DJ Qbert’s Upcoming Tour Date

Qbert Skratch University teaches Skratching, Trick Mixing, Beat Juggling, Traktor/Serato and MUCH MORE through online video exchange. Students enjoy exclusive access to 1000’s of FREE beats, Thud Rumble Store DISCOUNTS and FIRST DIBS on pre-releases! 1 on 1 interaction with DJ Qbert himself and of course a worldwide community of dj’s of all levels!
Enroll Now $60 for 3 months @ www.QSkratchU.com

FADER FEST 2011

DJ QBert x D-Styles x Shortkut

of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz

The Bangerz

JabbaWockeez Sound

DJ Shiftee

2X DMC World Champion / Dubspot

Ean Golden

DJTechtools

Hosted by Yogafrog

and The Infamous Toadman

DJ QBert’s Wave Twisters – Premiere

This summer, MYX TV will be celebrating DJ Qbert’s 10 year anniversary for the release of Wave Twisters.  The world’s first animated film based off of a turntablism album.  Wave Twisters the Movie premiered at the famed Sundance Film Festival, & won the SXSW award for best use of music in film, and was selected at over 30 other International film festivals around the world.

The film also features former members of the Invisbl Skratch Piklz collective & Buckethead.

@myxtv

EMMA TV presents a “Live & Direct” interview with QBERT, KID KOALA & FEADZ (Ed Banger).

TheCutOnline.com

djrev.net | @djrevolution

Win a free pair of tickets to Low End Theory (SF) for June 3rd!  For the first time in 10 years, DJ Qbert & D-Styles will be performing together again for this one night exclusive!

Contest Rules: Follow @ThudRumble on twitter and retweet with the message “THUD THEORY”

(ex: RT! Thud Theory! @thudrumble)

Contest Duration: 5/28 through 06/01

The winner will be chosen at random, and will be announced via Facebook & Twitter on Wednesday, June 1st!

Prizes

- Pair of tickets to Low End Theory (SF) on June 3rd

- Special Thud Rumble gift package sent to winner

]]> http://www.thudrumblegallery.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=755 0 http://www.thudrumblegallery.com/blog/?p=748 http://www.thudrumblegallery.com/blog/?p=748#comments Wed, 25 May 2011 23:55:58 +0000 Thud Rumble http://www.thudrumble.com/blog/?p=748

Left to Right: DJ Isla, Nicole Mullen (Curator for the SFO Museum), Kingston, Yogafrog, DJ Qbert

SFO Museum: Terminal 2

The SFO Museum will be exhibiting the history of vinyl records which will take place from October of 2011 to March 2012.  It will feature a variety of historical record players and ephemera as well as vinyl records and album covers.  Of the eight different musical genres to be put on display, one will focus on hip-hop and turntablism.  Nicole Mullen, curator for the SFO Museum, was kind of enough to give the Thud team a tour of the new exhibition at Terminal 2.  SFO has one of the largest exhibition programs in a commercial airport.  In 1999, SFO became the first exhibition program in an airport to receive accreditation from the American Association of Museums.

The museum has asked Thud Rumble & DJ Qbert to help consult with the the vinyl history exhibition, and come this fall visitors will notice a unique turntable making an appearance behind the glass…

Ellaskins (aka DJ Tutor) is the YouTube pseudonym of West Wales DJ, Jonathan Lewis.  Ellaskins has been DJ’ing since the 80s and has shared his knowledge & experience with students from around the globe with the Ministry of Sound DJ Academy, and his well respected YouTube channel.

Ellaskins kindly took time from his schedule to answer a few questions for the Qbert Skratch University which he has recently joined and become an exclusive contributor.

QSU:  Lately, there have been many articles & news features in the media in regards to “YouTube Sensations”.  Do you consider yourself a YouTube star and how has this affected your career?

Ellaskins:  I class the people who have been inspired as the stars.  I’m nobody special, its an honor to know that I have helped a fellow being and given them a push in life.  They are the sensations!

QSU:  One reason why everyone enjoys watching your lessons is that you have great enthusiasm, and you make each lesson very personable.  Your YouTube fans have had the opportunity to be introduced to your kids, whom I’m sure will grow up to be eclectic musicians.  How do you manage time being an awesome dad, professional DJ, teacher, hat collector, and staying in tune with the industry?

Ellaskins:  Sadly, over a year ago my wife left me and took my dear children – Even though I brought them up as she went to work.  I managed to do all of this because my mind was open to the real world and what you CAN do as an individual.  Now my kids are gone (I still get to see them on the odd occasion) I try to channel my energy in to good thoughts, peace & only love to all even my ex-wife who I forgive.

QSU:  In 2010, DJ Tutor attempted to break the Guiness Book of Records for the world’s longest DJ relay club mix at the BPM Show.  Will there be another attempt at the goal, which stands at 82 tracks?

Ellaskins:  I may give this a go, but at the show (BPM) last year, the DJ’s who turned up to go to the show were more interested in looking at the new kit, so it was a nightmare to get enough DJs to enter.  It was a lot of work, BUT I had an idea about trying to break the record a few months before the event and I managed to give it a go.  So it just goes to show ANYONE can give anything a go, its about using the most powerfull thing we all have, the mind!

QSU:  With the progression in digital technology & production, DJs are now quicker with their mixing.  What is your take on the infamous “sync” button?

Ellaskins:  For a DJ who wants to be more creative in the mix and not have to think about matching the beats – he/she can concentrate more on the production of a good mix, add fx, add other samples and the like.  But for a DJ who just hits sync because they want a smooth mix/set and do nothing else it’s not a good idea as it is taking away the hard work.  Its like going to school and missing the first few years because you can’t be bothered to go!

QSU:  Each DJ has their own style, and the preferred equipment that caters to their work flow.  What is your standard setup of equipment for DJ’ing and could you elaborate on how it works for your sets?

Ellaskins:  I like to use vinyl  for home use as I still love the warm feel and sound you get.  Still to this day, the Technics SL1200MK2 has the BEST pitch on the planet!

For my usual gigs I like to use CDs or even DVDs, so I may go out with Pioneer DJM200 or 800 and a set of  CDJ2000s, or for a VJ set the SVM-1000 with 3 DVJ-1000s, (for) PA’s I use RCF Event 6000s.

QSU:  With the Technics 1200s now discontinued, there has been a race in production for MIDI controllers from all the major hardware manufacturers.  We’ve even seen the success of San Francisco based DJTechTools.com grow rapidly with their DIY and customizable MidiFighter controllers.  Do you predict to still see turntables at nightclubs & bars in the next decade?

Ellaskins:  Vinyl will never die!  It will be used as vitrual vinyl for many years to come.  And like all things that come and go, it has stood the test of time.

People still to this day like to see a DJ using vinyl, and if ever you see somebody pretend to be a DJ on the street the actions are clear to all… one hand by there ear as if they are holding some headphones, and the other hand will move back and forth as if they are moving vinyl…   Even my mum knows this move as the DJ move!

QSU:  In the past decade we have seen a lot of remixing & bootleg productions found all over the web in various dance blogs and digital record pools.  Do you feel that producing has now become an important skill to have in order to make it as a successful DJ?

Ellaskins:  YES!  To become a top world class DJ you need far more skills to get noticed and a lot of club owners like to see their DJs playing new music they have produced as this gives them exclusivity.

To get to the top is very hard.  You could be a great DJ in every way, but like all jobs in the world, quite often its not what you know its who you know!!  ♦

Finally, Jonathan wanted to share this message:

“I have a saying I made up back in 2006, Practise & N’joy.  You see life is about practice and when you make a mistake, as we all do from time to time, we need to n’joy these too as it’s all about not only n’joying the things we do – but also the things we don’t do well.  In other words if we can always have a positive attitude even if we can’t get it right, then staying positive will help us through!”

To chat & learn with other QSU students like Ellaskins, join the Qbert Skratch University online and have access to his exclusive turntablist influenced lesson on the Pioneer DVJ 1000s!

http://www.DJTutor.com

http://www.YouTube.com/ellaskins