I swung by the DMC Workshop last night, and have to say, watching Shortkut, Swift Rock and the DMC China finalists spin for a crowd of maybe 40 people was pretty sweet and definitely got me excited for tonight's DMC competition and after party. The preliminaries are going on as I type, so you'll only get to see the 14 guys who survive the first round, but I can vouch that this'll be a fun night.

Last night's Q&A with Shortkut and Swift Rock veered toward technical since most of the group were DJs, but the take home message from the guys for Shanghai's emerging dekc masters? "Practice. Practice a lot." says Swift Rock. "Make your sound different--which takes a lotta time--but then enter as many competitions as you can."

"So that's the recipe for success?" Someone from the group asked. "No, you have to enter a lot of battles and probably lose--there's only one winner--but don't let it knock you down, learn from it and keep going." Wise words...

So what to do Friday night and beyond? No worries, there's more than enough going on to pack the next 48 hours.

• On Friday, hit up Doug Martin and Espirit Gitan or Jazz Night: Second Set if you're a jazz fiend and not at the DMC competition and after party. If you're looking for something a bit classier, DJ Baru is manning the decks at Glamour Bar.

• On Saturday, live music fans choose between NOIShanghai XVII at Live Bar and the showcase of up-and-coming groups at Rock 0093: Part VI at Yuyintang. Those looking for upscale DJ beats should be making the rounds this weekend between Disco Disco at Volar, Rank 1 at M2, DJ Rafik at Muse, Rasmus Faber at the new riverside venue, Bar Hulu and the perennial underground favorite Antidote. Or, you can hit up the China Break Dancing competition finals. I'll let you find that one on your own.

• On Sunday, if you're not in recovery and missed Doug Martin and Espirit Gitan Friday, wind down the weekend and check them out at the Melting Pot tonight.