DJ Dusk’s Rootdown Soundclash is basically six beat makers going head to head, and beat for beat. Shot by two separate cameras and shown in a split screen format, you get a good view of what’s going on in front of and behind the equipment during the battles.

The first round, which took place on January 2001, sees Madlib going up against Jurassic 5 DJ/producer Cut Chemist. Both producers have four rounds of 3 minutes each to showcase their skills. Both our battlers produce some killer beats and use some great cuts. I especially liked Madlib’s use of everyone’s favourite Flava Flav line “Yeaaahhhh Boooooyyy”. But I would have to say that the highlight of this round is Cut Chemist’s re-working of the J5 track Jayou. If you’re watching closely you can spot Nu-Mark giving his J5 co-producer some support (in the form of drinking beers) from the back of stage.

Round two was held on April 2002 and brings together Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas mega-stardom and Thes One from People Under The Stairs. First up is Will.I.Am and is kind of slow with him playing the beat from his computer, not exactly the most entertaining thing to watch. However during Thes One’s second round he drops a killer cut using what I can only assume is a Jackson 5 joint that sounds unreal. This seems to spark the competition in Will.I.Am who starts to go a little bit nuts, making him far more entertaining to watch now. A couple of times getting up in Thes One’s face then deciding it was definitely the right time to start taking some clothes off. According to the DVD sleeve Will.I.Am wrote Where is the Love with Justin Timberlake later that night (maybe he should have stayed at the club). Both producers give some great beats in this battle, and it’s hard to pick a winner.

The third and final round takes place on December 2003 between Ohno and Exile. Beat-wise I personally feel this is the best round on the DVD. Ohno produces some pretty cool scratches throughout his turns at battle. Exile displays his very enviable skills. Again this one is too hard to pick a winner.

This DVD is definitely one for the heads. I think anyone not too into hip hop or beat making may find this a bit of a hard watch. The DVD clocks in at a little over two hours, so there is plenty on there to keep you entertained.