DMC40: A Landmark Year for the World DJ Championships
- Undrtone Blog
- Oct 17
- 4 min read
DMC40, the 40th anniversary of the Technics DMC World DJ Championships held in Tokyo from 10–12 October, brought 50 DJs from every continent, superstar headliners and a neon-soaked celebration that pushed DMC into a new era. Three days of battles, showcases and Hall of Fame honours saw Brazil’s DJ Raylan, France’s Aociz, Japan’s DJ Fummy and Australia’s Beastmode take major titles across Supremacy, Scratch, Classic, and The Open respectively, in one huge celebration of turntablism legacy and new talent.
DMC40 opened in style at the Monkey Shoulder Welcome Party. DJ Sarasa (Japan), DJ Uri (India), DJ Question Mark (Taiwan) and UK favourite JFB fired the first shots of the weekend. Monkey Shoulder’s Joe Petch surprised DMC founders Tony and Dan Prince with a 40th anniversary cake as the world’s top DJs packed into Studio Freedom.
“I have never seen a community so excited on the eve of a DMC World Finals. The last three years have seen our beloved competition take on new life, and I was astounded to see so many familiar faces hitting Tokyo from every corner of the globe. It’s a testament to just how passionate the DJ community is for the DMC Championships.” — Tony Prince
Saturday’s Finals at the futuristic Spotify O-East combined live showcases, a Hall of Fame honours for Japan’s Uematsu Yasunao, and three World Finals in a sold-out venue as DMC history was made.
Defending champion K-Swizz (New Zealand) was favourite in the one-to-one DJ Battle for Supremacy, but in a shock upset, Brazil’s DJ Raylan won South America’s first ever DMC World title, sparking wild celebrations.
“I would like to thank DMC for organising the best competition on the planet. It was an amazing experience and a tough battle against K-Swizz, but hey here I am – Champion of the World! See you in 2026.” - DJ Raylan, World Battle For Supremacy Champion 2025
Crowds were then treated to masterclass sets from Kireek, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, DJ Fly, DJ Rena and JFB, before DJ Kentaro and Takuya Nakamura stunned the room with an improvised turntable-and-trumpet performance that felt like pure Tokyo innovation.
The Scratch category saw a fierce showdown between Aociz (France) vs Keita (Japan), with Aociz holding his nerve to retain his world title.
“It’s a very important victory for any artist winning at the 40th Anniversary. I felt I was making history in Tokyo when winning the Scratch title again, I still haven’t come back down to earth. Beside the title, I had the most amazing experience with DMC and the DJ world this weekend. It brought the whole community together beautifully.” - Aociz, World Scratch Champion 2025
The Classic then delivered one of the closest finishes ever, as Japan’s DJ Fummy outscored K-Swizz and U.S. prodigy The Kid RC3 to claim gold. As Mrs Ogawa, Director of Technics Project, presented the Technics Gold Turntable, the room rose to its feet.
“DMC has completely changed my life. I have been captivated by the culture of DMC to the point where I could never give up on my challenge. I feel a sense of destiny in being able to claim the World Champion title finally, especially here in Japan. This is a title I could never have achieved on my own. I believe that reaching this point of my life was only possible because of DMC’s long history and the support of so many people.” - DJ Fummy, World Classic Champion 2025
New for 2025, The Technics Lounge ran throughout the day, bringing World Champions and guests up close in an intimate space, as Tokyo was dazzled by DJ Fly, Kaiharubro, Rushfunk, DJ Rena, DJ Michelle and DJ Izoh. The day closed with a standing ovation for Japanese legend DJ Honda, honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sunday’s AlphaTheta DMC Open at Harlem club was pure energy. Live sets from Craze, DJ Koco and Nasthug tore the roof off as DJs from Ivory Coast, China, Poland, and more, battled for the title. Australia’s DJ Beastmode emerged victorious over DJ Pegg (Thailand) — a historic first for Australia.
“Winning the Alpha Theta DMC Open is a monumental achievement, not just for myself, but for my entire country. It truly means the world to me. The experience was beyond incredible, and the crowd were beyond hyped. I can die happy knowing I was the first artist from Australia to win a DMC World title.” - Beastmode, Open Champion 2025
2025 in Tokyo will be remembered as a very special event with DMC’s most diverse lineup yet, featuring competitors as young as 13, the largest-ever group of female DJs, and legends from every era.
DMC DJ Championships Director Antriks Manaoat reflects on the standout event, “I started my career as a DMC competitor and have been organising events in this community since 2002. Many of this year’s judges, Hall of Fame inductees, and competing artists are my peers, so I truly understand the passion and love we all share for the DMC brand. It was always my dream to stand on the World Finals stage, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of the team that put together DMC’s 40th anniversary. It genuinely felt like a return to the ‘good old days’.”
DMC extends huge thanks to Technics, AlphaTheta, Ortofon, Monkey Shoulder and UDG for powering the world’s biggest DJ competition.
“Without them, there would be no DMC Championships”, says Dan Prince. “It takes a whole year of meticulous planning, negotiating and creative brainstorming, and we thank all our partners for standing by our side as we show the world just what we can do. Next year, though, we are taking the competition to the next level, watch this space…”
Follow DMC on Instagram to find out where the competition will be heading next.
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