The blend
A two‑minute live set in your qualifier. Inside it the blend can be as long or as short as you want — it just has to make an impact.
Baltimore Blend Battle 11
March 21st, 2027
Ikonic Live!, Baltimore · Eight DJs · DJ Bizzon defends
The championship
Baltimore Blend Battle 11
The eleventh edition. Eight DJs, a defending champion who enters at Round 2, and a purse the room has a habit of topping up.
—Days
—Hours
—Minutes
—Seconds
- Date
- Sunday, March 21st, 2027
- Venue
- Ikonic Live!, 316 Guilford Ave, Baltimore, MD 21202
- Doors
- 2:00 PM · first blend 3:00 PM EST
- Field
- Eight DJs — six from the online qualifiers, one position announced separately, plus the reigning champion
- Defending
- DJ Bizzon, who took BBB 10 and enters at Round 2
- Judges
- To be announced
- Purse
- A guaranteed minimum — amount to be announced. BBB 10 paid out $5,700 once the room topped it up.
- Tickets
- On sale soon through EventGroove — get the on-sale alert
- Stream
- The championship is not streamed this year. It happens in the room. The qualifiers do stream.
How the night runs
Four rounds, king‑of‑the‑hill. The defending champion sits out Round 1 and walks into a field that has already been cut.
Round 1 · Seeding
Seven DJs blend to be seeded — the six qualifier winners and the position announced separately. Two go home.
Round 2 · Six
DJ Bizzon enters as defending champion, joining the five who survived. A field of six.
Semi-final · Four
Six become four.
Final · Two
One blend decides it. Judges score the mechanics; the room scores the reaction.
Six spots, three chances
The road to BBB 11
Three online qualifiers, each on a Sunday evening, each streaming live on Nice Guys Entertainment’s Twitch channel. Two DJs advance from every qualifier. Enter one, enter all three.
- 01Sunday, November 15th, 2026Entries close Saturday, November 14th · two DJs advanceOpen
- 02Sunday, December 13th, 2026Entries close Saturday, December 12th · two DJs advanceScheduled
- 03Sunday, February 7th, 2027Entries close Saturday, February 6th · two DJs advanceScheduled
Entries close the day before each qualifier. The eighth championship position is announced separately.
For competing DJs
Think you’ve got what it takes?
Take an acapella and an instrumental and make something nobody has heard before. That is the whole brief.
The equipment
Any DJ hardware or software you like. Vocal and instrumental stems are allowed and encouraged. The sync button is prohibited.
The cost
Free to enter. Register, pass a sound check, and blend. Win your qualifier and Baltimore is covered from there.
Reigning champion
DJ Bizzon
DJ Bizzon took the tenth Baltimore Blend Battle, coming through a fourteen‑DJ field at Ikonic Live! in downtown Baltimore to take the title on the battle’s tenth anniversary.
He left with $5,700 — the advertised purse plus a pot the room pooled into on the night — along with a pair of Ortofon VNLs and a shot at $5,000 on the Festival at Sea DJ challenge.
- $5,700Taken home
- 14DJs in the field
- 10thAnniversary edition
The Baltimore Blend Battle is not just a DJ competition; it's a celebration of creativity, skill, and innovation in the world of DJing. Since its inception in 2015, our event has grown to become a cornerstone of the DJ community, attracting top talent from across the United States.
About BBB
Every year, we bring together the finest DJs to compete in an electrifying battle of beats and mixes. Our participants have earned their spots by excelling in other prestigious DJ battles or by amassing large, dedicated fan bases. The object of the battle is to create a mix using acapellas and instrumentals in the most imaginative ways possible, showcasing unique talents and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with turntables.
What to Expect
Top DJs from Across the Country
Watch as the best of the best compete for the title and prizes, representing their states and showcasing their skills.
Cutting-Edge Technology
Contestants will have the opportunity to utilize the latest in vocal and instrumental stem technologies as well as advanced DJ hardware and software (excluding the sync button).
Creative Performances
From TV themes to nursery rhymes, DJs will surprise and delight with their innovative mixes.
Partners
Backed by the industry
Baltimore Blend Battle runs on its partners. VirtualDJ returns as title sponsor for BBB 11, and Festival at Sea joins the roster.
Title sponsor
VirtualDJ
Title sponsor of Baltimore Blend Battle 11, and a partner through the competition’s recent run — including the BBB 8 broadcast.
Current partners
- Festival at Sea
Contact
We’re building toward Baltimore Blend Battle 11 on March 21st, 2027. Competing, sponsoring or covering it — drop us a line.
Founder
DJ Tim Nice
Tim Nice founded the Baltimore Blend Battle in 2015 and has run it every year since, building a local showcase of 65 people into a competition that draws turntablists from across North America. He took the title himself in 2016 and again in 2018.
The competition is produced by Nice Guys Entertainment.
Baltimore Blend Battle Compete
Think you’ve got what it takes?
Three online qualifiers send six DJs to Baltimore. Entry is free, the sync button is banned, and the blend just has to make an impact. Everything you need is on this page.
Step one
Pick your qualifier
Each qualifier runs on a Sunday evening and streams live on Nice Guys Entertainment’s Twitch channel. Two DJs advance from each one. You can enter one, or you can enter all three.
- 01Sunday, November 15th, 2026Entries close Saturday, November 14th · two DJs advanceOpen
- 02Sunday, December 13th, 2026Entries close Saturday, December 12th · two DJs advanceScheduled
- 03Sunday, February 7th, 2027Entries close Saturday, February 6th · two DJs advanceScheduled
Entries close the day before each qualifier — register early enough to book a sound check. Six DJs qualify in total; the seventh championship position is announced separately, and the eighth is the defending champion.
Step two
The rules
This is a blend battle. The job is not to mix two records together neatly — it is to build something musical out of parts that were never recorded for each other.
Your set
A two‑minute live set. Inside it, a blend can be as long or as short as you want — it just has to make an impact.
Mixed live
Everything must be performed live on the night. No pre‑rendered sets, no pre‑recorded performances.
Any genre, any era
No restrictions on crates. Past fields have gone from Baltimore club to boom‑bap to house inside one round.
Your equipment
Any DJ hardware or software you like. Bring what you know.
Stems allowed
Vocal and instrumental stem separation is allowed and encouraged. Creative use of stems is one of the things judges score.
No sync button
The sync button is prohibited, and the rule is enforced. Beatmatch it.
Step three
Technical requirements
The qualifiers are online, which means the judges only see and hear what your camera and your audio chain send them. These are not optional.
-
A sound check is mandatory
Every competitor completes a sound check before competing. No sound check, no slot — this is how we avoid losing a good blend to a bad signal.
-
Camera positioned on you and your gear
Judges need to see the DJ performing and the equipment being used. One clear angle that shows your hands and your setup is enough.
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Audio routed properly, not off a room mic
Send a clean line from your mixer or software into the stream. Room audio is the single most common reason a strong set scores badly.
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Technical help is available by appointment
If you are unsure about routing or camera placement, book time with us before your qualifier. Ask when you register.
How you win
What the judges listen for
A panel scores the blend. The room scores the reaction, and the room is louder. Seven things are on the sheet:
- 01Creativity and originalityHave we heard this idea before?
- 02Musicality and timingKey, tempo, phrasing — does it sit right?
- 03Smooth and intentional transitionsEvery move looks like it was planned.
- 04Technical executionClean hands, clean mix, no accidents.
- 05Creative use of stemsWhat you build out of the parts, not just that you used them.
- 06Song selection and blend compatibilityThe pairing is the idea.
- 07Overall performance and entertainment valueIt is a battle. Perform.
- The panel
- Judges to be announced — names and photos go up here as they are confirmed.
- Weighting
- To be published if a fixed weighting is set for BBB 11.
- The room
- Crowd reaction is part of the result at the live championship, and it has decided finals before.
The details
What it costs, what you win
- Who can enter
- Any DJ, anywhere. Past fields have travelled from California to Quebec.
- Entry fee
- Free. There is no cost to enter a qualifier.
- Deadline
- Entries close the day before your qualifier.
- How to enter
- Fill in the form below, or email info@baltimoreblendbattle.com with the same details.
- What you win
- A spot at the championship in Baltimore, a shot at the purse and the trophy. BBB 10 paid out $5,700 after the crowd topped up the advertised purse, plus a pair of Ortofon VNLs and a run at $5,000 on the Festival at Sea DJ challenge.
- The championship
- Sunday, March 21st, 2027 at Ikonic Live!, 316 Guilford Ave, Baltimore. Doors 2:00 PM, first blend 3:00 PM EST.
Enter the battle
Free to enter. Tell us who you are, where to find you, what you play on, and which qualifier you want. We’ll come back to you with your slot and your sound‑check time.
Prefer email? Send the same details to info@baltimoreblendbattle.com. An online registration system is on the way; until then, both routes reach us.
Baltimore Blend Battle Champions
Ten editions, ten champions
DJ Bizzon holds the title going into BBB 11. Behind him is a decade of winners, a field that has travelled from California to Quebec, and 65 people in a Baltimore room in 2015 who had no idea what this would become.
Reigning champion
DJ Bizzon
DJ Bizzon took the tenth Baltimore Blend Battle, coming through a fourteen‑DJ field at Ikonic Live! in downtown Baltimore to take the title on the battle’s tenth anniversary.
He left with $5,700 — the advertised purse plus a pot the room pooled into on the night — along with a pair of Ortofon VNLs and a shot at $5,000 on the Festival at Sea DJ challenge.
- $5,700Taken home
- 14DJs in the field
- 10thAnniversary edition
Blend Battle History
Ten editions of blend supremacy in Baltimore. What started in 2015 as a local showcase with 65 people in the room now draws turntablists from across North America and a combined social reach north of half a million.
2015First battle
10Editions run
780Peak attendance
601KSocial reach
Attendance and reach are 2025 figures. “Reach” is the combined social following of all judges and contestants.
In the press: DJ LIFE Magazine · VirtualDJ · DJX
Baltimore Blend Battle 10 Contestants
DJs enter from across North America, some traveling from as far as California.
Every contestant is hand-selected by our judging panel, and all have placed in battles like Red Bull and DMC or built large followings of their own.
- DJ Popo1st · BBB 9
- Watty Jay2nd · BBB 9
- DJ Aquaria
- DJ Bizzon
- DJ Eaton
- Lil Bee
- DJ Lil Vegas
- Midnite The DJ
- Mr. Miles
- Queen HD
- Supream
- Tha Blueprint
- Da Kid Uniek
- YNGFU
From Across North America
Every pin is a Blend Battle contestant’s home turf. They all travel to one room in downtown Baltimore.
Contestant from QC, Canada
Contestant from NY
Contestant from NJ
Contestant from IL
Contestant from OH
Contestant from PA
Contestant from MD
Contestant from IL
Contestant from KY
Contestant from VA
Contestant from CA
Contestant from FL
Baltimore, Maryland — where the battle is held
21Contestants mapped
17States & provinces
2Countries
2,300miFurthest travelled
They all come to
Ikonic Live! · 316 Guilford Ave, Baltimore, MD 21202
Contestant locations estimated from the Baltimore Blend Battle partnership deck.
Baltimore Blend Battle Watch
Follow the road to BBB 11
Three qualifiers stream live on Twitch through the winter. The championship happens in one room in Baltimore on March 21st, 2027 — and that one you have to be there for.
The championship
Tickets on sale soon
Baltimore Blend Battle 11 tickets go on sale through EventGroove, the same platform that handled BBB 10. Pricing and the on‑sale date are not set yet. Leave an email and you will hear the moment they are.
- Date
- Sunday, March 21st, 2027
- Venue
- Ikonic Live!, 316 Guilford Ave, Baltimore, MD 21202
- Doors
- 2:00 PM · first blend 3:00 PM EST
- On sale
- Date to be announced — through EventGroove
- Price
- To be announced
Live on Twitch
The qualifier streams
All three online qualifiers go out live on Nice Guys Entertainment’s Twitch channel, Sunday evenings. Two DJs advance from each one — the winners are announced on the stream and go up here afterwards.
- 01Sunday, November 15th, 2026Live on Twitch · two DJs advanceNext up
- 02Sunday, December 13th, 2026Live on Twitch · two DJs advanceScheduled
- 03Sunday, February 7th, 2027Live on Twitch · two DJs advanceScheduled
Start times are confirmed closer to each date. Twitch channel link to be added.
One thing to know
The championship is not streamed this year
BBB 11 on March 21st is an in‑room event. There is no livestream and no pay‑per‑view for the championship — if you want to see who takes it, be at Ikonic Live! Highlights go up afterwards, the way they always have.
Get the ticket alert
Baltimore Blend Battle Highlights
Baltimore Blend Battle 10 · photos by RG_ENT
Seen & Heard
Where the battle shows up online — trade press, highlight reels, and what the room posted on the night.
Baltimore Blend Battle Partners
Partner with the Baltimore Blend Battle
Eleven years, a national field, and an audience that shows up for turntablism on purpose. VirtualDJ returns as title sponsor for BBB 11. Two tiers are still open.
Title sponsor
VirtualDJ
VirtualDJ returns as title sponsor of Baltimore Blend Battle 11, and has been a partner through the competition’s recent run — including the BBB 8 broadcast.
BBB 11 title partner
Top of the bill, top of the room
Title placement across the event, the stream, the stage and every piece of BBB 11 promotion, plus the largest logo treatment in the partner lockup.
What’s available
Three tiers
Logo size follows the tier — on the site, on the stage, in the promotion and in the lockup. Title is taken for BBB 11; Presenting and Supporting are open.
Tier 1
Title
Largest logo
- Name on the event and in the event title
- Largest logo treatment, everywhere
- Stage, signage and promotional placement
- Named in press and partner announcements
Taken for BBB 11 — VirtualDJ
Tier 2
Presenting
Medium logo
- Presenting credit alongside the event name
- Medium logo treatment across site and signage
- Placement in the qualifier streams
- Product or prize integration where it fits
Open for BBB 11
Tier 3
Supporting
Standard logo
- Logo in the partner lockup on site and on stage
- Named in the partner roll‑call
- Prize and product contribution welcome
- The entry point for local businesses
Open for BBB 11
The numbers
Partnership deck
The BBB 2027 Partnership Program deck has the ten‑year history, attendance, contestant counts and reach figures behind every edition — the same numbers the history timeline is built from.
Download
BBB 2027 Partnership Program
Deck to be published here. In the meantime, email info@baltimoreblendbattle.com and we will send it straight over.
Request the deck- Editions
- Ten since 2015, with the eleventh on March 21st, 2027
- Field
- BBB 10 drew 14 DJs, travelling from California to Quebec
- Purse
- BBB 10 paid out $5,700 — the advertised purse plus what the room pooled on the night
- Venue
- Ikonic Live!, Baltimore — home of BBB 8, 9 and 10
The roster
Who’s behind BBB 11
Every partner from the past ten years stays on this page. Festival at Sea joins the current roster for BBB 11.
Current partners
- Festival at Sea
Former partners & supporters
Previous Sponsors & Supporters
Brands and businesses that have backed the Baltimore Blend Battle over the past ten years.
- VirtualDJ
- Ortofon
- Innofader
- Festival at Sea
- Beatsource
- DJ LIFE Magazine
- DJX — The DJ Expo
- Rock and Soul Records
- Media Minds
- Jetta Productions
- Syndicate Screen Print Co.
- Kre8ting Your Ideas Embroidery
- B.E. Media and Designs
- Nice Guys Entertainment
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Baltimore Blend Battle 10 · photos by RG_ENT · ← → to move · space to hold