DJ Q-Bert talks Invisibl Skratch Piklz reunion, Low End Theory Fest and the evolution of scratching

When the annual bass-heavy Low End Theory Festival announced the lineup for its second annual gathering at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo grounds, which occurs Saturday, fans of the hip-hop sub-genre called turntablism were buoyed to see that the Bay Area crew Invisibl Skratch Piklz would be showcasing their astounding skills.

Considered the forefathers of the movement, which blossomed in the 1990s as DJs developed increasingly innovative ways to make musical noise using two turntables, a mixer and a pair of dexterous hands, the Piklz helped transform what was formerly an individual art into a group enterprise. Three key members of the group have reunited for a series of 2016 performances.

One of these renegades is Richard Quitevis, who performs under the name Q-Bert. He had said during a recent conversation that members D-Styles and Shortkut had long talked about performing under the Piklz banner and that “it was that time. We were like, ‘Let’s do this.’ ” (Absent from the reunion are founding members Mixmaster Mike and DJ Apollo.)

Considered one of the best scratchers in the world, Q-Bert over the past two decades has displayed his distinct vision of scratching through a series of mixtapes that helped redefine not only the music but played a crucial role in carrying mixtape culture — when its medium of choice was the cassette — into the mainstream.

That, however, was a long time ago, and the Piklz went their separate ways after the novelty wore off as the trend of scratching on records made its way into hits by pop acts such as Hanson and Beck.

Nearly 20 years later, technology has transformed the entire enterprise, says Q-Bert.

“Now when we have sounds that we want to scratch, instead of waiting forever for a vinyl record to be made, we can scratch it right there,” he says. “We just put [the track] into the program, dump it onto the little turntable program we have, and you scratch right away.”

Advances in looping technology and triggering mechanisms have allowed for new ways to juggle beats and improvise, adds the DJ, “but the formula is still there, which is being a jazz band on turntables. Creating new stuff out of our hip-hop culture and looking to the future in creating something that’s never been there before — and having fun with it.”

Asked about the jazz comparison and how that manifests during live performances, Q-Bert explained, “There’s a frame. We have a basic melody and sounds we’re going to scratch, but every time we perform it’s totally different.”

The DJ continued: “We are making it up as we go along, with the basic structure that’s already there. There are areas for solos. Just like in a jazz performance, you’ve got a musician improvising off the horn section or horn solo, [so] it’s always different every time.”

In addition to the evolution of his creative discipline, added Q-Bert, his own progress over the years has transformed the nature of his performances both as a Piklz and as a person.

“A lot of it had to do with battling,” he says. “It was like a fight when I was performing. Now I’m learning more about spirituality so it’s more about healing people and making music to make people feel better. The mentality when I’m playing now is all about shooting love through the turntables somehow.”

Invisibl Skratch Piklz will perform alongside artists including Ghostface & Raekwon (of the Wu-Tang Clan), beat producers MixedByAli (Top Dawg Entertainment), Daedalus, Teebs, Jonwayne and others. Also represented at the fest are the four Low End Theory residents: Daddy Kev, the Gaslamp Killer, D-Styles (of Invisibl Skratch Piklz) and Nobody.

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