In preparation for the big J.Rocc show this Friday, here's some Beat Junkies, the world famous DJ crew that J.Rocc formed in 1992 in Orange County, California. J.Rocc was original slated to round out The Shelter's "Beat Junkies Special" during the summer (also included shows by fellow Junkies Shortkut and DJ Babu), but some visa problems prevented his performance. His show rounds off a Cali-heavy summer for The Shelter, and it also comes right on the heels of the China finals of the DMC. Good times if you're down with the new turntablism. Beat Junkies came together from various other crews in California in the early ��90s, and originally included J.Rocc, DJ Curse , Rhettmatic, Babu, Melo-D, DJ What?!, Mr. Choc, and Shortkut. Their success and acclaim mirrors the resurgence of the DJ in hip hop music in the mid to late 90s. These are the guys who grew up listing to the first wave, "golden era of hip hop" (New York and Philadelphia innovators), and their output reflects the reinterpretation of old school hip hop for a contemporary audience. One of the Beat Junkies, DJ Babu, is often credited with inventing the term "turntablism" which represents a re-asserting of the central role of the turntable as a music instrument, and a shifting of the focus of hip hop back from the MC/producer to the DJ as the central creator of music. Heavily involved in the battle scene since its heydey, Beat Junkies boast a slew of individual and team awards, and have individually and as a group performed with the likes of Jurassic 5, Cypress Hill, Talib Kwali, Dilated Peoples, Mos Def, and The Visionaries. When it comes to scratch DJing, it doesn't get much bigger than the Beat Junkies, and so it's a real event to have their founder J.Rocc performing in Shanghai. Beat Junkies - The Session Beat Junkies w/ The Visionaries - Say Where Beat Junkies w/ The Visionaries - Blessings Quality Control pres J.Rocc this Friday at The Shelter. Cover: 60rmb. Starts 10pm.