A former DMC World Champion and Hall Of Fame inductee, his peers call him the greatest DJ the world has ever seen. Battling and training in the artform is what sets DJ QBert apart from the rest – always relentless in unlocking the sounds and systems of scratching. It is QBert who is credited for championing the turntable as a musical instrument, often referred to as the Jimi Hendrix of the ones and twos. DMCWORLD checks in with da main man as he releases his brand new double album…
Interview by Christie Z-Pabon from DMC USA and Dan Prince
Rich welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you right now?
“Hey DMC! We are at the NAMM show helping our sponsors: DJ Tech, Sennheiser, Monster DJ, Stanton, Ortofon, Pioneer, Native Instruments (Traktor), Beats By Dre,V and Rane & Qbert Skratch University…”
A massive start to the new year with a brand new two part album from you ‘Extraterrestria’ & ‘Galaxxxian’, the much anticipated follow up to your groundbreaking debut album and feature film, Wave Twisters. How long has this superb creation taken you to make?
“Took a few years actually…but mostly these last two years I have been pushing hard to get it out. Extraterrestria is music from other planets… And Galaxxxian is music from earth with a bunch of MCs I worked with. There’s about 33 tracks total for both albums. The concept is that there is a galactic skratch federation out there and they’ve collected music from around the galaxy, and so Extraterrestria is that compilation. Galaxxxian is Earth’s import to the GSF…unfortunately for Earth, the hip hop is still too primitive with all the rappers predominantly speaking on sex, drugs, war, the illusions of money, etc. the planet is still under the influence of dark forces….if you haven’t noticed in all the recent music we hear in the mainstream recently… So that album didn’t make it on the Extraterrestria album, which is mostly strange skratch music from other worlds with no earthly darkness! lol…but if you dig raw hip hop with skratching in the breaks, then the GalaXXXian album is kool too.”
We love the quote from your press company describing the release…”it transcends what turntablism is and what skratch music sounds like in the future’. How would you describe your new long player?
“I didn’t write that personally, but after you take a listen, we’ll leave it up to the listeners and critics to judge it. I’m just waiting for it to turn into a movie like how we did wave twisters back then. This is my actual goal with the whole project.”
The release features a cast of guest stars, names such as Dana Leong, Kool Keith, Del The Funkyhomosapien, Bambu and Soul Khan to name but a few. Your list of people you wanted on the album must have been a mile long, who really shone in the studio with you?
“Everyone was dope! They all have unique skills and killed it on everything they did! Very blessed and it was so great to work with all these musical geniuses!”
You have turned to Kickstarter to help fund the project, the video supporting the cause starring the likes of Jazzy Jeff, A-Trak and Z-Trip is insane – they all agree you are the master of scratching. A lot of producers/DJs have turned to KickStarter in the last 12 months, why did you feel it was for you?
“Ya, the Kickstarter is great to find the album and to make the interactive covers and there’s also a beautiful vinyl set of nine records that are each shaped like puzzle pieces. When you put all nine puzzle pieces together they for a giant picture disc piece made by morning breath inc! Also it’s the only place you can get our limited edition TRX mixer! Just log in to www.djqbert.com to get on our kickstarter…”
Okay let’s rewind for a minute. This is the first time we’ve managed to grab you on DMCWORLD and there’s a lot to go through! Let’s go back to the beginning, how did you get into DJing in the first place?
“Just doin’ it for fun collecting all the crazy Bboy music from the early 80s…”
Were you a partyrocker first, what kind of music did you spin?
“Kinda both…Skratching and mixing. Mostly dance music from the 80’s but predominantly the kind like Kraftwerk, Planet Rock etc.”
Where you in any crews, can you remember any of the other members?
“LiveStyle Productions was our crew back in 1985 – DJ Kutz, DJ Dumb, DJ Dino, Shayd-d, Prod D n Me: DJ Trix – lol, I changed my name after losing a tonnes of battles haha!”
Who were your musical infuences and mentors?
“Mix Master Ice of Utfo, Cash Money, Jazzy Jeff, Alladin, Joe Cooley, Mr Mixx, and my man Mix Master Mike! Then later on when I got more into skratching… Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Coltrane, Pee Wee Russel, Benny Goodman, Hendrix etc. Anyone who was good, I would study their philosophies and see if I could incorporate that in my stuff.”
Can you remember the first ever DMC Battle you entered, how did you do?
“That was the regional 1991 Bay Area battle near San Francisco in Oakland… I was surprised to win that. I only went in doing my best and not thinking about winning. Same for when I advanced to the West Coast Finals, US Finals and World Eliminations…I was just low key and didn’t think about winning, and I surprisingly got first place every time. But then when it finally came to the World Finals, I got a lil big headed and didn’t even think about practicing anymore…so I lost lol! This was my biggest ever lesson…to stay humble and practice lots.”
How did it come about that yourself, Mixmaster Mike and Apollo all entered as team?
“The year after, DMC had a team competition and we already had a team routine – like a DJ band thing a few years in advance. So we got lucky in that one.”
Most of us love a DJ mixtape, there must have been some great tapes back in the day you must have devoured?
“All the early Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore mixtapes…all deep Bboy breaks! Crazy Legs from Rock Steady Crew turned us on to that stuff! It was my inspiration to make Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Muzik. But before that it was all about the crazy out of this world Mix Master Mike tapes and tapes from Eddie Def of the Bullet Proof Skratch Hamsters! Absolutely insane and no rules! These were the craziest!”
What is your best advice for DJs going into Battle?
“It doesn’t matter if you win or lose…but that you practice like a muh fuggah! That really what matters. Cuz I see some guys that win the battle, and you watch the video and there’s always some Kat who had some iller stuff… Those are the guys that we love to rewind and study!”
What is your best advice to DJs who want to make a career of being a turntablist?
“Be original and make up your own rules…whatever they doin’, don’t do that lol! Create your own world.”
What are the trademarks of a Bay Area DJ that you don’t see other DJs doing?
“Hmm…ever since the internet came out lots of kids are just copycats now. I honestly can’t say anymore cuz I’m stuck in my own world… I don’t really see a Bay style, mostly due to the fact that I been home for the last couple years workin’ on the album…I do see lots of skratchers in the Bay getting faster, but then again, I see that all over the world.”
Why was the Bay Area, particularly Daly City, so concentrated with some of the best turntablists the world has ever seen?
“I don’t know…I’m from San Francisco…I only moved to Daly City when I was 30, so when Scratch the movie came out, I had a crib in DC, so everyone thought I was from there lol. But I thought there was a ton of DJs in SF too! I’m assuming because it was fun lol and we had these battles around the Bay…so like the closest 20 cities would all come out with their DJs…and everyone had to keep getting better.”
What do you look for when you are judging battles?
“Originality and musicianship…I love hearing rhythm changes and strange off beat flows.”
What other elements of Hip Hop are you a practitioner of? I hear you have a pretty clean tag.
“That’s about it lol. I have an ok tag.”
If you could throw once concert with a dream line up – who would be on the bill and where would you do the show?
“Dang, I would wanna see Ravi Shankar, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Zakir Hussein and all those greats playing on the moon…”
Tell me more about your healthy eating habits and this fountain of youth you have access to!
“Tons of bottled spring water, no smoke or alcohol, 8 hours sleep, sustainable organic food, some grass fed meat is nice too. 200 sit-ups a day, and cardio… Some yoga, meditation, etc.”
How did DJ David winning (with the handspin body trick) affect how the West Coast would regard bodytricks? Are bodytricks looked down upon on the West Coast, since they are well received on the East Coast?
“We love em…but they gotta have some skills to back it up. Skills are first for me, then the flashy stuff Is the icing on the cake. It’s like a person who is flashy, but air headed. They need to have both like how the X-Ecutioners do it and like DJ Craze…they have the full package. I guess after years of watching DJs, the older kats can read through the flashiness and see if they got skills… But if they can have both, then that’s great entertainment.”
What has been the proudest moment of your career?
“Finishing the Wave Twisters movie and winning the DMC World…and hopefully the new albums, people will like…”
How important have DMC been to the whole art of Turntablism?
“Super important because it’s the pinnacle of all DJ battles. Here’s where you can study and appreciate the best!”
Who is your favourite ever DMCWORLD Champion?
“All the new guys…but let’s go back a bit…
Mix Master Mike, Craze, Vajra, Cash Money, Aladdin USA DMC 1989 for skratching and Steve Dee DMC USA 1991 for juggling…”
And finally young man, where do people go to help contribute to this new album…?
Thank you Qbert, nice words…
“You’re very welcome DMC.”
Also check out…
Sat. Feb. 1, 2014: Rane in assoc. with DMC USA presents The 2014 DMC NEW YORK CITY Regional DJ Battle with special guest DJ QBERT and host: LORD FINESSE @ Webster Hall 125 E. 11th St. (betw. 3rd & 4th Ave) New York NY 10003. Buy tickets now at http://www.ticketweb.com/
