DJ Qbert

• 1. Childhood In The Excelsior

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  Richard Quitevis arrived in this world on the 7th of October 1969. His parents came from Bacolod and Ilocos Sur before settling in San Francisco. He grew up on Moscow Street within the city's Excelsior District. A Fisher-Price turntable sat in his home while he was still a toddler. This toy sparked an early fascination with spinning vinyl records. By age fifteen, Richard began playing with actual records. Local graffiti artists and street performers shaped his artistic direction during the mid-1980s. Balboa High School served as the backdrop for his teenage years. He graduated from Luther Burbank Middle School before finishing high school in 1987.

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• 2. Championship Victories And Rivalry

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  The year 1991 marked his first major title as DMC USA Champion. Qbert won the solo category that same year. Two years later, he claimed the DMC World Championship alongside Mix Master Mike and DJ Apollo. They competed under the name Rock Steady DJs to secure the 1992 Disco Mix Club World DJ Championships title. The duo defended their crown in 1993 by forming Dreamteam. Their partnership continued through multiple victories at the DMC World Championships. A rivalry developed between Qbert and Mix Master Mike during these battles. They met inside the cafeteria of Balboa High School decades earlier. That initial encounter turned into a lifelong friendship despite their competitive nature. The pair eventually entered the DMC DJ Hall of Fame together.

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• 3. Forming Revolutionary Groups

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  FM20 emerged as a group in 1990 with Mix Master Mike and DJ Apollo. Crazy Legs spotted them performing a show in New York City. He invited the trio to join the Rock Steady Crew. They accepted the offer and adopted the name Rock Steady DJs. This collective took the world title in 1992. Qbert also helped found the Invisibl Skratch Piklz. Other turntablist crews existed before this group formed. The Skratch Piklz were the first to apply a band concept to turntablism. They layered drums, basslines, and scratch solos on top of each other. This approach changed how people viewed the instrument itself. The group created a series of videos called Turntable TV. Five episodes appeared on VHS tapes containing demonstrations and skits. These recordings are now out of print but remain influential.

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• 4. Creating Wave Twisters Animation

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  Qbert released an album titled Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik in 1994. His next project arrived in 1998 under the name Wave Twisters. This album relied mainly on samplers and beat machines instead of just turntables. Animators later turned the music into a feature film of the same title. Disney's Fantasia used a similar process for its own animation. Artists had to invent images and movements to match pre-recorded music. They did not create the music to fit existing visuals. The 2001 movie showcased this unique reverse animation technique. It stood as an unusual entry in the world of animated films. The project demonstrated his ability to merge audio with visual art forms seamlessly.

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• 5. Engineering Custom Instruments

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  Vestax partnered with Qbert to develop the QFO scratching instrument. This device combined a standard turntable with a mixer crossfader. An all-in-one solution emerged from their collaboration. In 2006, he introduced the Qbert turntable cartridge model. Ortofon put this specific model out for public use. The custom hardware allowed DJs new ways to manipulate sound. These tools expanded the technical possibilities available to performers. The engineering behind these instruments reflected years of hands-on experience. He sought to improve the physical interface between artist and machine. The resulting products became staples for many professional turntablists worldwide.

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• 6. Launching Online Education

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  May 2009 marked the launch of the Qbert Skratch University. This interactive online learning school operated through the ArtistWorks website. A community formed around DJs seeking instruction from him. The platform provided lessons directly from the champion himself. Students could access content remotely without traveling to a physical location. This initiative democratized access to advanced turntablism techniques. The program served as a bridge between traditional mentorship and digital media. It preserved the skills passed down by earlier generations of DJs. The university remains an active resource for aspiring artists today.

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