Vinyl Word: To what degree is the turntable an instrument?
QBert: Right now turntablism is very percussive. But with the pitch control, we can start to make a lot of melodies.
VW: How are you taking turntablism into new areas?
QBert: Actually, I love it that it's percussive. But you can get more melodic with the pitch control. And even with your hand by moving the record you can make it so it's like a fretless bass. It's technical, but it's even beyond technical. It's spiritual when you get the feeling for it.
VW: Are there any limitations to what a turntable and record can do musically?
QBert: The only limitations are your beliefs. If you believe you can make a sound, you can make that sound.
VW: You've designed the QFO when lots of DJs are switching to CDs. Do you use CDs?
QBert: Not really. I'm more of an analog person. It's like asking a pianist who plays on a grand piano if he likes to play on an electric keyboard.
VW: Does that make you a vinyl purist?
QBert: Yeah, I guess it does.
VW: Your style is hip hop, but what do you listen to at home?
QBert: Only jazz, straight up. And some guitarists, like Stevie Ray Vaughn. I'm really into music theory. But my roots are hip hop.
VW: Would you say you're trying to take the complexity of jazz percussion and bring it to hip hop?
QBert: Well, no one is making hip hop in strange time signatures, but it could be done. It's just really difficult.
VW: What have you heard lately that's blown your mind?
QBert: I get mixed tapes all the time and sometimes there'll be some reverse shit, combined with some reverse chirps, and maybe a boomerang or something and we'll all be like: `Wow, he took it to another level there.' There's lots of great stuff, but the scratch scene is very undergound.
VW: Kid Koala's going to be in town tonight as well. How are we to choose?
QBert: He's here? Aw man, I wouldn't even know.
Performance notes:
Kid Koala is tonight at Room 18, located at B1, 18 Songshou Rd, Taipei (
Tickets cost NT$800, students NT$600.
QBert is tonight at Luxy, located at 5F, 201 Zhongxiao E Rd, Sec 4, Taipei (
Tickets costs NT$500 before 11pm, NT$900 thereafter. Also tonight at Luxy is DJ Victor's CD release party in the Lotus Room backed up by Joe Ho.
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