San Francisco’s DJ Bitesize Prepares to Conquer the DMC World Championships

The art of turntablism is still alive and well in the Bay Area.

Need proof? Earlier this month San Francisco’s DJ Bitesize took home the 2025 DMC USA Open DJ Championship title.

She scratched records and spun tracks, played crowd-moving songs and became the first Filipina woman to win in the competition’s storied 40-year history.

“It’s definitely a special moment,” Bitesize says during a recent phone call.

Bitesize is also one of the Bay Football Club’s DJs, a weekend DJ on 99.7 NOW and an educator on the art of the turntable at Merasil Academy.

She’s making waves in an arena that has long been been dominated by the fellas. While over the course of her career she’s seen more women in these spaces, she says equal treatment is still an issue.

“The respect is still something that we’re building on,” says Bitesize. “We just gotta keep going. We can’t stop.”

Her path to becoming a DJ started about a decade ago.

She was scrolling Tumblr when a post featuring DJ Noodles caught her eye. “I saw a female DJ posting her mixes,” Bitesize says. “I’d never seen a female DJ. It really inspired me.”

Bitesize picked up the craft and has since rocked stadiums and done classroom workshops. She’s DJed for the likes of this year’s NPR Tiny Desk winner, Ruby Ibarra. And during a Rakuten tech summit she spun ahead of a performance by one of the biggest names in R&B.

“I got the crowd going before Usher started,” she says.

That night, just as she did at DMC USA, Bitesize got people moving by playing music that makes her feel good. That’s “the key,” she says.

Her formula is simple: “If it makes me feel good, it should make others feel good as well — and get them moving,” says Bitesize.

Crowd reaction, as well as scratching and beat juggling, were all aspects of the DMC USA Open DJ Championship that Bitesize just won.

Over the past four decades, the event has helped launch careers and cement others as household names. The Bay Area’s infamous Rocksteady DJs (Mix Master Mike, DJ Qbert and DJ Apollo) are just one example.

Winning the DMC USA Open DJ Championship is a feather in the cap of 27-year-old DJ Bitesize, who will advance to the DMC World Championships this October in Tokyo.

“Hopefully,” she says, “we can take it back home for the Bay.”

But before she takes off to spin records in The Land of The Rising Sun, she’s DJing this weekend in San Francisco.

DJ Bitesize will be in the mix with ISTHATJEREL at Neck Of The Woods. Hosted by OG DayV, the evening will feature performances by the City’s Lil MC, East Oakland’s ALLBLACK and more. The event, titled 27 Summers, is a birthday celebration for San Francisco lyricist Frisco Baby, as well as a benefit show for her family in the wake of her father’s death.

Bitesize, who has known Frisco Baby since they attended Jefferson High School, says the two recently reconnected through music.

And now this Friday, Bitesize and the team are inviting people out to honor her former schoolmate during a turbulent time, while also enjoying good music and live performances.

“We in the building,” exclaims Bitesize, noting that she plans on playing some hip-hop, R&B and maybe a little bit of pop. Leaving room for any other musical genre that might make her and the crowd move, Bitesize says, “We’ll see how the night goes.”

DJ Bitesize spins at the 27 Summers birthday celebration and benefit concert for Frisco Baby on Friday, Aug. 22, at Neck Of The Woods in San Francisco (406 Clement Street).