Qbert Skratch University Blog

Blog/News

Feb 20

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Congrats to the winner of the Transformer Battle, DJ Catch - you got the triple prize pack coming your way!

We had a ton of good entries this time so big up everyone who sent in a video! Who's ready for the next one??

This time we're bringing it back to one of the most important skratches of all time: The Stab (aka Forward Cuts in the Lessons). Anyone who's checked out the Video Exchanges here knows just how important stabs are for your flow... If you don't know ya better ask somebody!

Things to keep in mind for your video: cleanliness, patterns, swing, speed… the more elements you have the better. The winner will get another collector's item: a rare gold ISP record for framing (as seen below)!

You have 3 weeks to submit your video (label it STABS BATTLE and submit to the "Freestyle" section)… deadline is Tuesday, March 12th. Stab it up!

QSU Battle

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Feb 15

Rob Swift Interviews his mentor Dr. Butcher

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Rob Swift Dr. Butcher

Rob Swift just put out a new video of him interviewing his mentor and original X-Men member Dr. Butcher, which is both informative and inspiring.

As a well rounded DJ and producer, Dr. Butcher provided many "ghost" scratches in place of DJ Polo on Kool G Rap albums and also was KRG's tour DJ. For a taste of his (underrated) production, check out his remix for "It's A Shame", which is posted below the interview.

"The only thing you can do is the best that you can be… you can only do what life has put in you." - Dr. Butcher

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Feb 13

QSU Skratchcon Recap: The Law of Leadership

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Thanks to everyone who tuned in live yesterday, it was a great discussion! I've posted the embed of the video below, and you can also find it on the Skratchcon Ustream.

The theme this time was "The Law of Leadership", which Yogafrog applied to the topic of "how to start a business". Some great ideas were brought up, among them the importace of having a good name. So what is the story behind the name "Thud Rumble"? I pressed Yogafrog for an answer and he told me, "It's just a sound we want to make with all the projects, a big THUD, a big RUMBLE!". So there you have it.

We plan to do it again next month so be sure to tune in LIVE and post your questions!

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Feb 12

Boomerang Scratch Tutorial

In this sample scratch tutorial from QSU (http://qbertskratchuniversity.com), DJ Qbert breaks down the secret to the infamous "Boomerang" Scratch. This is just a short excerpt from the actual lesson. In the full video he goes into the history of how it was first developed by DJ Flare, as well as variations and ideas for how to incorporate it into your flow.

Watch Qbert's Free DJ Lessons

The Boomerang is an advanced scratch found in Qbert's curriculum (Level 3) that builds and combines concepts taught in prior levels. This is a tricky one if you don't already know the "2 Click Flare" or the "Aquaman", so it's really important to first establish that foundation. As you'll discover with this and many other advanced scratches, the Boomerang is based on a combination of some fundamental scratch concepts and the importance of establishing this foundation is absolutely crucial in order to progress.

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Feb 8

QSU Skratchcon: The Law of Leadership

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Yogafrog will be hosting another QSU Skratchcon on Tuesday, Febuary 12th from 5:00 - 6:00 pm PST (click here for a world clock). This time the focus will be on "The Law of Leadership", or more specifically, "How to Start a Business".

Having strong leadership is a crucial ingredient to any successful business. It's no secret that Yogafrog has always been a forward thinker and played a large role in the success of Thud Rumble. Check out this old Hiphop Slam piece on him from 2000 for the proof... 13 years later and still going strong!

Watch the discussion LIVE on Febuary 12th starting at 5:00 pm from the Skratchcon UStream and be sure to post questions and get involved in the discussion!

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Feb 7

DJ Nocturnal's NAMM Wrap-Up & Sleeprockers Looper Battle

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sleeprocker looper 3 battle

DJ Nocturnal has posted his official NAMM Wrap-Up on the Thud Rumble blog, check it out! And while everyone here at QSU is preparing for the Transformer Battle (deadline is Feb. 19th!), there's another battle going on in the wider internets of YouTube. This one revolves around the recently released Sleeprockers Looper Vol. 3, which can be downloaded from Tablist.net. The idea is pretty simple, here's DJ Nocturnal explaining it in his own words:

Folks enter the Battle/Contest by recording and uploading a short video of them shredding any beat of their choice on the new Sleeprockers Vol. 3 looper.

You have the whole month of February to post something up and anyone can enter/submit as many times as they like. A winner will be chosen the first week of March.

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Jan 30

New QSU Contest: Transformer Battle

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transformer battle

Thanks to everyone who entered the 3 Click Flare Battle, we have a winner! Congrats to Kurteek (aka whothefunk) who took this one! As Q says "This guy is a vet at this 3 click style and you can automatically see and hear it in this super ill refined style!!!"

We're getting some good feedback about these battles so we're having another one! This time we're going back to the classic Transformer Skratch!!! Watch the new welcome video for some tips from Q and be sure to go back to the original lesson for more foundation. Remember, no flaring or chirps! All transforms! Whoever has the illest transformer style will win, it's that simple.

The winner will receive the 3 awesome prizes as seen above: White Monster Cables, the new Butter Rugs with the Traktor logo, AND the used lacquer record for Superseal 2 (mega rare collectors item!).

You have until Tuesday, February 19th to submit your video, keep it around 1 minute or less (submit to the Freestyle section with "Transformer Battle" in the title). Good luck!

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Jan 28

Turntable TV: OliviaTECH Interviews Z-Trip at NAMM 2013

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OliviaTECH interviews Z-Trip for Turntable TV. Find out what Z-Trip is on the lookout for at NAMM 2013, his advice for new DJs, plus watch him flip the script and ask the interviewer some hard hitting questions of his own! Always great to hear from this guy, thanks to El Dawg for filming this!

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Jan 25

Qbert and Mixmaster Mike with DJ Numark at NAMM

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A picture is worth a thousand words... this one doesn't need any. Remember, last day to submit for the 3 Click Flare Contest is January 29th!

qbert mixmaster mike numark namm 2013

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Jan 23

Spotlight on DJ Craze: 1996-1998

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DJ Fatfingaz has put together a nice retrospective of DJ Craze footage from 1996-1998 for ThatsEnuff.Com's Turntablist Tuesdays. When you watch these, you'll realize why 1998 was truly the "Year of DJ Craze". Click on the image below to check it out and be sure to follow Fatfingaz on twitter @DJFatFingazNYC!

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