Qbert returns to scratch your itch
People either love or hate the sound of a record being scratched back and forth. If you're in the first camp, you'll probably need no introduction to Filipino-American DJ Richard Quitevis, better known as Qbert.
More than any other DJ, Qbert (below) has helped elevate turntablism into an accepted art form, bringing in influences from Miles Davis, Jimmy Hendrix and Thelonious Monk and developing an amazing range of techniques that have led him to be regularly named as the greatest turntablist ever.
Along with Mix Master Mike, who went on to become the Beastie Boys' DJ for many years, Qbert was a founding member of the famed Invisibl Skratch Piklz outfit, who dominated the world DJ scene for the first half of the 1990s, winning the DMC team title so many times that they were politely asked to stop entering.
Qbert delivered a virtuoso performance on his last visit to Hong Kong in 2006, and now the scratch master is due to return on Saturday, when he'll be pitted against two Japanese DJs - fellow DMC champ Ta shi and technoist Q'hey.
Q'hey should provide a nice counterpoint to all the scratching going on that night because the owner of Tokyo label Moon Age Recordings has featured prominently on the playlists of big names such as Carl Cox and Sven Vath since arriving on the scene in 1989. The event at ZaZa Club on Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, starts at 10pm and tickets at the door cost HK$320.
