Hotstop from Wicklow have won the Blastbeat World Final and have walked away with a record deal and a World Tour with BlastSpace Records. Exclusive gig footage and photos available now on BlastSpace.com

The first ever Blastbeat World Finals took place in Dublin on 12th January 2008 - and what a day it was! The event ran from 1pm-7pm and was jam-packed with talented artists and entrepreneurs from around the world. The audience were wild, they rocked out to every artist performing, from hip-hop to punk pop, all artists were welcomed and enjoyed. The bands, artists and MMCs (Music and Multimedia Companies) were judged by high ranking music officials from the USA, Ireland and the UK - and after lengthy deliberations they cast their votes...

The judges placed the South African MMC Musikaap in first place. Musikaap was an amalgamation of the top MMC companies from the South Africa National Finals, all of whom had put massive amounts of work into the programme and really captured the spirit of Blastbeat. Their video presentation and talk were superb, and really engaged the audience. The judges found that the innovation, hard work and generosity of spirit from the SA team stood out amongst some very tough competitors. The winning band, who will be offered a recording contract and world tour with Blastspace Records, were indie pop band Hotstop. Hotstop, comprised of four boys from Wicklow, were the Irish entry in this year's finals. They battled their way through the St Gerard's School battle of the bands, Blastbeat Regional and National finals and emerged victorious as Blastbeat World Champions 2008.