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DJ Qbert

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This article is about the DJ. For the arcade and computer game, seeQ*bert.
DJ Qbert
Qbert at the Nuits Sonores festival in Lyon, France, May 2006
Qbert at theNuits Sonoresfestival inLyon,France,May 2006
Background information
Birth nameRichard Quitevis
Born(1969-10-07)October 7, 1969(age 55)
San Francisco,California,U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Disc jockey,composer
Years active1990–present
Websitedjqbert.com

Richard Quitevis(born October 7, 1969) known by his stage nameDJ QbertorQbert,[2]is a Filipino Americanturntablistandcomposerwho has heavily influenced theHistory of DJing.He was awarded America's Best DJ in 2010, wasDMCUSA Champion 1991 (solo) and achieved titles as DMC World Champion in 1992 and 1993.

Early life

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Richard Quitevis was born on October 7, 1969, toFilipinoimmigrant parents hailing fromBacolod,Negros OccidentalandIlocos Sur.[3]Growing up inSan Francisco'sExcelsior Districton Moscow Street, he graduated from Luther Burbank Middle School and in 1987 fromBalboa High School.[4][5]Qbert started playing withrecordsat the age of 15, although he got his firstFisher-Priceturntable 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 metMix Master Mikein a DJ battle; the two have been good friends ever since.[6]

Career

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DJ Qbert at theDMCWorld Championships 2006 inLyon,France.
DJ Qbert in Rainbow Warehouse inBirmingham(Video with close-up photography at the DJ mixer, though without sound)

Qbert started his musical career in a group called FM20 with Mix Master Mike andDJ Apolloin 1990. InNew York Citywhen playing a show, FM20 was spotted byCrazy Legs,who invited them to join theRock Steady Crew.They accepted the offer to join the crew. Going by the name Rock Steady DJs, they then proceeded to take the 1992Disco Mix Club World DJ Championships(DMC) world title.[7]Qbert was also one of the founding members of the bandInvisibl Skratch Piklz.Although there were other turntablist crews before the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, the Skratch Piklz were the first to apply the band concept toturntablism,layering drums, basslines, and scratch solos on top of each other.

Qbert, along with other Skratch Piklz, created a series of videos entitledTurntable 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'sDemolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik,and 1998'sWave 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'sWave Twistersmovie 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'sFantasiawas 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.[8]In 2006, he introduced the Qbert turntable cartridge, a model put out by Ortofon.[9]

Performing at a gig inBerlin,February 2008

In May 2009, Qbert launched the Qbert Skratch University, 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

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In a 2011 interview with the website WeBeVegan.org, Qbert stated that he is a vegan.[10]

Media appearances

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

Awards and credentials

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  • America's Best DJ 2010
  • DMC USA Champion 1991 (solo)
  • DMC World Champion 1992 - Rock Steady DJs (Qbert, Mix Master Mike & Apollo)
  • DMC World Champion 1993 - Dreamteam (Qbert & Mix Master Mike)
  • DMC DJ Hall of Fame (along with Mix Master Mike)
  • Featured inHang the DJbyMarco & Mauro La Villa
  • Appears in the documentary filmModulations
  • Appears in the documentaryScratch
  • Appears in his own animated/live action movieWave Twisters

See also

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References

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  1. ^Sacher, Andrew (February 20, 2018)."Dr. Octagon playing NYC release show for first LP in two decades".Brooklyn Vegan.Retrieved2023-08-17.lead single "Octagon Octagon" is an awesome dose of the same kind of surreal, psychedelic rap they were doing in the '90s
  2. ^Zhao, Xiaojian; Ph.D, Edward J. W. Park (2013-11-26).Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History.ABC-CLIO. p. 394.ISBN978-1-59884-240-1.
  3. ^Imbong, Peter (December 21, 2013)."DJ Qbert: Musician of the world".Rappler.
  4. ^ Chonin, 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.Retrieved2007-04-10.
  5. ^ de 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 fromthe original(PDF)on 2007-09-29.Retrieved2007-04-10.
  6. ^ Banjoko, Adisa."The Trigger Man: Face to Face with Mix Master Mike".Retrieved2007-04-10.(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.
  7. ^DJ Qbert: A Legend In His Own TimeArchived2008-04-21 at theWayback Machine
  8. ^"Vestax Corporation".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-07-04.Retrieved2007-07-08.
  9. ^"Ortofon OM Q-BERT Cartridge Free Shipping!".Djdeals.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-22.Retrieved2012-12-19.
  10. ^"DJ Qbert: Connecting hip hop with veganism «".Webevegan.org.2011-11-16. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-04-25.Retrieved2012-12-19.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toDJ Q-bert.

Interviews

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