Tech Awards' Judges

A handpicked crew of DJs, VJs and producers made up our panel of judges for this year's Tech Awards, and they were really enthusiastic.

They spent hour after hour testing out 75 products during a marathon session at London club The End, before deciding the winners.

And with our judges coming from different scenes within the dance community, reaching agreement sometimes took longer than expected!

Here's so more info about all the judges.

DJ EDDIE HALLIWELL

Recently having joined BBC Radio1, Eddie is adept at utilising new DJ equipment and securing top-flight residencies.

With prime slots at Gatecrasher, Cream and Goodgreef and a hectic DJ schedule, Eddie knows club kit through and through.

He's obsessed with DJ gear and has over ten mixers at his home studio!

DJ JOHN '00' FLEMING

"I was keen to play a part in the Tech Awards because I'm a geek when it comes to new kit. I'm excited about trying new groundbreaking products - anything to push the DJ world forward and embrace new formats.

"Some DJs are frightened of moving on, so the awards play a very important role in making people address what products are important in the 21st century."

DJ ANDY C

Clocking in as the highest ranking drum & bass DJ in our Top 100 DJs poll last year, Andy C proves how much can be done with just the classic two decks and a mixer format.

DJing and running Ram Records since 1992, Andy has over 14 years experience playing in clubs across the world as well as producing in the studio.

AV: ECLECTIC METHOD

Ian Edgar is the unashamed techno boffin and video scratchmeister in this AV outfit.

EM have been smashing up festivals and top clubs the world over since finding fame with their popular video mash-ups on MTV.

As adept in the studio as he is on the decks and with cutting-edge video kit, Ian is a perfect choice to check the latest nominations.

VJ ANYONE

Creeping up the DJmag Top 20 VJs poll in 2005 (to No.5), VJ Anyone (aka Oli Sorrentino) has been as busy testing out kit for DJmag's Tech pages.

"DJmag has consistently been bigging-up new hardware and software that is taking the art of DJing into the 21st century," comments Oli.

"I'll be looking out for products that make audiovisual performances easy to achieve."

TURNTABLIST: 2TALL

2tall, aka Jim Coles, has 11 years experience as a DJ, turntable musician and producer.

Actively competing in DJ battles, 2tall became UK DMC team champ' in 2003 and ITF world finalist.

"I hope to see manufacturers making products designed to last – people should be able to trust what they read," says Jim.

RETAILER: WESTEND DJ

If there's anyone who knows about all the latest DJ gear - and we mean all - it's Eitan Zilkha from leading retailer WentEnd DJ.

With over 12 years experience in the trade he's seen kit come, go, and then come back again for repair!

It's not all about looks and specs - we're going to find out the kit that's most popular with customers, but more acutely, what kit gives the retailers the least after-sales headaches.

"I'm more of a 'tech-head' than a DJ and get to speak to hundreds of DJs a week about what people want in their products," says Eitan.

"This all helps to put forward a point of view the other judges may not otherwise see."

TECH EDITOR: DAVID ESERIN

Approaching his fifth year at DJmag, David has used every bit of kit that's appeared in the mag.

He's responsible for the technical production of DJmag events, such as the Top100 Awards and runs regular club night Alt*Ctrl.

"I'm obsessed with new technology and, thankfully, the constant stream of new products keeps that thirst quenched. It's a very interesting time to be a performer