[Timber]

WOW!!!!

Just Jam was amazing!!! I got really inspired by the whole weekend!! Simply an incredible experience and I believe possibly a new landmark in UK B-Boy events!!

Freeze's workshop started me off!! Jam and Juice theatre night was highly enjoyable!! I really enjoyed DJing at the jam in the lobby in the breaks and afterwards...a real party atmosphere, mad fun!!!

the 1 vs 1...don't know if I've ever seen such quality (& not talking just about names, but performance) in a 1 vs 1 competition...T-Killa came out on top against Zomas in the final. Apart from them, from the international guys Tomas, Kinder, Greku & Calle for me were really outstanding. ALL the UK heads stepped it to!!! Many heavyweight battles in every single round, gotta give it up to Manny who took out Toyz!!

Freeze, Mouse & Hat Solo judging!! One of the best judges line ups I've seen in a long time! Would not have liked to be in their shoes, so many tight battles all day!! Ken Masters and Flowrex dressed up and Ninja men did a great job hosting for the day!!

Without doubt the moment of the day had nothing to do with B-Boyin but everything to do with Just Jam, Bad Taste, Newcastle and Hip Hop.... KEN MASTERS RIGS THE JUST JAM RAFFLE SO HIS GIRLFRIEND WINS IT, SHE COMES ON THE DANCEFLOOR, HE WHIPS OFF HIS NINJA JACKET TO HAVE A T-SHIRT WITH A QUESTION MARK ON THE FRONT, I DROP SOME AL GREEN, HE TURNS AROUND, ON THE BACK OF THE T-SHIRT IT SAYS "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" AND SHE SAYS "YEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!"

the afterparty...what can i say...what happens in Newcastle, stays in Newcastle...Toyz vs Kinder, Hat Solo calling out Mouse and Freeze for a three way 6 round battle...that was history!!! MC Timber on the mic (watch out!!), heavy tunes all night!!!

A sincere heart felt thank you to all my Bad Taste family for having me back once again to do the record players for the day! I'm already p*ssing myself to come back for next years JUST JAM!!!

[aghs]

That proposal was next level! The whole jam was next level, well done to T-Killa for smashing it all day, props to all the UK heads and the internationals for upping the level and to BTC for putting on one of the best jams in the UK calendar!

[doketron]

Sup this is Doke!

As an organiser & creator of Just Jam i wanted to speak about what my experience of the weekend were.....

Usually i'm too busy organising with P & Rokas to see what is going on. All of you who know about running jams will know that you never really get the opportunity to fully appreciate your own event.

You can only go by what the audience & participants are saying. A lot of the time you can't even remember big battles cos you're worrying about how everything is going, if every1 is having a good time etc etc... NOT THIS YEAR!!!

As i've been away for the last two months the rest of the crew have been running the event in my absence. I came back home this weekend at the beginning of the Just Jam madness.

I had the pleasure of experiencing the jam as a spectator/audience member/participant. I recommend this to any1 whos runs jams. It's good if you can step back on the day of your event to get a sense of what it is, how it feels and the message you're sending out to the community/audience with your jam.

The main event was something very special!

We had some of the best underground bboys around. All getting down in the cyphers & the competition. When it came to the battles all the competitors were enjoying the experience of the battle & not hell bent on winning over having a good time... Which is sometimes lost in the modern era of bboy jams. People were smiling when they got beat and then returning to the cyhpers to do what they love - DANCE!

I really seen a lot of PASSION, LOVE, RESPECT, LACK OF EGO & SPORTSMANSHIP yesterday. THIS IS WHAT IT IS ABOUT!!! Before competitions they would jam, exchange, share, inspire and grow together. With this the competition will always be there anyway. The competition was not important yesterday as there were a large number of like minded people getting down, having fun and bugging out.

After speaking with several of the invites about how the jam/weekend went for them i was inspired to put this up - Whatever we present to the audience is what they understand the artform to be.

Sometimes we blame an audience by saying that they only cheer power moves/gymnastics but maybes it's because that's what they're used to being fed. Yesterday proved we can change that perception by what we give them to watch -

Some of us were worrying that the audience were quiet. I wasn't worried as i was in the audience. What i felt was that they were focusing on these very individual styles/characters and attentively appreciating them.

In a way we can compare it to MTV - If you play bullS**t rnb all day everyday then eventually kids/people will buy into it. Like wise if you play Krs, Rakim, tribe, j5 etc all day everyday people will dig this too and then eventually they will begin to understand & appreciate the artform.

Let's keep bringing the audience the real stuff and stop diluting it with what we feel they need to see. That's not an order that's BTC's message to ourselves for the future of
Just Jam.

WOW!!!!!!!! What a rant but as i say it was a realisation for me that the Real Hip Hop artforms can be appreciated by all! We just got to keep on pushing it.

Next year look out for more of the same & hopefully it will be a little bigger and a little better.

Timber's synopsis sums up the events that took place over the weekend very well so i don't need to repeat.

However i would like to say an honest THANKS to all those who have continued to support BTC & Just Jam from day dot til now and for those that have come for the first time also.

Please post up any comments about the weekend you have - Good, bad, indifferent, funny, drunken memoirs or other.

Peace to all

Doke

[ChazBee1]

I can honestly say, without a doubt, that this was THE JAM OF THE YEAR! For me it wasn't about the names that showed up, it was how we all interacted with each other at the pre party, jam, and afterparty. This was my first year going to a Just Jam afterparty and I was amazed when I found out how much I had been missing out on this!!

With thanks to BTC I had the privilege to film all the battles (except Lil Jay's first prelim round). I have also been filming my travels here and events I've been getting upto during my stay for the Just Jam weekend, and I plan to make a travel video of the weekend and have it on STRIFE.TV. I'm so glad I filmed all this, so I can treasure the good memories I had - but the ones I'll remember most were the times I didn't have my camera. I've learnt so much from this weekend alone and I am grateful for it!

Memories:

Gave Toyz tequila on saturday...bad idea LOL!
Hat Solo calling out Mouse and Freeze to 5 rounds all styles battle, hilarious!
Ken Masters proposing to his girl at Just Jam by rigging the raffle and staging it in front of everyone. I've never seen so many people give love for such an occasion like that!!

Thank you guys again for such an amazing weekend! It would have not been the same without you all!

ChazB

[1jackal1]

Thanks again to BTC for putting on this event. I think it was as good as last year, if not better. Like the name Just Jam suggests, for me the weekend had more of a jam vibe, with lots of things going on; workshops, performances and of course parties, besides from the competition side of it(which was awesome in itself). So I think it had an advantage over other events which focus solely on the anticipation for a comp. Of course the battles are the main draw, but by taking the time to incorporate those other aspects the interest level was held high across the weekend and participants and spectators could take their time and just enjoy themselves. And I guess thats whats most important for any event looking to build and it was the impression I got anyways.

I think the organisation of the comp was first rate, there were a lot of entrants and the first round must have had something like 25 plus battles alone. It never got boring though and I think much of that was down to the high level of dancers on the day, the quality and range in styles of the invites and the professional judges.

Of course the music too - Timber was playing both rugged hip hop(plenty of Wu in there, god bless you sir) and sweet-as-a-nut funk. Can't forget the MCs either and the work they did maintaining the vibe on a positive tip and keeping the crowd hype. Also I might add Flow and Ken Masters did the dopest hosts' introduction ever in the history of the world..

I think it is always a good idea to allow as much time as possible between rounds for jamming time and breathers for the dancers and with the tight schedule on the Sunday, this was done really well also. The fact that DanceCity is such a great venue helps heaps as well. The set up in there allows for that foyer to become a practice area with music while the main room was were the circles were happening. Ken Masters proposal was such a good way to end the main event and the plan with the raffle and everything worked like an absolute dream. Congrats to Mr and Mrs Masters!

The after party was pretty damn crazy. Although quite a few people from the day had to leave to get back to the real world in the morning, it was still live with DOPE ass beats with enough space for people to get loose. The spontaneous battles were mad funny and memorable. Timber's shenanigans on the mic, or in this case a pair of headphones turned into a mic, were classic and prompted an act of true community when we were short up on the bar tab.

If it was BTC's aim to provide an inspirational platform for the progression of the uk scene through Just Jam, offering both the opportunity for the new bloods to develop and the chance to battle, share with, learn from and get down with international heads then I would say mission accomplished. On a personal tip it was great to meet some new people and chill with my mates surrounded by a great atmosphere.

Like others have said it felt like a community coming together, which is what a jam is I suppose, but its harder to create that atmosphere than you might realise. I think the success of Just Jam is a testament to the hard work of BTC and everyone involved in the organising and running of the show(s), not just in terms of the weekend past but the graft continually put in for the Hip Hop scene in the north east and across the country. From my experiences there I get the feeling that Hip Hop is truly alive in Newcastle and I also get the impression it's not going anywhere soon!

[joey deez]

pretty much said it all above, unfortunately i didnt go to the pre or afterpartys but judgin from how hangin toyz looked it must of been a gd night.....
standard was really good all round, tunes were of the hook as always, well worth 8 hours of drivin in one day!
i preferred this year that the first round was just ran thru 1 on 1 whereas last year was like 10 bboys at a time doin a showcase round

congrats to ken masters and his other half. the atmosphere in that room when he proposed to her was unreal and i think everyone that was there will agree it was a pleasure to witness something like that

lookin forward to the next jam. btc keep doin ur thing and keepin it fresh. to me this is the best uk jam of the year

t killa deffo deserved to win, that guy is raw!

[Gry]

Yep, have to agree with the above posts, what an epic jam! This was my first time to just jam, had heard a lot about it so my expectations were high. I was in no way disappointed! Getting there by night bus from London was grim, but totally worth it! Incredibly inspiring, really great choice of invited bboys, great vibe all around. Sad to have missed the legendary afterparty but hope to make it next time. And congrats to the happy couple!

[Dhalsim]

Great reviews for a great event. Definitely one of the jams of the year. Bad Taste proving they are one of the most rounded crews around - jams, theatre shows, battling, Doke dropping rhymes, Timber on the ones and twos, P on the graf, afterparties and to top it off they're all top blokes too!

Here's a review for the weekend.

Breakin' Convention Just Jam Review

Cheers,


Dhalsim

[bboywattsy]

Great event! See here for some nice footage that I filmed:


And see here for some nice photos that I took:
https://www.facebook...31245281&type=3

Peace
bboywattsy

[P BADTASTECRU]

official highlight clip very soon...

thanks for all the kind words.

lets keep this vibe going.

P

[Timber]

doketron, on 24 October 2011 - 03:25 PM, said:

I really seen a lot of PASSION, LOVE, RESPECT, LACK OF EGO & SPORTSMANSHIP yesterday. THIS IS WHAT IT IS ABOUT!!! Before competitions they would jam, exchange, share, inspire and grow together. With this the competition will always be there anyway. The competition was not important yesterday as there were a large number of like minded people getting down, having fun and bugging out.

I think Doke just summed up the event right there!!!

[P BADTASTECRU]

oh..TOTAL SPIN part 1 and 2 will be on our youtube soon..bear witness

[doketron]

Thanks for all the great feed back people.

Battles coming in the next 24 hours and trailer in next few days.

peace

Total Spin!!!

[doketron]

Yo Big C aka Big Wood aka Big String of Misery aka Daddy Long Legs aka Bamboo Pegs aka TIMBER - Next year please make a just jam mix tape for the event. Will chat to u about it in a bit bro - Great seeing u homie

[FLOWREXsac]

Hi Guys,
Pretty much everything has been covered by everyone above, my main thoughts are that it is really cool to see a jam which used to be based in a bar become something as large as it has but still manage to keep the scene at it's core, the event has moved to a larger venue than "The End" Bar but it has retained it's realness, the jam has even more circles and a much bigger draw from the UK and abroad. One thing I have learned from working as a host at the event and from my relationship with the organisers is that they are always 100% about what is best for the bboys and making sure there is a dope battle with enough opportunity for tons of people to enter and having a decent floor and time slots for the other bboys to be able to cypher and participate. On judging it is obvious that they think through their choices really hard and get the right people for the job.

Another aspect that has come about this year is that the dancers who progressed further in the competition were not simply tricks or powerheads but more like all round bboys who have it all, dope footwork, musicality and style are given as much importance and props as power, flips and tricks....it's all relevant to breaking and it's good to see the whole thing being celebrated, not only by the bboys but also by the members of the audience who don't dance.


The just jam weekend as a whole started with everyone breaking some bread and chatting over a good meal and a few drinks which is a great experience at a jam. The second day focussed on jamming and circles during the day after some really good workshops were delivered by the guests giving people the chance to ask questions and learn from the invites. The theatre shows at juice and jam seemed to not only show how breaking and other hip hop/ funkstyles can be used on the stage but bridged a gap for the bboys in how they can adapt and follow a path allowing them to make their dance a career whilst also showing the arts audience that bboying is more than kids spinning on their heads. The saturday night saw everyone in clubs jamming together and partying...The day of the battles still again focussed on inclusion and had music and space all over the venue for people to jam, in addition to having one really dope bboy competition. All in all this weekend had everything!
...Finally the after party hosted by the guys at Hip hop Fiend was crazy too, it was great to hear some of the best hip hop of all time in a dark club with a great floor, reasonably priced drinks, plenty of girls and boys as opposed to just another room of sweaty boys. Most people stayed and partied all night.

One of the best things however was the people who made the mission to travel to the event, it was really good to see the all the people who regularly travel and support uk jams up and down the country, la familia and trinity were rolling deep with tons of their members in the battles it was good to see manny taking out toyz too...props to him. Tkilla was a trooper all day long and deserved his win.

Kenny congrats mate really happy for you both.

I would like to thank BTC for having me down to host, i really appreciated it, stefan from BTC was also a G and put me up all weekend and is actually one of the dopest cats out there....true story. Overall I hope this event continues again and again.

props

[Manny]

I wanted to say Just Jam was dope again this year and I think one of the biggest reasons, for me anyway, was the battle format. I wondered why BTC capped the reserve list, as usually people allow everyone to enter as it's just a qualification, picking top 8 or 16 to battle the invites. But I think it was a great decision this year to have a straight battle! Everyone having to prove that they can win from round 1! Usually invites come over and don't have to do qualifications, they simply get put in the top however many list, and UK heads have to qualify to battle them. It always feels like, for me anyway, that we're being put below them as we're all fighting to have the honor of battling them. Also depending on the length of the qualifier, and to guarantee you get through, you use a lot of moves and energy so by the time you get to battle the international kat they're fresh and warm from the cypher, still with all their moves. You on the other hand have already used up some of your shit and, if it's more than a round qualifier, you've used up energy getting through. Now you have to battle this top bboy who is probably on a higher level than you anyway, with less weapons. But this year BTC threw everyone into the mix and it made for a lot more of an interesting day! And they also seeded it so the battles came out good and two top guys didn't battle in the first round. This stopped the jam being about who has the most blows up and made it about pure and utter bboying! As in who can go the most rounds, has moves, power, footwork, toprock and can keep dancing, and I think in the end the best bboy of the day won, T-killa! Who for me was the most consistent breaker of the day. I think other UK promoters should take note and do the same, when inviting internationals throw them into the mix straight away, let them know that 'yes we paid for you to come over, but now you have to earn a spot in the finals from day one.' If they are of a high level it'll be no problem for them, but also it will led to more interesting battles, give up and comers a chance to get to battle a top level bboy and even bring some surprises, like me beating Toyz. That was a big thing for me and I know it was controversial and could have gone either way, but it is what breaking is about. At some point someone big has to loss to someone who people don't expect, if anything to show that they are human and show the bboys coming up that you can beat someone without having to learn an airflare or 20 rounds of 90s. And it'll happen more in UK if international are thrown into the mix like at Just jam.

So yeh Jam was dope! The new Euro hostel was ill! Felt more like a hotel than a hostel! Good looking out BTC!
The one thing I always love about the after party is the music! I hear hip hop tunes there I'm always wishing they'd play at hip hop jams but never do.
And the judging selection was the best panel of judges I've seen in UK for a looong time!
And of course the proposal! That was super, friggin, amazing!!

BTC on point! When it comes to breaking events we come for the battles but stay for the vibe

Peace

Manny

[P BADTASTECRU]

CHEERS MANNY...You da man!!!

P
BTC

[Spin]

is any footage of thebattles up anywhere yet?

[P BADTASTECRU]

yeah loads of links on facebook..we putting up our footage on monday