, and their first stop was Australia!

Channel is located in a club that has been somewhat of a black hole for Adelaide venues, and this was my first introduction to the renovations and setup since it took on the new moniker. Walking up the stairs, the room was instantly more appealing than I had seen it before, the renovations removing the seedy factor nicely. The other thing that stood out, and remained excellent all night, was the crisp and quality sound. Too often venues don’t cope with the introduction of hip hop on the in-house system, but the sound in Channel was top-notch for the entire event. Behind the decks getting the party started were Track Team, and these boys surely know their classic hip hop. They banged out an impressive collection of tracks, and for the most part the crowd were relaxed.

Following on from Track Team was Adelaide’s own king of the turntables Staen 1. The room had filled to a solid level by this stage, although I’m not sure enough that the night would break-even for the promoter. Numbers remained at this level for the remainder of the party. Staen did what he does best, banging out a super tight selection of tracks interlaced with tricks. As Perplex took out his third DMC title this year with clearly inferior sets to those Staen can pull off, it seems a shame he is no longer allowed to enter. After Staen, it was time for the five man DJ super team all had come to see.

As each member was introduced, the loudest roar was of course saved for Roc Raida. The crowd surged forward, hoping to catch a first hand glimpse of the multiple hands on multiple sets of turntables. The crew played a lot more technical than I – and I think quite a few others – had expected. Rather than a party set with tricks laced throughout, the set was heavily scratch focused. The highlight for me came when the crew formed a circle, moving around one set of decks clockwise as each member executed a perfect scratch as they passed the decks. Through the majority of the set the one noticeable absentee was Roc Raida, with the Grand Master chilling and bobbing his head on the speaker stack. With the set ending and the crowd enthusiastically calling for more, Raida attacked the decks much to the relief of all who had come to see the best known of the five piece.

Stretching to well over two hours, it was a hugely technical display of turtablism, but it’s not often you have the finest DJs our city has to offer jumping up and down in appreciation of their skills. While an argument could be made for a set with more flow as opposed to continuous technicality, I personally loved watching five masters at their best.