IF YOU WANT US TO ROCK YOUR B-BOY EVENT, GET AT US: CHAMPIONSOUND@SEZNAM.CZ

Below you can find the complete story, info and anything you might want or need. Again, if you wanted / needed any more, please email us: CHAMPIONSOUND@SEZNAM.CZ

The main aim of Champion Sound is to play (old school funk and breaks) for the b-boys, not the other way around. They are glad when they get props for what they do, but they’re not here to show off and be seen, they are here to rock these breaks and be H E A R D.

Radimo – band leader, sax, flute, MPC, Roland SPD-SX drum pad
Mraky Mrak – guitar
Oliver Lipenský – drums
Ondřej Hauser – bass
Miki Konga – percussions

The group now known as the Champion Sound has made a name for themselves as a hip hop backing band. The band leader Radimo had a vision of a strong band that would combine the samples of the original songs with the groove and energy of their live instruments to create a sound that is as close to the original as possible while adding the live flavour to create a “magic”.
The backing band he has put together with Mraky Mrak on the guitar, Watcha on the bass, El Boogie Man on the drums and himself – Radimo on sax, flute and MPC has managed to create this magic. They’ve proved that by playing over 150 gigs with the best hip hop group around here called Prago Union including the biggest festivals in Czech and Slovakia even far beyond hip hop – Pohoda, Rock For People, Hip Hop Kemp, Colours Of Ostrava, Grape, Uprising, Trutnov, … You name it and yes, they’ve been there, done that one too. They’ve become an important part of a band that has won 2 Andel prizes in a row (Czech Grammies) and is pretty much the only hip hop band around that is getting praise anywhere they go to.

As playing with one act was not enough, Champion Sound have pretty much conquered the local scene and become the only choice when it comes to live bands for hip hop MCs. It was them who has put together the biggest live project in the history of Czecho Slovakian hip hop. They have rehearsed for 6 months to play a more than 6 hours long marathon of 6 different sets with 6 different top MC’s (MC Gey & DJ Fatte, PIO Squad, Vec, Moja Reč, Prago Union and Majk Spirit) at the hip hop stage of a festival called Votvírák in front of over 7.000 people in June 2012. And if conquering the local scene still wasn’t enough to convince you, they have been chosen for the first ever Grammy award winning “best producer on the mic” Diamond D show with a live band for the 20th anniversary of his classic debut LP Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop which took place at Hip Hop Kemp 2012. Has it been a success? Well, since it kick started a European club tour for Diamond D + Champion Sound live band that took place in November / December 2012, I guess yes, it’s been a success.

Being busy musicians they still had a “matter of heart” project in plans. All of the members always wanted to do a b-boy funk band. They have asked their now ex percussionist Dudu from Brazil to join them and created the magic again. Only 4 years ago it was all a dream. But even at their first gig at SDK Europe 2011 people could feel there’s something special abt this band. That being the simple fact this band is here to play for the b-boys, not the other way around. This magic has stuck with them and the more gigs they do, the more convinced and dedicated fans they have and the more props they get for what they do from the bottom of their hearts – they rock the breaks like no one out there. Ask people from SDK to Outbreak, from Battle Of The Year to IBE, Juste Debout, R16 or Red Bull BC One and they all tell you the same thing.

Playing live gigs, travelling, exploring new places, connecting with new people, meeting new styles – that’s still the main thing for the #1SOUND, but they are trying to take it to another level too. Music and more music. It’s cool to play a lot. It’s cool when you can play a whole lot of famous breaks that would make dancers go nuts on the floor. It’s even better when you can jam for hours and create a hypnotic atmosphere and become one with the dancefloor. But at the end of every gig, people go home. And they always wanna take the music with them. Capture the magic of the moment. Have it in form of a record. We know. We’ve heard it so many times and it’s not like we didn’t listen. We just didn’t have time and we were not ready. Now we are. We have recorded a mixtape – 90 minutes worth of material to be released as a real tape. Heavyweight Tape is the name, 45 minutes of well known breaks for side A and 45 minutes of straight jams for side B is what you get. And in April 2014 we went to Copenhagen to record our first 7″ vinyl at the amazing Red Bull Studios Copenhagen with two very special guests. Denmark’s own DJ Static on the cuts and the one and only Storm on the mic! Yes, THAT Storm. 30th November 2014 is the day when our 7″ is having its launch party with Black Moon on the stage with the Champion Sound in Prague at Lucerna Music Bar – a venue we consider a home field. And summer of 2015 is the time when our mixtape should finally see the light of the day and your tape deck.

Champion Sound ft. Storm & DJ Static – “Come To The Cypher / No Half Steppin” 7″ vinyl

Finally… It was a long time coming. Planned for over two years. Recorded in 2 days at the infamous Red Bull Studios Copenhagen with two very special guests – one and only bboy Storm killing it on the mic with his soulful vocals on the A side and Denmark’s finest DJ Static on the wheels of steel scratching like a maniac, creating a full vocal track out of the B side just with his unique word cuts. Mixed and masterred by Tomáš Sochůrek at the Studio Jižák (www.studio.jizak.cz) aka the only studio that can boast to be “where hip hop was born and still lives” in CZ/SK for a few weeks. With a breath taking cover artwork done by Jan Kloss aka Zerwox (www.zerwox.com, www.okoloweb.cz), award winning designer and a very close friend of ours who spent a couple of sleepless nights on what’s no longer a “diamond in the rough”. Then pressed for over 2 months at the world’s number one vinyl pressing factory with over 60 years of history and experience – GZCD (www.gzcd.cz) in Lodenice, Czech Republic. And here we go, 30th November 2014 and our debut 7″ vinyl, our first record ever, finally comes out on Signal Generator (www.signalgenerator.cz), a label ran by another very close friend of ours named Jan Turek, who has for example shot the video documentary out of the studio session for this release.
Available in a good quality music store near you. If not, try our online shop here: BoomboxShop.cz or get at us and we get you your copy by all means necesarry.

Other than that Champion Sound and its members have been involved with quite a few releases (the complete list is at the bottom of this paragraph), mainly as guests and studio musicians. Especially with the last two LPs of their home hip hop group Prago Union – V Barvách and Vážná Hudba on which they have recorded some of the music live and their now ex-drummer El Boogie Man has produced one of the best songs on the critically aclaimed album – “Kdo s koho”.
When it comes to non music releases Champion Sound has just one release to date: a DVD called #1SOUND that is a one hour documentary of the biggest live project in the history of hip hop in Czech and Slovakia – over a 6 hours long marathon of 6 different live shows with 6 different projects that took place at a festival called Votvírák in June 2012.
More releases are in plans – first up the real mix tape (real meaning it actually would be a TAPE) called Heavyweight Tape that is already recorded and comes out in 2015. But there’s no time for rest and our own music only starts to come out so we definitely won’t stop there. A whole concept serie of tapes is in plans already as well as a couple more 7″ vinyls. Different sounds, different guests, different studios… Always big tings! And always the #1SOUND!

List of releases that members of the Champion Sound had something to do with:
Miki Konga
Banditos – Papa brumbala, 2006, congas, percussions and cover design
Yvonne Sanchez – My garden, /Supraphon/, 2007, congas in track “Sunshine”
A vůbec – Bar Marie, 2009, congas in tracks 2, 4 and 10
Vojtěch Urbánek – Opuštěné pokoje, 2013, congas in tracks 1 and 3

Mraky Mrak
Hypnotix – 20 (live in Roxy DVD), /Popron/, 2009 – all guitars
Prago Union – V barvách, /EMI/, 2011 – guitar on a few tracks
Korjen – Korjen, 2012 – all guitars
Prago Union – Vážná hudba, /EMI/, 2013 – guitar on a few tracks
Soliloqui – This Is What I´m Made Of, /Quazi Delict Records/, 2013 – all guitars

Champion Sound is proud to be endorsed by world class brands such as:
Red Bull (www.redbull.cz)
iStyle (Apple premium reseller, www.istyle.eu)
GoPro (www.gohd.cz)
Carhartt (www.cartoon-shop.cz)
Vans (www.vfc.com)
WeSC – Chambers by RZA (www.freshlabels.cz)
Music-City (all for musicians www.music-city.cz)
Supreme Being (www.kebabstore.cz)

There’s only one band in CZ that counts when it comes to the hip hop + live instruments combo. And there’s only one band in CZ that counts when it comes to b-boys + live instruments combo too. It’s no wonder that those are two projects of the same musicians and the same name – Champion Sound. And it’s no wonder that this “live” band would let you forget most of the “dead” DJs out there + it seems that Champion Sound has just made it beyond the local scene and is quickly becoming a European b-boy funk phenomenon.
Why Champion Sound? Isn’t such a name too confident for a project with such a short history? Well, don’t get it twisted. Champion Sound is probably the most humble crew of musicians you could ever meet in the industry and the very last people you could see on an ego trip, but… In hip hop you gotta have at least a little bit of swagger in you, right? Plus coming from a reggae background and being diehard fans of the Jaylib album, what other name could you possibly go for than the number one sound, Champion Sound?

Bandleader Radimo, (playing sax, flute, MPC and a Roland SPD-SX drum pad) with drummer – Oliver Lipenský, bassplayer – Ondřej Hauser, guitar player – Mraky Mrak and a percussionist – Miki Konga haven’t played together for super long and it’s not like you would see their names together in the b-boy chronicles yet. But with their dedication and heart in the game all it took was just six years and they have proven who’s here to play for the dancers and who does so from the bottom of his heart.
They have rocked all the events they have ever played. Be it classic “by b-boys for b-boys” local cypher jams like Wake Up Jam to the b-boy stages of the biggest music festivals in the country – like Votvírák festival (7.000 people) or Hip Hop Kemp festival (25.000 people) all the way to the most important international events being held around here – like SDK Europe /the biggest street dance camp in this part of Europe where Champion Sound have played a major role 4 times in a row on the main stage in front of 4.000 people/ where one of the judges, the legendary Mr.Wiggles has really been blown away by their music, quoted saying: “Champion Sound is the number 1 band playing breaks the way it’s supposed to be“, or Outbreak 8 World Finals in Slovakia. And they rocked each and every jam they played with pride. It seemed like it was just a matter of time before they get a chance to rock some big event abroad.

This chance came at the beginning of September 2012. Name of the event: The Notorious IBE and the final result: breathtaking. 3 days, 5 different sets (Return Of The Bboy Block Jam – Concrete Bboy Battle, We B*Girlz 2on2 Battle, Solo Locking Battle, “One With Music“ – workshop with Maurizio and “Footwork Fundamentals“ – dance session with Focus & Storm) and a whole lot of noise is what Champion Sound has caused in the Netherlands. From the spontaneous competitors like JK-47 who has won the We B*Girlz Battle along b-girl Roxy: “Thank you for the siiick beats! I went all out and just had a blast dancing @ the We B*Girlz battle. Much respect!” To the judges like Wilson “Willy” Almeida Duarte who put it quite brief and easy saying Champion Sound is: “The sickest band I know” all the way to the walking legends like Storm who has been very inspired by the sounds of the Champion Sound both when he was judging a Solo Locking Battle: „Champion Sound played for the dancers at the locking competition and made us judges move like we were in the contest as well.“ And when he has done his Footwork Fundamentals dance session with Focus as well: „Live music is the future. Champion Sound made the spiritual connection possible. We took ‘Let’s dance to the drummers beat’ literally.” Champion Sound has definitely got the maaaad props they deserved and left their mark at The Notorious IBE. And if they were looking for ways how to open up the doors to the gigs abroad for them? These doors seem to be kicked wide open now. If live music is the future, Champion Sound seems to be the band that is gonna play a soundtrack for this bright future of b-boying.

A first chapter of this bright future has taken place already. Date: March 10th, 2013. Place: Paris, France. Venue: Bercy. Turnout: 16.000 people. Event: Juste Debout 2013. Sound: Champion Sound… This is the event where CHS took it to the “next level”. As not only they have managed to stay focused and rock these breaks for the locking battle finals when 16.000 people were going NUTS. But at the very start of the whole event they have played a major role for the audio visual opening show. The bandleader Radimo has composed 45 minutes of music that has been synched with some of the best video mapping visuals you could ever see. They have worked with a ballet dancer, top b-boys from US and Asia… And the final result? Probably the best opening show in the 12 year history of this magnificent event that Juste Debout without a doubt is.

The portfolio is nice, but not quite complete without the event of all the events. The main event. The “unofficial world championships in bboying” as some dubbed the #1 jam of all jams – Battle Of The Year… To get the whole picture you need to understand that in the 24 years history of BOTY, Czechs have only taken part once when they have created some sort of a national bboy team. So Champion Sound getting invited in 2013 to be only the second band to ever play there and only the second people from Czech Republic that get invited to leave their mark? That’s something really BIG…
So be it. Champion Sound loves challenges. The bigger the challenge, the better. 10.000 people in Volkswagen Halle in Braunschweig that want to see breaking, more breaking and nothing but breaking? Let’s rock the place! Most would probably prefer to be anywhere else in the universe at that moment as getting in front of this crowd right before the final battle sounds a bit too intense. Like being thrown to the lions. But not CHS. Champion Sound kept it real, no matter what and got what they deserved: PROPS. First they warmed up playing for the very dope B*Girl battle. And then they had their “15 minutes of fame” with the 15 minute showcase during the finals. Playing all sorts of music they love from classic hip hop to classic breaks, wrapping the set up with a Kraftwerk – “Trans Europe Express” / Afrika Bambaataa – “Planet Rock” while being joined by the legendary German MC – Torch? That’s what “keeping it classic” means to the Champion Sound. And if anyone shitted their pants, it definitely did not happen on stage 🙂

Now they have a decent catalogue of breaks to play. They have a decent list of gigs they’ve rocked. They have a very decent list of legends they have played for like the one and only Alien Ness of the Mighty Zulu Kings / New York City Breakers, Iron Monkey from the untouchable Renegade Rockers / Knuckle Neck Tribe, Neguín, Poe One, Mr.Wiggles, Mr.Freeze of the legendary Rock Steady Crew, Les Twins, Bruce Ykanji, Kid Glyde of the one and only Dynamic Rockers, Intact of the Ruffneck Attack, Kosto of the almighty Top 9, Lussy Sky of the Magic Mad Men, Melanie Aguirre, Jeskilz of the Cypher Adikts / Rock Steady Crew, Pocket, Casper, Freeze, Maurizio, Focus, Storm, P.Lock, Tony Flower, Willow, Mikey Disko, Ken Swift, Lamine or Roxrite… Past glory is nothing for the Champion Sound though. So still CHS is only looking forward and keeps on practicing for the next round of gigs they are abt to hit. Champion Sound is the b-boy funk band to watch out for ‘cause they’re about to make some noise. So if you’re looking for an ultimate b-boy funk experience, look no further as you have just found it with the number one sound – Champion Sound.

Mr.Wiggles: “Champion Sound is the number 1 band playing breaks the way it’s supposed to be“
Wilson “Willy” Almeida Duarte: “(Champion Sound is) the sickest band I know”
Storm: „Champion Sound played for the dancers at the locking competition and made us judges move like we were in the contest as well. Live music is the future. Champion Sound made the spiritual connection possible. We took ‘Let’s dance to the drummers beat’ literally.”
JK-47: “Thank you for the siiick beats! I went all out and just had a blast dancing @ the We B*Girlz battle. Much respect!”
Fidli (SDK Europe main organizer): „With Champion Sound it’s probably been for the very first time in my life when I’ve felt that the live band is here for the b-boys and not the other way around.“
P.Lock: “Music of the future is the music played by real people with real instruments. This music played by a real drummer and a real guitar player, music with soul… you can’t compare it. When we have guys like Champion Sound behind us, who connect with us, that’s the top, the absolute max.”
DJ Lean Rock: “Champion Sound – you guys are dope! One love.”
Mounfunk: “(Champion Sound is) pretty much the best bboy band right now… They absolutely killin’ it. It was also great to see them playing to bgirls battles (at Battle Of The Year 2013 finals)!”

Over 200 prime time gigs with Prago Union in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 at all the major festivals in Czech Republic and Slovakia:
Rock For People (25.000 people)
Pohoda (30.000 people)
Colours Of Ostrava (35.000 people)
Votvírák (55.000 people)
Majáles (35.000 people)
United Islands (20.000 people)
Hip Hop Kemp (25.000 people)
Toto Je Hip Hop (5.000 people)
Hip Hop Žije (5.000 people)
Trutnov (15.000 people)
Boskovice (5.000 people)
Mighty Sounds (10.000 people)
Sázavafest (10.000 people)
Rock For Churchill (3.000 people)
Hip Hop Jam (3.000 people)
Zámostí (4.000 people)
Colour Meeting (2.000 people)
Letní Filmová Škola (2.000 people)
Open Air Festival (25.000 people)
Povaleč (3.000 people)
High Jump (6.000 people)
Grape (4.000 people)
Uprising Reggae Festival (10.000 people)
Vysočina Fest (10.000 people)
Fingers Up (3.000 people)
Open Air Musicfest Přeštěnice (5.000 people)

Votvírák 2012 – the biggest live project in the history of Czecho Slovakian hip hop at the time – 6 different sets (Champion Sound, MC Gey & DJ Fatte, PIO Squad, Vec, Prago Union, Majk Spirit) that lasted for more than 6 hours at a hip hop stage of Votvirak festival (7.000 people).

Diamond D – his first ever concert with a live band @ Hip Hop Kemp 2012 (17.500 people) + his Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop 20th anniversary European club tour in November / December 2012.

DJ Wich X Champion Sound – a tribute / best of show with the #1 producer in the history of hip hop in CZ/SK. Only 22 out of over 400 beats that “the man with the golde touch” has produced and released over the 15 years of his outstanding career have made the final show. 9 guest cream of the crop MCs/vocalists, special decorations, fireworks and a crowd of over 15.000 people at the hip hop stage of the festival Votvírák in 2014… And then we took the magic to a whole new “next level” inviting over 20 different guests on the mic and selling out the most legendary venue in the country – Velký sál Lucerna 2 days in a row in October 2014.

Black Moon – a live show at Hip Hop Kemp 2014 in front of over 20.000 people + a European Enta Da Stage club tour in November and December 2014. One van, one band, two MCs, thousands of kilometers, 13 stops in 7 different countries, conquering venues across the continent from Czech Republic to Sweden, Denmark to Norway, Switzerland to Holland and Germany.

2011:
SDK Europe 2011 /CZ/
Hip Hop Kemp 2011 /CZ/

2012:
Wake Up Jam vol. 6 /CZ/
Votvírák 2012 /CZ/
SDK Europe 2012 /CZ/
Outbreak 8 World Finals /SK/
The Notorious IBE /NL/
Dance Factor /SK/
Wake Up Jam vol. 7 /CZ/

2013:
Juste Debout 2013 /FR/
Rock The Block /D/
R16 Czecho Slovakia /CZ/
SDK Europe 2013 /CZ/
Pohoda Break Dance Battle /SK/
Outbreak Europe /SK/
Top 2 The Floor /FR/
Battle Of The Year international /D/
Fresh Moves /PL/

2014:
Juste Debout 2014 /FR/
Red Bull BC One Czech & Slovak Cypher /CZ/
Roskilde – Red Bull Studios Live at Street City /DK/
SDK Europe 2014 /CZ/
Outbreak Europe 2014 /SK/
The Notorious IBE 2014 /NL/
Time For Streetdance Vol.9 /CZ/

2015:
15th anniversary of Ruffneck Attack crew in Kyiv /UA/
Hell Session Vol. 5 /CZ/
Hip Hop Jam Vsetín /CZ/

2016:
Eastwest Session – Funk ‘N Breaks special in Berlin /D/
Juste Debout 2016 /FR/

– upcoming gigs

Undisputed – World Bboy Series /CZ/

If you need any more photos in hi resolution (300 dpi) for print, let us know and we can email them by return: CHAMPIONSOUND@SEZNAM.CZ

Champion Sound @ Juste Debout 2013 – Lockin’ battle finals: P.Lock & J.Soul vs Sugar Rae & Flockey

Champion Sound @ IBE 2012 – Concrete Bboy Battle finals Kosto vs Kid Glyde

Champion Sound @ IBE 2012 – Locking cypher

Champion Sound @ Hip Hop Kemp 2011

Champion Sound @ SDK Europe 2011

PIO Squad & Champion Sound @ Votvirak festival 2012

More videos @ www.championsound.cz/video

www.championsound.cz
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www.youtube.com/championsoundband
www.twitter.com/championsoundcz
www.instagram.com/championsoundcz/

For any and all enquiries (promo – interviews, photos, videos, etc / booking – available dates, financial conditions, tech rider, stage plan etc), please contact our manager Affro on any of the below mentioned contacts:
Email: championsound@seznam.cz or booking@boombox.cz
Mobile phone: +420 722 965 087
BB pin: 2B1C14C1
Skype: affrobbr
Twitter: AffroPrague