DJ QBert

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Antriks and DJ Excess Review Thud Rumble’s Digital Breaks

Fresh Press

DJ QBert is one of the pioneers of break records, and lately, his Thud Rumble company has been releasing digital versions of some of his classics.

On this episode of Fresh Press, Battle Ave’s Antriks and DJ Excess connect at the DJ Expo in Atlantic City to put two of Thud Rumble’s latest releases to the test: QBert’s “All-Star Dirtstyle Battle Rebels” and DJ Happee’s “2nd Hand Smoke Breaks: Extended Edition.”

Watch above and check out all of Thud Rumble’s digital breaks here.

Related: Antriks Reviews DJ Packo’s Scratch Record, ‘Tax Breaks’

| DJcityTV, Turntablism, Videos
Antriks, Battle Ave, DJ Excess, DJ Happee, DJ QBert, Fresh Press, Thud Rumble,
Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Mix Master Mike and DJ QBert Team for Original Track, ‘Channel Zektar’

Mix Master Mike and DJ QBert

Mix Master Mike and DJ QBert

Legendary turntablist and former Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike has enlisted DJ QBert for an original track called “Channel Zektar.” The spaced-out, Reptilian-themed piece features intricate scratching over battle-style production.

Mike and QBert have a long history together, having both been members of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz. They also won the DMC World DJ Championship together in 1992 as the Rocksteady DJs (with DJ Apollo) and as a duo in 1993.

Stream “Channel Zektar” below and download the original and instrumental versions on DJcity.

Related: DJ QBert Shares Advice on DJing

| Tracks, Turntablism
DJ QBert, Mix Master Mike,
Monday, July 17, 2017

DJ QBert Shares Advice on DJing

DJ QBert

DJ QBert shared some advice on DJing in a recent interview with hip-hop website, 247HH.

The legendary turntablist discussed letting loose on stage, practicing, eating healthy, and being spiritual. He said his biggest lesson in life was losing the DMC World Championship in 1991.

“It taught me how to be humble. From my experience of not practicing, I gotta practice a lot now. Because if you don’t practice, you know, everything falls apart. I have to stay humble and keep being a student. So I practice even more nowadays.”

In 2016, QBert reunited with his influential Invisibl Skratch Piklz crew and dropped their first album in over 20 years. The group, which consists of QBert, D-Styles, and Shortkut, recently performed at the Boiler Room in Oakland.

Watch the video above.

Related: Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Cut Chemist, and J. Espinosa Perform on the Boiler Room

| DJ Culture, Turntablism, Videos
DJ QBert, Interview,
Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Cut Chemist, and J. Espinosa Perform on the Boiler Room

Invisibl Skratch Piklz

Invisibl Skratch Piklz
Invisibl Skratch Piklz perform on the Boiler Room in Oakland, California. (Photo credit: Tone Def)

The Boiler Room took a break from their usual electronic and hip-hop acts to host a turntablism party on Tuesday night. The show, which went down in Oakland, California, featured sets from the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Cut Chemist, J. Espinosa, and Great Dane. Representing the ISP were DJ QBert, D-Styles, and DJ Shortkut.

The night was kicked off by Great Dane, a member of the influential Team Supreme production crew. The Fullerton, California native put down 45 minutes of trap and future bass.

J. Espinosa, the 2015 Red Bull 3Style US champion, followed with an epic set of Bay Area hip-hop and turntablism. The crowd loved it, and so did Cut Chemist, who performed after Espinosa.

“That’s a tough act to follow,” the Jurassic 5 member told the crowd when he took over the turntables. As one fan on Twitter put it, “I’ll never hear Bay classics the same way after hearing what J. Espinosa did to [them]…”

Cut Chemist lived up to his name by dropping a creative and technical performance using both turntables and CDJs. His set included hip-hop, breakbeats, African music, and a guest performance from Blackalicious rapper Gift of Gab. It was the perfect segue into the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, who took the crowd to outer space and beyond.

Watch the entire show below.

Related: J. Espinosa: Must-Have Items in My Bag

| Mixes, Turntablism, Videos
Boiler Room, Cut Chemist, D-Styles, DJ QBert, Great Dane, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, J. Espinosa, Shortkut,
Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Thud Rumble Previews Intel-Powered DJ Mixer

Thud Rumble's Intel-powered DJ mixer

Thud Rumble's Intel-powered DJ mixer

Thud Rumble showcased two prototypes of its Intel-powered DJ mixer on Tuesday, reports Engadget. The presentation, which took place at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, was given by Thud Rumble’s co-founder, DJ QBert, and Montreal’s DJ Killa-Jewel.

The devices are the latest prototypes of Thud Rumble’s laptop-free mixer, the “Invader,” which was first announced in May 2015. The company has since showcased prototypes in an video by Intel and at the Maker Faire.

Intel mixer

According to Engadget, the prototypes that Thud Rumble showed off at the IDF were equipped with a touchscreen display running Windows 10 and Traktor. However, Engadget says the mixers can use any DJ software that’s compatible with Microsoft’s operating system.

Buyers will be able to customize the Invader with “laser-etching options, various colors and a choice of rubber or old-school arcade buttons.” Thud Rumble’s co-founder Ritche “Yogafrog” Desuasido told Engadget: “We’re doing the Tesla business model.”

Thud Rumble's Intel-powered DJ mixer

So what’s next for the Invader? Engadget writes:

“The next step after IDF will be to finalize the printed circuit board (PCB) designs. Native Instruments, which makes Traktor devices, is working with Thud Rumble to create an audio interface. The final Invader mixer will have the usual audio ports, including the ability to switch to phono so DJs can scratch actual vinyl. It’ll have USB 3 ports and an HDMI socket so DJs can use applications like Serato Video to output moving images. As you might expect, given that the device was shown off at Intel’s developer conference, it runs on Intel i5 and i7 processors. It’s competitively priced at $1,699 (the Pioneer DJ DJM-S9 mixer for Serato costs the same without a built-in computer) and will ship at the end of the year.”

Intel mixer

All photos by Roberto Baldwin/AOL

Related: Intel Releases Video About Thud Rumble Collaboration

| Music Tech, Videos
DJ Killa-Jewel, DJ QBert, Intel, Thud Rumble,
Monday, June 6, 2016

DJ QBert’s Thud Rumble Company Showcases Experimental DJ Gear at Maker Faire

DJ QBert

DJ QBert
DJ QBert showcases Thud Rumble’s experimental DJ equipment at the 2016 Bay Area Maker Faire.

DJ QBert‘s Thud Rumble company recently showcased their latest experimental DJ equipment at the Bay Area Maker Faire. The gear, which is in collaboration Intel, is part of Thud Rumble’s mission to eliminate the necessity of using laptops when DJing with DVS software like Serato and Traktor.

The partnership between Thud Rumble and Intel was first unveiled at the 2015 Bay Area Maker Faire. This year’s showcase focused on the evolution of their collaboration.

Thud Rumble’s press release for the event says:

“Traditionally, [these] setups have required that a laptop or desktop computer be plugged into the instrument being utilized. The necessity of a computer has created a disconnect between the DJ and their audience. With the use of Intel technology, Thud Rumble has returned the art form back to its roots and is reconnecting the DJ to while still utilizing the convenience of digital audio files. In lieu of a computer, the artist simply inserts their USB drive of personally selected music they wish to use in the live set.”

“Everyone believes there is only one way to use standard equipment like a turntable or mixer, [and] it’s time for us to change that perception,” DJ Qbert said in the press release. “Intel’s technology is enabling us to connect the power of computing directly into our gear which is opening up new frontiers for us as DJs.”

Watch Thud Rumble’s recap video of the showcase below, which featured special performances from the Invisibl Skratch Piklz.

Related: Intel Releases Video About Thud Rumble Collaboration

| Turntablism, Videos
DJ QBert, Thud Rumble,

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