Spin Doctors.

Meet Dallas' Best DJs Before They Compete at Red Bull's Thre3Style Competition Tonight.

Back in ancient history, the DJ was a bigger deal than he is today.

Remember the early '90s? Back then, there was no Will Smith; there was DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. In that double-billing, it was the emcee that played second fiddle to the DJ.

But, tonight at It'll Do, that DJ-emcee relationship returns to proper order. DJs will receive top billing at the Red Bull Thre3style Sub Regional Qualifying competition, where five of the region's top DJs are given 15 minutes to perform a set that must span three different genres (their choice on the genres). Each contestant is judged on track selection, creativity, skills, stage presence and audience response. The champ, who will go on to represent Dallas in the next phase of this international competition (set to take place in February, also in Dallas), will be the one who can set the mood for a party the best.

In advance of tonight's battle, which goes down at It'll Do (on 4322 Elm St.) from 9 p.m. until doors close, let's meet the competitors.

Name: Fishr Pryce
Hometown: Dallas.
Background:Fishr, a 2011 Thre3style finalist, says he's even prouder of two other notable accomplishments of his, neither of which we could verify: that he was crowned the 1995 Extreme Hugging champion and that he had a fake girlfriend way before Manti Te'o ever did.
What He'll Play: Hip-hop, Spanish and house music, mostly. He also says he might spice things up and play all Disney music.
Why He'll Win: “Because I am amazingly awesome and I'm destined for greatness. I mean, I just worked hard and put my all into my set. That will put me on top.”
Craziest DJ Story: “I have an amazing story involving machine guns, DJs, Hummers and police cars. We were leaving a club one night in, like, 2001 and, long story short, a dude pulled out a machine gun on another guy, and the guy never flinched. The cops came and, while being handcuffed, the guy who had the machine gun looked over at us like we had called the cops. The machine gun guy was let go because a friend of theirs came by before the cops got there in a Caddy and took the gun. During all this, the H2 was blocking our ride, so we couldn't leave as quick as we wanted to. First chance we got, we took off and drove to the nearest convenient store. And guess who was in the parking lot? The H2 and the Caddy. We saw that and took the fuck off. We never played that spot again.”

Name: DJ Rev.
Hometown: Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Background: “I've been mixing for over 10 years. I've played nearly every nightclub in Dallas.”
What He'll Play: “In the battle, I'm spinning everything from rock to hip-hop, and even country. In my nightclub sets, I spin Top 40, house, and classic old school hip-hop.”
Why He'll Win: “I believe I will win the competition because this is my second year to be in the battle, and I know what to expect and what the judges are looking for. There are only five competitors this year so it may be easier to stand out.”
Craziest DJ Story: “I've had a lot of crazy nights in clubs. Some of the best were in Vegas with my fellow competitor DJ NVS. Just ask him about our crazy Russian cab driver some times.

Name: DJ NVS.
Hometown: Oxnard, California. (Has lived in Dallas since 1999.)
Background: DJ NVS has spun at all of the hot clubs in Dallas during their peak. Recently, he's been making music with DJ Marvel, who hails from Jacksonville, Florida. He has three releases on three different record labels, all of which which can be found on Beatport.com.
What He'll Play: DJ NVS doesn't want to let the cat out of the bag as far as what he'll play tonight. He says he wants to keep everyone on their toes.
Why He'll Win: “That, I can't answer. The competition this year is a lot tougher than the first time I was in Thre3Style. I will just perform my set and hope for the best.”
Craziest DJ Story: “Every DJ has some crazy stories. But I think that will require a totally separate article!”

Name: DJ Sober.
Hometown: Dallas.
Background: Sober rose to local fame in the mid-to-late '00s when he and his fellow DJs Nature and Select launched their ever-popular The Party outfit. These days, you can find him DJing every Thursday night to a packed crowd at his Beauty Bar residency. And, well, pretty much everywhere else. Dude gets a lot of work.
What He'll Play: Sober's sets go all over the place, although his home base is generally street-oriented hip-hop. Still, he's just as likely to drop some indie or dance tracks.
Why He'll Win: Because no other DJ in town can say he DJ'd Dirk Nowitzki's wedding reception.
Craziest DJ Story: We imagine DJing Dirk's wedding is up there.

Name: DJ A1.
Hometown: Dallas.
Background: A1's been a prominent DJ in the local scene since the early '00s, when he spun at various Lower Greenville clubs. These days, he's also a member of the Cannabinoids.
What He'll Play: Hip-hop, electro and R&B.
Why He'll Win: He's the dude that taught Erykah Badu how to DJ, which is why you still see him by her side at most of her DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown gigs.
Craziest DJ Story: Does teaching Badu how to DJ count?