The results are in! DJ Claim (aka Clément Loup) wins the Paradiddle Battle! For anyone who doesn't know, Claim was one of the first students here and Q was so impressed by his style that he crowned him as the first "Black Belt" (check out his first VE here). Well now it's 4 years later and Claim is only getting better! It's been really cool watching his style develop, and I'm very excited to see him continue to rise.
So the next battle is gonna be on… Beat Juggling! Uh oh... it's gonna get serious. Be sure to check out the Beat Juggling section with Shorkut on here for some tips (there's some with Mista B too!), also dig through the Video Exchanges (use the new VE seach tool and type in "juggle" - there's a bunch). Also, check out this one on Finding the Breakdown Speed - very useful! The winner will get a super awesome limited edition platinum record from Qbert, frame it and cherish it forever!
The last day to submit for the Beat Juggling Battle is Tuesday, May 14 (before 6 PM PST). 1 Minute Video please - no more, no less! That's the only rule. Beyond that - just kill it!
I recently came into contact with the President of IDA Canada, Moe Dastranj. He reached out to us to promote their first ever online competition: the North American Scratch Battle. Anyone from North America can enter, but you need to register by May 31st. There's already a couple QSU students registered (Stevie-E & E-Na), and I hope to see more enter the battle soon.
Since I actually didn't know a whole lot about IDA (besides that it's a huge international DJ battle spawned out of the now defuct ITF), I thought this would be a great opportunity to ask Moe some questions and get educated.
Guess what? We'll be hosting a LIVE streaming workshop in conjunction with DJ Times and Thud Rumble on Thursday, April 25th at 6:00 PM PST! (Here's a Time Zone Converter). "Skratch Theory Live" will feature a discussion on the history of turntablism, a breakdown of some of the Skratch Theory principles, and of course skratching by Qbert! Yogafrog will moderate the discussion so be sure to tune in LIVE on Google+: http://bit.ly/11gAOTq.
Also in attendence will be Justin BUA, the latest artist to join our roster and who soon will be teaching people all over the world how to draw using the ArtistWorks online platform. This free event will stream live at http://QbertSkratchUniversity.com and at DJTimes.com, so tell your friends!
DJ P-Trix (1999 DMC US Champion, Supernatural Turntable Artists) recently visited DJ Revolution for an interview and turntable showcase for The Cut. As you'll see in the showcase that precedes the interview, P-Trix's still got that funk. Stay tuned after the showcase for a discussion on the current state of battle DJs, including their thoughts on last year's DMC World Champion DJ Izoh, Master of the Mix, and more! Also be sure to check out more of DJ Revolution's great interviews on The Cut!
"Kids are technically skilled nowadays, but that soul, that whole funk of it all, has been slowly disappearing..." - P-Trix
On Saturday, April 6th in Long Beach, California a historic performance took place at the Guitar Center Music Expo. For the first time in 18 years (yes, it really has been that long since these two have performed as a duo), Qbert took to the stage with the one and only Mix Master Mike.
The footage is a bit shaky because the cameraman was so excited and couldn't keep it still (can you blame him?), but the soundboard quality audio more than makes up for it.
This is just 6 minutes of their all-freestyled set. Nothing was planned, no rehearsal, they just took to the stage and BAM!
Mike is the backbone here, laying down the foundation as Qbert paints over his canvas. Even though it's freestyled, there are no jagged transitions or dull moments. The performance is smooth and flows together as if they've been playing together this whole time. It should also be noted that all the other performers at this event were traditional bands and these two were the only DJs privileged to be included in Guitar Center's first ever Music Expo.
In light of all the madness that too often pollutes the DJ world, this brings it all back to the basics: pure sound. The synchronicity is insane, just listen!
Alright and the winner of the Drum Battle is… it's a tie! Why you ask? Well, after futher review of the tape, Q concluded that there are two winning entries! So Ju-e (aka juefgm1) and Rize 1200, congrats fellas you both got a gold record coming your way.Also, honorable mentions go out to Supaphonik, Clearcut, E-Na, and Mase - very nice! I was real happy to see so many people step up the drum challenge, so thank you all!
Ok so everyone's wondering what the next QSU Battle will be so let me tell you: it's Paradiddles!
…pair a what? Diddles! You don't know about this classic drum technique? It's an 8-note pattern a lot of musicians use and when applied to skratching will make your stabs a lot cleaner and more precise. This is great practice for mixing up your forward and backward cuts and will help you break out of the same old patterns. Be sure to study Q's Paradiddle Lesson in Level 2 and check out the Welcome Video for some more ideas.
QSU Guest Professor Alex Sonnenfeldhas started a weekly show on his YouTube Channel called "Turntablism Education". The show will cover scratching, drumming, music theory, beat production, and routines.
Here's what Alex says: I will tackle famous scratch techniques and explain methods to create something new with it. The different topics of my show provides every type of playing skill level.
My aim is to give an insights on my exclusive tutorial series "Real instrument Skratching" at QSU and to inspire people to join the Qbert Skratch University community. Furthermore I would like to present my thesis "Bewegungslehre" and explain my S-Notation system step by step for beginners. This education program includes lots of practice with clapping, counting, and simple explanations of how to incorporate music theory with the turntable instrument.
The first show is already up and you can check out the trailer after the break. Also, be sure to read on to hear about Alex's new scratch tutorials for QSU!
Nobodi da Vinylist has just released Volume 3 of the Skratch Connection compilations. This is a really great series that features new skratch music from cutters around the world (including some friends of QSU!). Listen in at the embedded SoundCloud link below, or visit Nobodi's website to grab the free download. If you haven't heard the other 2 volumes, don't miss out - turntable music is alive and well!
Guess what? We just discovered a few lessons that must have gotten lost in the shuffle somewhere... because they never got uploaded before today. Not sure how that happened, but the good news is we found them and they're now available! First up, we got another one to add to the Level Three section - it's a recap of the all the Lazer lessons: Lazer Family (be sure to study the Slow Mo too). Next we got TWO new lesssons to add to the Skratch Theory area: Baiting the Listener and Spacing Out Skratches. Jump on it!
Nobodi da Vinylist
