DJ Qbert

There are some artists that are worth going to see just to pay tribute to them and see a true pioneer at work. The music might not be as up to scratch as it once was but in a lot of ways it doesn’t matter, as simply being reminded that the artist exists, that they innovated so much and they have the history that they do is enough. San Francisco’s very own DJ Qbert (Richard Quitevis to his mum) is not like those artists. He very nearly is, as he is very much a legend and an innovator in his field but what is most apparent when seeing him live is that the music is still relevant, inventive, and pretty ridiculously good. This is a man who could quite possibly make an art form out of scratching, the sight and sound of him putting together a sample on the fly before decorating it as deftly as anyone else in the whole damn business can with only a vinyl record and a crossfader is unmissable in his own right. However, Qbert earns his stripes as a composer as much as a straight DJ, the music that he creates on the decks is by turns exhilarating, fun, introspective and raucous and it’s always as much a treat for the mind and the heart as it is for the dancing shoes. Highly recommended.