Turntable Tricknology: DJ Qbert
If one wanted to know about DJ Qbert, then one could visit his website, find him on Wikipedia, watch a DVD such as Scratch, or just ask some peoples (& one wouldn't have to stick to Bay Areans to get that info). He is what I believe English speakers would call "Famous." Beyond his lists of achievements and beneath his DJ celebrity is a down to earth person with dreams just like everyone else. To create, we must destruct mysticism, destroy thoughts of inadequateness, fear. When I think of writers I most admire, I see them as souls first, as poets second. Let's do that here.
Now, I don't want to assume that everyone knows who homeboy is. He is a composer, producer, entrepreneur, raw vegan, spiritualist, artist, musician; and the labels can go on and on and on. An important idea that has always stuck in my mind is that the turntable is an instrument, and Qbert proves this as fact.
Photo of the QFO, Qberts creation.Peep a portion of his skill in this video (you'll never forget afterwards). For those who are already fans and friends, eat this up for its nutritional value ;)
Q + Turntables + Drumming = Good Times.
Growing up in the Bay in the 90s allowed me to be raised by all the elements of hip hop. The memories are still fresh in my mind: my older cousins and friends getting into deejaying, emceeing, breaking, and myself into graffiti. I once heard someone say, "I can't associate Asians with hip hop. It's so weird to me." Well, here in the C-A, we know no other way. Plenty of pride was born from Cali's hip hop culture, especially for those who were of Pilipino descent because some of the well-known artists were Pinoy. Not only were they popular names but talented, creative, and hard-working youth.
Although DJ Qbert is part Pilipino he is also Negrito, Turkish, Spanish, and Chinese. However, the positive/negative tribalism of the Pilipino community has almost completely claimed him ;p His talents, personality, and goals cannot be defined by ethnicity, race, or location alone:
Many people can research your story or hear about it in films; tell us in your own words how your relationship with turntables began.
it was a part of life for every music lover back in the early 80's.
there were no cd players or mp3s... just turntables and records. so that's what all the djs used and still to this day, it is the best thing to use to control the sound of skratching and playing any recorded sounds like a musical instrument. the influence of skratching started with the break dancing movement and all the music at the time had some skratching in it. it was just a normal thing with this under ground phenomenon.
You compose, produce, battle, and the list goes on. How often do you practice? What can you say about the amount of work you put into your art?
i love to practice everyday... it's like caligraphy. you have to draw the sound or paint it. so if you miss a day of practice, you can tell in how fluidly you sculpt your sound. i need to practice skratching at least 2 hours a day. then there's time for composing, producing, making videos, exercising, learning, meditating, and experiencing life, etc.
What [so-called] genres influence your music?
mainly jazz from the 30's 40's and 50's. but i also love my funk from the 70's and 60's, that james brown kinda stuff b-boys breakdance to. and then there's classical, rock, blues, blue grass country, indian music, etc etc etc... i love it all.
Have you, or are you, studying music theory?
all the time... i am and always will be a student in this art. when you think you know it all, there's a million things you still haven't thought of.
Do you have any rules to live by when it comes to handling your success?
rules are meant to be broken, ha! but normally i just keep level headed and always remember that i am an entertainer and that means that i serve people... i'm not some kinda star that is there to be praised. i have to work hard to give people a good time. i'm a slave who loves his job =)
How does your music fit into your vegan and/or socially aware and/or spiritual lifestyle? If you couldn't touch a turntable again, what would you turn to? Would you be able to breathe?
i guess i would do something with music in some way or another... there's tons of other musical instruments out there. i also make beats and produce. but being a raw vegan, hmm.. that keeps me really healthy and because of that i can be a better clear headed and clear spirited person who can have an open mind to create for a longer period of time than someone who's gonna die sooner or get sick from eating crap =P but actually some people who eat crap, are really healthy. it can just be a state of mind. but i like what i eat and i feel right doing it.
Can you pick out one moment that stands out from the rest of your music career?
there's a billion times, but i'll pick one that will hopefully help other djs. when i discovered that music is poetry, and that was a big key to making it all sound delicious. making my skratches rhyme like i was an mc rapping =)
Currently, who are your biggest influences /or where do you find the most inspiration right now?
benny goodman, miles davis, pee wee russell and louis armstrong... the phrasing on their instruments is out of this world!
What are your plans or out-of-this world goals for the future? (Anything.) Where can people see you perform next?
well, i want to make another film with my next album... so that is a big project that i hope will be out of this world like my first movie "wave twisters". also right now we just got our own channel for google:
youtube. com/thudrumble . it's what i've been doing for the last 2 months... just posting videos of skratching and random stuff that we think is entertaining in some way or another... you gotta see it. we just posted our 88'th video in commemoration of 8.8.08!
I believe that everyone has a passion in life, no matter your background, no matter if you were born with privileges or grew up in the slums or barrios, no matter if you are a male or female. It is just a matter of search and discovery. Once a person finds that one thing, he or she should stick to it for life. They should be taking steps, every day, to feel complete through that art. That will take an interested person, an eager and excited-to-learn person. A person who finds wonder in several things, who sees the details of life. Writing poetry is the world to me; but, being socially active, school, the joy and pains of love, spirituality, intellectual thought, radical books, friendships, art, music shape that passion every second. Your passion can open new doors for you, lead you to new projects, innovative ideas. I say, never fight that feeling of wanting [music, graffiti, design, spoken word, etc] every day. Go through with it with a bold heart.
Hard work will always be hard. We all have to figure out if what we're working for is worth the effort.
DJ Qbert's balance of thought, spirituality, and art can be an inspiration to everyone discovering that they are not one dimensional, that no one is. After interviewing Q I saw him in a brighter light. I hope that you do, too.
Links
Qbert is a nominee for America's Best DJ 2008 put on by DJ Times among other turntablists such as ?uestlove, Mix Master Mike, and Funk Master Flex, Last day to vote was Aug 16th. Keep up with the contest at DJ Times
Contact him on his website or myspace
Watch more of him, listen to tracks, peep future projects, and visit his online store at ThudRumble
We'll close this session up with a vid from the youtube ThudRumble page. Qbert + J-Dilla = "Yes"
All that scratchin' is makin' me itch!
Filed under:
dj,
turntablism
Posts
4 Comments
August 24, 2008 at 5:29 PM
DJ QBert, you are The God of turntableism. 'The God', not a. He's one of the reasons Filipinos are known for their musical talent. If no one knows who the hell QBert is, they need to get shot and research their knowledge in hip hop. This guy is King. And Niki, I'm glad you interviewed him. He was one of my idols when I tried to get into skratching, but that never worked out. LOL I still have his Demolition Pumpin Squeeze Vinyls that made me fall in love with the art of turntableism. Yes, turntableism is a new word now. :)
August 24, 2008 at 5:33 PM
Not to mention, DJ QBert, you're sexy. I'd go straight for you with that fuckable talent you have. You deliver eargasmic pleasure without knowing it. Sorry Niki! Please don't tell anyone about my deep dark secret. LOL ;)
August 25, 2008 at 12:47 AM
nene i'm impressed by ur drive to teach those who have never had a taste of others way of life, beliefs, and culture. keep it up maa. i'm luv'n it. bigg ups and stay blessed. -hajeno
August 26, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Thank you for this post. I've heard of his name, but I never took the time to look him up. I just started learning about turntableism so this really inspires me to keep on track towards mastering it, because I've always had a thing for creating beats, but I want to have it at the tip of my fingers. :)
I like him and the way he portrays himself with his skills and humble confidence. Even though we are different and walk towards different goals, I really admire his state of mind, approach and out look on life. I hope to reach that level of confident in my works. Mad crazy skills I want to develop!!!
Also, I just have to put on rotation, I love the way you think and write. :) You make and keep it fresssh with your style.
Post a Comment