Pioneer's Pro DJ Division recently presented trance DJ Christopher Lawrence with a coveted gold-plated DJM-800 mixer for winning the 2008 America's Best DJ contest at an award ceremony held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Tuesday, September 2.

"Congratulations to Chris Lawrence and to all the DJs who participated in this contest," said Matt Dever, vice president for Pioneer's Professional Sound and Visual Division. "It's events like the America's Best DJ Tour that support the growth of the DJ market."The ceremony was the culmination of a four-month contest and tour, presented by Pioneer Pro DJ and DJ Times magazine. Since June, the top 100 DJs in America - as selected by the editors of DJ Times - have solicited their fans to vote for them, both online at www.americasbestdj.net and at 40 official ABDJ events at nightclubs and festivals nationwide. When the polls closed on August 16, more than 35,000 votes were cast and Lawrence prevailed as the gold medal champion, with turntablist legend DJ Qbert awarded the silver, and DJ/rock star DJ Skribble taking the bronze medal.

A DJ and producer specializing in progressive trance music, Lawrence has played for crowds of more than 100,000 at festivals worldwide. He was previously named "Best DJ" at the Dancestar U.S. Awards and "Best American DJ" at the International Dance Music Awards in 2005.

Silver medalist DJ Qbert (Richard Quitevis) is a multiple Disco Mix Club World (DMC) world champion and a member of the DJ Hall of Fame. Bronze medalist DJ Skribble (Scott Ialacci) is best known for his MTV appearances on The Grind and Total Request Live. A complete list of the DJ rankings can be found at www.djtimes.com .

After the presentation of the awards by dance recording artist Kristine W., the three medalists - and No. 5 finisher DJ Scotty Boy - played special sets for an enthusiastic Rouge crowd.

Now entering its third year, America's Best DJ (ABDJ) has solidified itself as the pre-eminent DJ & nightlife culture branding event in the nation. Inaugurated in 2006, this exciting prize-packed contest supports the growth of US DJ & nightlife culture by encouraging dance-music fans to get involved and promote their favorite US-based DJs in a quest to crown the America's top jock.

Pioneer offers a complete line of professional DJ equipment through its Professional Sound and Visual Division. Its DJM, CDJ and DVJ Professional DJ equipment is known for its high quality sound and reliability and is considered the industry standard at clubs, studios, mobile rigs and homes around the world. For more information, visit www.PioneerProDj.com .

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and its U.S. Web address is www.pioneerelectronics.com . Its parent company, Pioneer Corporation, is a leader in optical disc technology and a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video and computer equipment for the home, car and business markets. The company focuses on four core business domains including Blu-ray Disc and DVD, display technologies, navigation and Digital Network Entertainment(TM).