The school was formed in 1998 by Dj Babyface, a.k.a. Sunanda, and Suresh Nelson. It is currently at the Wilayah Complex in the city.

"We started out with 10 people and now we have about 70 students," said Suresh.

Hip-Hop music still has a presence here, but with international dance DJ's popping by every now and then, the dance scene has become more prominent.

"When we first started out, hip-hop was going down. Now with radio support, things are looking better," says Suresh.

The change in direction of hip-hop music also helps things. Gangsta rap, with its decidedly unwholesome content, is now giving way to more socially conscious type of music.

After the deathc of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Eastside vs Westside war the music populace outside the United States were forcibly drawn into is now in a chill out phase.

Suresh feels that is good for hip-hop music here.

"Many teens are into hip-hop before they move into house, trance or jungle."

Playaz Universe wants to cultivate a young group to grow with the school and the movement. The school wants to help make DJ'ing a viable career option and wants to churn out pros.

As a DJ's wish is often not a club's command, an avenue is also needed for their development, so gigs have to be organised.

"You can't go into the scene and then try to educate people, you have to start young," he explains.

The school has students from various backgrounds, and the youngest is a 14 year old.

Suresh says the school gets support from their students parents, and that's important.

"This is why we have the classes during the day," he says.

DJ'ing is one of the four elements of hip-hop culture, the others being rap, graffiti, and b-boying (breakdancing).

Every DJ needs to have a solid ability to mix music. You need to have innate rhythm to set yourself apart, but those not unduly blessed need not fret.

"Even if you don't know anything, after studing mixing, you can play anything. If you stick to it, eventually you'll find you niche," says, Suresh.

If all you want to do is be a bedroom DJ, you can just stick to hip-hop if that's your pleasure.

Making it as the next Paul Can Dyke requires sound mixing know-how, too.

"The fundamentals are the same, it is just a matter of length."

Hip-hop DJs can go throug a whole gamut of sounds, from shiny happy songs to moody ones. You get to know the DJ pretty fast compared to a trance artiste (like Van Dyke) whose mix doesn't change drastically over a couple of hours.

Hip-hop mixes are generally slower than their dance counterparts, and the purveyors of African-American sound rarely exceed 120 beets per minute (bpm).

"The mood changes but the flow is there," offers Suresh helpfully.

Obviously, you need to listen to the stuff to know what he's talking about. For starters, go for DMX, Tupac Skaur, Grandmaster Flash, Outkast, and Missy Elliot, and you'll be in the loop.

The champs and the also-rans are seperated b their scratching abilities. Scratching is a method of creating sound by catching and releasing the spinning vinyl. A vinyl collection of singles is a necessayr investment. LPs just don't cut it as the space between grooves is vital for smooth scratching.

Turntablism, as it is called, is a DJ's opportunity to show off virtuosity as the turntable is used like an instrument. It's all about personality.

Rhythm, again, important, but the tone deaf do have some hope.

"We've had some tone deaf students before, you can teach them about 70%, the rest they have to work out for themselves," says Sunanda, who is known for his turntable prowess.

When it comes to equipment, the guys say having the two turntables and a mixer at home is not necessarily a good thing.

"Sometimes when it's there, you won't use it much. If you know the time is limited, you'll do better," says Suresh.

With equipment costs continually rising (the ballpark figure is about RM6,000), perhapes it is better not to own your own equipment.

• PLAYAZ and Ecler will be holding a DJ Championship (first heat) at Embassy on May 28 from 2pm to 7pm.

Tickets are available at Salem Cool Planet outlets in KL and PJ and are proceed at RM20. If purchased at the door, tickets will be sold at RM25.