I must preface: I got my first introduction into the world of DJ-ing as a little girl, when everyone spun vinyl, and that was the only medium for the art. For me, scratching and spinning records and mixing in hip hop lyrical samples and funk rhythms while playing alongside a good MC-that is what a DJ does. I have grown to love and respect what we all think of as DJ’s and DJ-ing today, and even those guys owe some of what they do to the original turntablist. So, with that being said, when I get to see an old school, pioneer, and legend perform, I tend to geek out a little.
This past Wednesday, Bass Mafia and Lunaface Promotions brought DJ Qbert and his Extraterrestrium: The Guided Space Tour w/ Jeremy Ellis to Houston. We arrived to Fitzgerald’s and ascended the stairs for the show. I always love shows like these, because they bring out the people I know and love, who equally dig music and the roots of this current scene we all apart of.
Jeremy Ellis took the stage next, and while I must say he did steal the show for me, truly. However, I do want to give a shout out to the MC that night, Rocko Stedy. I thoroughly enjoyed his flows. His voice was smooth and rythmic, and I found his rhymes witty and creative. Now, back to Jeremy Ellis. I mean, it was nuts. I really haven’t seen anything this cool in quite some time. I mean, his set up along was pretty gnarly. Two keyboards, his laptop most likely running Ableton, while sampling and patching. It was just a really cool experience, unlike anything I was expecting. His skills are just nuts and I especially dug when he played George Clinton’s Atomic Dog, it was just perfect song to showcase what he can really create up there.
Finally, the man we all came to see took the stage. He looks so focused and ready, it was interesting to see a DJ approach the decks ready to kinda battle and physically handle them, as opposed to playing songs on them. So that was interesting-the intensity of him really left an impression. I must state for the record that he is so quick with his hands, with everything he does really while playing. I am grateful that Fitz has the screen to the left of the stage because it allows you to really see the decks from more a bird’s-eye-view and it was just amazing. I mean, the art of turntablism isn’t just scratching quickly, it’s about knowing when to cut into a truck and how to keep the crowd into the sounds your creating. And this is where the 4 time DMC World Champion really shows his skills. It’s unreal how fast and continuous and fluid this man is, and videos don’t really do him justice. He’s made it out to Houston a few times in the last couple of years, so I definitely encourage you guys to see him live if you can!
As always, I’m super grateful to have gotten to cover this event for the Department of Dance. I hope you guys have a great week and make sure to get out there dance. XOXO-Angel
For more info about the artists mentioned in this blog, check them out below:
DJ Qbert: http://djqbert.com/
Jeremy Ellis: http://www.youtube.com/user/jeremyellismusic
ThatKidNamedCee: http://soundcloud.com/thatkidnamedcee
To keep with other bookings from Lunaface and Bass Mafia/TheCrew, please check out their facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/lunafacepromo
https://www.facebook.com/CrewEvents
Born in Houston, raised on hip-hip, classic rock and disco, I discovered electronic music in the late 90's. I am a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College and an avid fan of my city, beers and beats.
