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DJ Qbert

DJ Qbert

Richard Quitevis (born October 7, 1969) known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Qbert, is a Filipino American turntablist and composer.

DJ Qbert
Background information
Birth nameRichard Quitevis
Born(1969-10-07)October 7, 1969
San Francisco, California, U.S.
GenresHip hop, turntablism
Occupation(s)Disc jockey
Years active1990–present
Websitedjqbert.com [20]

Early life

Growing up in San Francisco's Excelsior District on Moscow Street, he graduated from Luther Burbank Middle School and in 1987 from Balboa High School.[1][2] Qbert started playing with records at the age of 15, although he got his first Fisher-Price turntable as a toddler. He was influenced by the street performers and graffiti artists of the local hip hop community in the mid-1980s. It was at Balboa's school cafeteria that he first met Mix Master Mike in a DJ battle; the two have been good friends ever since.[3]

Career

Performing at a gig in Berlin, February 2008

Performing at a gig in Berlin, February 2008

Qbert started his musical career in a group called FM20 with Mix Master Mike and DJ Apollo in 1990. In New York City when playing a show, Crazy Legs saw them and invited them to join the Rock Steady Crew. They accepted the offer to join the crew. Going by the name Rock Steady DJs, they then proceeded to take the 1992 Disco Mix Club World DJ Championships (DMC) world title.[4] Qbert was also one of the founding members of the band Invisibl Skratch Piklz. Although there were other turntablist crews before the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, the Skratch Piklz were the first to apply the band concept to turntablism, layering drums, basslines, and scratch solos on top of each other.

Qbert, along with other Skratch Piklz, created a series of videos entitled Turntable TV. Now out of print, the first 5 episodes were released on VHS and contained demonstrations, showcases, skits, and other DJ related content.

Qbert's solo efforts include 1994's Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik, and 1998's Wave Twisters. The latter album was created mainly with samplers and beat machines versus the turntable, and later turned into an animated feature of the same title. 2001's Wave Twisters movie was somewhat unusual in that the animators and digital artists had to invent images and movements to the pre-recorded music, as opposed to the other way around (Disney's Fantasia was made the same way).

More recently, he has worked with Vestax to develop the QFO, an all-in-one scratching instrument. The QFO combines a turntable with a mixer's crossfader.[5] In 2006, he introduced the Qbert turntable cartridge, a model put out by Ortofon.[6]

In May, 2009, Qbert launched the Qbert Skratch University [21] , an interactive online learning school and community for DJs through the ArtistWorks website.

At the 2016 edition of the DMC World DJ Championships, DJ Q-Bert was awarded with a DMC Legend jacket.

Personal life

In a 2011 interview with the website WeBeVegan.org, Qbert stated that he is a vegan.[7]

Media appearances

Qbert's music was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Undergroundand he appeared as himself on the Slam City Jam level. He also appeared as himself in DJ Hero 2.

Awards and credentials

  • America's Best DJ 2010

  • DMC USA Champion 1991 (solo)

  • DMC World Champion 1992 - Rock Steady DJs (Qbert, Mixmaster Mike & Apollo)

  • DMC World Champion 1993 - Dreamteam (Qbert & Mixmaster Mike)

  • DMC World Champion 1994 - Dreamteam (Qbert & Mixmaster Mike) ***

  • DMC Judge 2012 (what you heard?)

  • DMC DJ Hall of Fame (along with Mix Master Mike)

  • Featured in Hang the DJ by Marco & Mauro La Villa Cannes Film Festival, France

  • Appears in the documentary film Modulations Sundance Festival, Utah

  • Appears in the documentary Scratch Sundance Festival, Utah

  • Appears in his own animated/live action movie Wave Twisters

See also

  • Filipino hip hop

References

[1]
Citation Linkwww.sfgate.comChonin, Neva (1998-11-01). "A Dilly of a Career / The Bay Area's Invisibl Skratch Piklz have become world stars of turntablism". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[2]
Citation Linkwww.thudrumble.comde Leon, Krishtine (2005). "Get on your P's and Q's : Ten Things You Don't Know About QBERT" (PDF). Ruckus - Bay Area Rap Culture: July/August 2005. www.ruckusmag.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[3]
Citation Linkwww.lyricalswords.comBanjoko, Adisa. "The Trigger Man: Face to Face with Mix Master Mike". Retrieved 2007-04-10. (Mix Master Mike): In a cafeteria lunchroom, at Balboa High School in San Francisco, CA. Then we battled again in Stockton, CA. He won in Stockton. I won at Balboa.
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[4]
Citation Linkweb.archive.orgDJ Qbert: A Legend In His Own Time Archived 2008-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[5]
Citation Linkwww.vestax.com"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-07-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[6]
Citation Linkwww.djdeals.com"Ortofon OM Q-BERT Cartridge Free Shipping!". Djdeals.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[7]
Citation Linkwebevegan.org"DJ Qbert: Connecting hip hop with veganism «". Webevegan.org. 2011-11-16. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[8]
Citation Linkwww.djqbert.comDjqbert.com
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[9]
Citation Linkwww.thudrumble.comThudRumble.com
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[10]
Citation Linkartistworks.comQbert Skratch University
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[11]
Citation Linkwww.imdb.comDJ Qbert
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[12]
Citation Linkwww.discogs.comFull Discography
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[13]
Citation Linkwww.vimeo.comVideo of Q-Bert Live Set in UK
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[14]
Citation Linkweb.archive.orgInterview with DJ Times, 2001
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[15]
Citation Linkweb.archive.orgThe Career Cookbook Interview with Qbert
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[16]
Citation Linkwww.some-assembly-required.netRadio Feature
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[17]
Citation Linkweb.archive.orgHHC Digital interview about his DMC legacy
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[18]
Citation Linkconspiracyworldwide.podomatic.comConspiracy Worldwide Radio October 2010 Uncensored Interview
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[19]
Citation Linkweb.archive.orgInterview with We Be Vegan
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM
[20]
Citation Linkdjqbert.comdjqbert.com
Sep 24, 2019, 3:45 AM