DJ Qbert | |
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 Qbert at theNuits Sonores festival in France, 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Quitevis |
| Born | (1969-10-07)October 7, 1969 (age 55) San Francisco,California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Disc jockey,composer |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Website | djqbert |
Richard Quitevis (born October 7, 1969) known by his stage nameDJ Qbert orQbert,[2] is a Filipino Americanturntablist andcomposer who has heavily influenced theHistory of DJing. He was awarded America's Best DJ in 2010, wasDMC USA Champion 1991 (solo) and achieved titles as DMC World Champion in 1992 and 1993.
Richard Quitevis was born on October 7, 1969, toFilipino immigrant parents hailing fromBacolod,Negros Occidental andIlocos Sur.[3] Growing up inSan Francisco'sExcelsior District on Moscow Street, he graduated from Luther Burbank Middle School and in 1987 fromBalboa High School.[4][5] Qbert started playing withrecords at the age of 15, although he got his firstFisher-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 metMix Master Mike in a DJ battle; the two have been good friends ever since.[6]
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Qbert started his musical career in a group called FM20 with Mix Master Mike andDJ Apollo in 1990. InNew York City when 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 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'sFantasia 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.[8] In 2006, he introduced the Qbert turntable cartridge, a model put out by Ortofon.[9]
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.
In a 2011 interview with the website WeBeVegan.org, Qbert stated that he is a vegan.[10]
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.
lead single "Octagon Octagon" is an awesome dose of the same kind of surreal, psychedelic rap they were doing in the '90s
(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.
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