Jesse Warren, Susan Buchanan and Darcy Fisher

IT all started with a party. Rewind to the Bronx in New York in the early 1970s. Using two turntables, a mixer, a crate of funk records, and a massive sound system, Jamaican-born Clive Campbell began hosting parties in the recreation room of his apartment complex. Better known as DJ Kool Herc, he noticed that the crowd reacted positively to the percussive, instrumental part of the songs, known as breaks.

Campbell then started playing only the breaks of each record, creating a continuous mix of instrumental "breakbeats" that ignited the dance floor into action. Little did he know that this innovation laid the foundation for modern hip hop DJing and spawned the birth of hip-hop culture.

Much like Campbell's rec-room parties in the early 1970s, DJs in Shenzhen have a common goal of moving the crowd. Foreign hip-hop DJs such as TKO and Ceet perform popular nightclubs every week, but spinning in their shadows are a crew of local Chinese DJs, ready to assert themselves with their talent on the turntables.

One of these is Ye Weiping, known as DJ XP. The 29 year-old began spinning 10 years ago. "I started because it was fun, and I think scratching sounds good," he said. Inspired by Hong Kong's DJ Tommy and the UK-based DMC World DJ Championships, the Shenzhen local switched to hip-hop three years ago after previously spinning techno. His talent has taken him through various clubs, including True Colors and Class Club, although he currently freelances.

In Ye's opinion, although Shenzhen has many DJs, the music culture in Shenzhen is just so-so, compared to the hip-hop culture in Bejing and Shanghai. Ye also shed light on differences between Chinese and foreign DJs, saying that they spin different hip-hop altogether. "Foreigners like to spin vinyl, but Chinese like to spin CDs. Vinyl is harder, but I would like to learn it someday," he said.

On that note he got a start last Wednesday night performing at Lips Bar, using a turntable to scratch records while basing his mix on CDs. A guest commented on Ye's performance as "progressive, funky, and suited to the atmosphere." Ye shrugged it off, "I was just having fun."

As a freelance DJ with a day job at the local TV station, DJ Wjrose works when and where he likes, playing the music he loves. He's been working local parties and DJ promotions in Shenzhen for the past five years, and he regularly attends international festivals such as Denmark's Roskilde and Spain's Malaga Music Festival, both to hear the latest DJs and to perform himself.

But what does a DJ with such love for underground culture and music think about living and working in Shenzhen? "Shenzhen is a bit too commercial, but things are slowly starting to change. More and more people are listening to real music and recognizing talented DJs," he says. "As the culture gains popularity in Hong Kong, we in Shenzhen are feeling the benefits of that as well."

In the meantime, he continues to play music for parties and for his friends. One of his greatest moments was spinning at a private party in which guests danced to his music for seven hours. "It was wonderful," he said. "My main goal when I play is to make people happy by sharing music with them. When they couldn't stop dancing, I was blown away."

To Lil' Johnny, one of the resident DJs at U bar, hip-hop isn't just a kind of music. It's a lifestyle. He's been living that life for the past nine years, first getting into hip-hop music by listening to West Coast rappers like Ice Cube. He thinks that while there are some talented DJs in Shenzhen, it¡¯s very difficult for them to fully demonstrate their talent because the city is so focused on business and making money. This might hold some people back, but it also creates opportunities for those DJs who want to branch out to other areas such as producing or starting their own businesses.

When asked about the difficult position of professional DJs in Shenzhen, he pointed out that they're "just the first generation of DJs." As people become more interested in watching DJs perform, China will eventually become a better place for the DJ culture. But at Ubar, working the dance floor is one of his top priorities. What kind of music always gets people to dance? "Snoop Dogg. Akon. People like popular songs they're familiar with."

Cheng Wenyi, a 24 year-old Shenzhen local known as DJ Master Mark, took a liking to hip-hop as a young boy. Growing up, he made numerous contacts with foreigners who inspired him to pursue his DJ career.

Cheng began his DJ career five years ago spinning at parties and is now a resident DJ at Club Chocolate. There, Cheng spins new school hip-hop but likes to "keep it real" with old school traditions, such as using records instead of CD's. Cheng also likes to spin classic beats along with new songs, which makes his technique fresh and exciting. To keep the audience satisfied Cheng does accept song requests, but to avoid the risk of selling out he does not change his style.

As a boy Cheng saw how hip-hop culture influenced the city and young people in Shenzhen. "Shenzhen is less then 30 years old, and hip hop has been popular in Shenzhen for over 10 years. Hip hop culture is growing here," Cheng said.

Cheng predicts in 10 years hip hop will still be well known, and there will be more hip-hop DJ's, but it will not be as trendy.

Shenzhen has proven a ripe environment for DJs to hone their craft, have some fun, and move the crowd. Although big, flashy nightclubs are a far cry from Campbell's rec-room parties of old, the idea is the same. DJs provide the energy and soundtrack for people to dance, party and enjoy themselves. As hip-hop DJs perform around Shenzhen they are carrying on a tradition started more than 30 years ago in a humble apartment complex in the Bronx. DJ Kool Herc would be proud.