Cutting against the grain has pretty much always been Rich Quitevis’ thing. The San Francisco-born Quitevis, better known as DJ Qbert, just prefers zagging where others zig. “You ever see schools of fish at the aquarium?” he asks. “They’re all swimming in the same direction but there’s one that’s swimming backwards the other way? That’s kind of who I am.”

It would seem his contrarian strategy has paid off. Over the course of his decades-long career, Q has collected a legion of loyal fans, been praised by fellow DJs, from A-Track to Z-Trip, and proven himself again and again in competitions: he was named the United States’ top DJ at the 1991 DMC World DJ Championship and was voted No. 1 in the America’s Best DJ competition in 2010.

Since he began working the decks in the mid-1980s, Quitevis has sought to push the boundaries of his artform. With his crew, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, he pioneered the art of the turntable ensemble. Working in unison, the Piklz trio painstakingly mixed up drums, bass, guitars and other sounds from a variety of different records to create an entirely new song.

It’s an impressive feat, which clearly required both patience and dedication to the craft of turntablism to perfect. And yet, while one might presume an old-school DJ hero like Qbert to be a staunch traditionalist, Quitevis says he isn’t married to the analog techniques he worked so hard to master. In fact, he seems to welcome the computer-assisted DJ-ing revolution and is currently working with Intel to help DJs shrink their rigs even further by creating a mixer with a built-in computer.

“When we were DJing before, we had to bring a bunch of records and equipment along,” he says, explaining his appreciation of technologically assisted spinning. “Laptops replaced lugging around heavy vinyl.”

The new product Qbert is working on with Intel would allow DJs to ditch their laptops for a microcomputer-powered mixer.

“Some people like to bring a gang of equipment,” he laughs. “I just need a mixer and computer and I’m happy. Now, everything is literally on one screen on top of your mixer. It helps me keep a sort of Zen mentality.”

In addition to the Intel project, Quitevis is also preparing a new release with his avant-garde collective, Invisibl Skratch Piklz. The current incarnation of the crew features the San Francisco-based DJ Shortkut and one-time San Jose resident, D-Styles. The new record, 13th Floor, is due out this year.

“It was an experience,” he says of the album, recorded during a marathon session at the Red Bull Music Academy’s studios in Tokyo. “Those guys choose the illest sounds and that’s why we all vibe as a crew.” Specifically, Q notes, the process of tracking 13th Floor was a learning experience, which is something he is always happy to encounter.

“I learned a lot while making the new album,” he says. “I’m learning as I’m speaking to you right now. Learning is never ending. There’s all this knowledge from music theory that all these geniuses came up with hundreds of years ago that we’re just starting to apply to what we’re doing. … There’s so much more we can do.”

Qbert says he looks forward to showing San Jose what he’s learned how to do recently at The Ritz this weekend. Presented by Needle to the Groove as part of their “Cosmic Slap” series, the show will also feature live performances by San Francisco future-funk producer and turntablist, Teeko, as well as producer Diamond Ortiz. Local rap hero Rey Resurreccion will host the evening—adding a special live set with Squareweezy from San Jose-based DJ and production crew, The Bangerz.

“I can tell you that I’ll be playing heavy, abstract tracks,” he says. “It’ll be interesting. I practice all kinds of scratches and have lots of new tricks. I love performing, especially when I catch a vibe; it feels like meditation.”

Nick Veronin contributed to this story.

DJ Qbert plays on Mar 26, 8pm, $25-$30 at The Ritz, San Jose.

It’s no easy task to be a creator of throwback sounds in this modern era without sounding overly derivative, disingenuous, or worse yet, like a novelty act. But for the last few years, Pasadena-based Dam-Funk (pronounced “Dame-Funk”) has earned underground and critical acclaim doing just that.

Born Damon Riddick, the producer and vocalist has emerged with as sound that may best be described as modern funk—think George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic stripped down with layered synths and an emphasis on drums. He has a penchant for penning love songs with uplifting, anthemic lyrics.

It’s been a slow rise for Riddick, but his career is certainly on the upswing. From basement tapes on vintage gear in 2007 to a 2013 studio album with Snoop Dogg (7 Days of Funk), the gifted multi-instrumentalist has proudly toured the world a few times over.

“I learned how to play drums and read notes in junior high, but on keyboards, I was self-taught,” Dâm recounts in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. “I was afraid to unlearn what I learned. It was good I didn’t, as I created my own type of chords without a teacher. Maybe one day I’ll go learn how to read Bach, but it hasn’t hurt me yet.”

His 2015 release, Invite The Light, a mix of bouncy tracks with ethereal moments scattered throughout was positioned atop of several year-end “best of” lists. Even for Dâm, whose prolific creative streaks are widely known, this new album took six years from start to finish. The songs have washes of breathy, Prince-like vocals while others are hard-knocking, instrumental party joints. Dâm has garnered glowing acclaim from the likes NPR and The New York Times.

The new album, along with his previous projects—including a massive five-record box set compilation—have all been released on the L.A.-by-way-of-San Jose underground tastemaking label, Stones Throw.

Label founder Peanut Butter Wolf—a.k.a. Chris Manak, brother of Jonny of Jonny Manak and the Depressives—remains at the helm and has flouted convention for decades, with eclectic projects ranging from soul to vintage electro. It’s a fitting imprint for Dâm. The label has also pushed projects from hip-hop and soul oddballs like J Dilla, Mayer Hawthorne & Madlib.

Dâm is slated to perform a live DJ set at The Ritz on Friday—sharing the stage with electro-rap pioneer and 808 visionary Egyptian Lover, as well as modern synth producer Brian Ellis. It’s a show that promises more of an effusive party atmosphere than a neatly orchestrated performance.

The show marks Dâm-Funk’s first ever appearance in San Jose and serves as a benchmark for The Ritz’s expanding efforts to bring top-tier touring acts to the South Bay. Acts on Dâm’s level often skip over Silicon Valley—hopping from San Francisco or Oakland to Santa Cruz and vice versa.

Local record shop Needle To The Groove deserves some credit for helping to book the show. In addition to curating an eclectic catalog of vintage vinyl for sale, the shop also functions as a record label and entertainment company. The overarching goal of Needle to the Groove is sourcing quality acts and music for San Jose.

“We want to bring relevant independent music to the South Bay,” says Allen Johnson of Needle to the Groove. “Ultimately, we hope to see more national and local acts take the stage in San Jose, not just in our neighboring cities.”

Dâm-Funk plays on Feb 12, 8pm, $20-$25 at The Ritz, San Jose.

Best of Lists’ are tricky and ultimately personal choices. It’s also hard keeping up with so many genres all demanding equal attention. But 2012 saw a minor-rap renaissance (thus the rap-centric picks) as well as a reemergence of dance music in the mainstream, both of which have been underway for the last two to three years but perhaps peaked this year.

Most of these tracks were released as singles that were bolstered by equally amusing videos; after all, in 2012 the entire package should be taken into account and a killer youtube video never hurts. It’s important to note that while these are my top 5 singles of 2012, it certainly wasn’t a list without close contenders.

Menahan Street Band “The Crossing”
Quietly released on a 45 through Dunham Records, this track illustrates the band’s wide strengths through beautiful guitar plucks and deep, moody horns. Known mostly for Jay-Z’s use of their song “Make The Road By Walking” (for “Roc Boys”) Menahan is in fact one of the best pure instrumental troupes around. With lively arrangements and compositions anchored by melody and a penchant for understatement, “The Crossing” is one of this year’s most gripping instrumentals. Everyone should own this LP this on wax.

Nas “The Don”
Nas’ pinnacle came very early on and he’s spent his subsequent career trying to outdo Illmatic. 2012’s Life Is Good is a reminder of his natural gifts and “The Don” finds him flexing cadences he hasn’t touched in decades. The entire album could’ve been a bit trimmed but one thing’s for sure: his voice still sounds strong and with the right guidance and production, he’s unmatched in terms raw talent. Like the song suggests, he’s still rap royalty (especially in New York) and could out-rap any 20 year-old emcee who thinks he’s the next coming of Nasir Jones.

Solange “Losing You”
Easy on the eyes and ears, Beyonce’s sister Solange is a stunning Brooklyn hipster who surrounds herself with gifted, young songwriters like Devonte Hynes (Blood Orange) and Theophilous London. Though she falls into the r&b category, her EP, True, is a throwback to late ’80s-early ’90s danceable pop that ruled radio. For someone with terribly huge resources at her disposal, Solange (and co.) have made solid tracks without major radio play or huge marketing pushes. I’m not a huge modern r&b guy, but 4 of the EP’s 7 tracks certainly come correct and are way too catchy to ignore. 

Antwon “Helicopters”
It’s nice to see national outlets giving proper respect to Antwon, a young rap star in-the-making who’s criminally slept-on–even in his own hometown of San Jose. Dude gets play on MTV2 and Spin Magazine dubbed his “Helicopter” video “One of the Year’s Best.”. His beat selection is wise beyond his years, teetering between underground boom-bap basics, to throwback production, to left-field shit. In addition to punk-rock design aesthetics and superior music videos, 2013 should see Antwon go from local South Bay rapper to a (quite deserved) forefront position. He’s prepared too, as quoted from “Helicopter”: “We in the kitchen eating on a full stomach / I hear your tummy growling / I’m thinking nothing of it.”  

Action Bronson “Steve Wynn”
This year saw Action Bronson go from rap’s best kept secret to major label signee. It’s understandable given his propensity for entertaining raps coupled with a prolific recording spree most rappers with decade long careers have yet reached. “Steve Wynn” is in fact off a mix tape called Blue Chips, an internet only release that shows Bronson’s vulgar humor and dextrous mic skills. Add a catchy Aaron Neville sample with drums along with a goofy video and you have one of the year’s best rap cuts.

“I’m about being carefree and having fun. I just hope that comes out through the music,” says 25-year-old rapper Wiz Khalifa, who headlines San Jose Event Center at San Jose State on November 10 for his 2050 Tour.

Khalifa or “Young Wiz” as his classmates called him is at a point where many rappers dream to reach. The tall, skinny tattooed Pittsburgh native has already ran through major music labels (his first signing was to Warner Bros. at age 19) and he’s now peaking on rap, dance and international crossover charts.

He hangs out with Snoop Dogg whom he laughingly refers to as a “smoking buddy” and Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J, who performs with Khalifa in San Jose. He is also engaged to former video vixen Amber Rose, a model and actress famously linked to Kanye West. The two announced recently at MTV’s VMAs that a baby is on the way.

Professionally, Khalifa’s unofficial mixtapes are as sought after as his official albums. His latest, Cabin Fever 2, is a follow-up to its massively successful predecessor.

But what’s striking about Khalifa’s odd rise to fame is the absence of struggle. Essentially, he got signed right away. Not too many new musicians leave labels like Warner Bros. or Atlantic—they pay dues for years to get on these labels and often never make it. In fact, his debut for Atlantic, “Black & Yellow,” almost immediately earned him the top spot on the Billboard Charts.

Khalifa’s approach to rapping is counter-intuitive, too, as he doesn’t rely on sharp rhymes or mic skills. He comes from a new breed of rappers that don’t concern themselves with delivery or lyricism. The point isn’t to be detailed but rather fun—and by all means. They sell lifestyle and attitude, crafting entire albums around persona and party anthems. It’s worked great for Snoop as well as the Rick Ross wannabes of the world. Both lowered the bar in terms of technical skill but raised it in terms of charisma and attitude.

Snoop is, of course, pop culture gold but as a rapper he’s not of the same breed as quick-lipped maestros Kendrick Lamar or Pharoahe Monch, for example.

“Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” was Mayer Hawthorne’s first foray into modern soul music. The red, heart-shaped 45 released on Stones Throw in 2008 caught fire in year of forgettable singles, propelling Mayer Hawthorne’s career into the stratosphere. Four years later, he’s revisiting his roots on October 26 at the Pagoda Lounge.

With its doo-wop touches, minimal sound, and undeniable catchiness, fans of hip-hop and soul were instantly gripped. The record soon became a hard-to-get collectors’ item and Mayer took off on world tours shortly after. With his thick-rimmed glasses, vintage suits, and bowties, the rapper-turned-DJ-turned-singer has pushed his success further than ever imaged.

Mayer’s now a regular on the late-night TV circuit and plays huge international music festivals; he’s even collaborated on tracks with Snoop Dogg of all people. Not too bad for an indie-rapper who almost retired when “underground rap” began losing steam in the early 2000s. He’s since worked with modern dance troupes like SebastiAn while many of his songs have been used on major TV shows like Ugly Betty. And while he cites Curtis Mayfield and the late J Dilla as influences, he’s also performed with more modern, commercial acts like Foster The People and Bruno Mars. His latest release, How Do You Do, showed more of a focus on funk and modern R&B than the Motown vibes that marked his first album. Mayer’s undeniably strong songwriting keeps him busy regardless of genre.

In between official albums, Internet-only releases, and wild collaborations, Hawthorne sticks to his guns too, making one-off DJ appearances to the surprise of many fans. His DJ chops aren’t bad either, as he’s played alongside turntable maestros like Jrocc of the Beat Junkies.

Though his career is in full stride, he seems to always return to his roots. Everything will come full circle when Hawthorne returns to San Jose for a rare, live DJ set. After all, he has San Jose’s own Peanut Butter Wolf to thank for putting him on Stones Throw to begin with. His stop in San Jose also marks the two-year anniversary of the “Live at the Pagoda” series at the Fairmont Hotel, which has brought acclaimed acts like Adrian Younge and Toro Y Moi to the San Jose.

This Friday, July 27, some of San Jose’s finest DJs/producers bring Treatment Sound System back to The Pagoda with off-kilter, booming digital compositions unique to the South Bay Area.

This installment offers a new venue held down by residents DJs and producers Squareweezy, (who has an insane upcoming EP due out), Sheabutter and R-Cade. In addition, the night also includes San Francisco’s own Mophono, along with debuting sets from longtime South Bay producers DSTRUKT (of the BevMo Crew) and WISHONE (of Sub-Ren).

In addition to the whirlwind of button-pushing and sample-triggers, the event also marks a new release by B. Lewis who’ll also be performing in celebration of his newest effort, A Lion’s Aperture.

“Treatment Sound System’s main objective for the last year and a half is to bring the progressive sounds of digital music to downtown San Jose,” says event host Dandiggity. “It is a hub for South Bay creatives and audio enthusiasts to come together to exchange ideas and experience the performance aspect of live, electronic music. This week we have San Francisco’s DJ Centipede (Mophono) performing his unique blend of turntablism and instrumentation, as well as debut sets by DJ Dstrukt and Wish One. To top off the night we also having a live performance by B.Lewis for his new album A Lion’s Aperture releasing the same day.”

Limited edition “Treatment Pins” will also be handed to all attendees.

Info below, as follows:

Treatment Sound System at The Pagoda Lounge
21+ $3 before 11pm $5 after
MOPHONO : http://www.facebook.co/djcentipede.mophono
DSTRUKT: http://www.dj-dstrukt.com/
WISHONE: http://www.w1shone.com/
B.LEWIS: http://blewis.bandcamp.com/

RESIDENTS:
SQUAREWEEZY / SHEABUTTER / R-CADE
Hosted by: DANDIGGITY

My pick for mix-of-the-week is an easy one: Future So Bright by South Bay beatsmiths/DJs Goldenchyld and G-Wrex both of The Bangerz.  It kills, delivering warm vibes with propulsive bass to your face.  I took a quick second to grab some quotes from the gentlemen behind it.  According to them:  “The goal was to create a summer soundtrack with songs that wouldn’t age too quickly.” 

DOWNLOAD: Future So Bright – The Bangerz

Tell folks about the mix, what went into this mixtape, and why.
“The opening track “Rad Anthem” is a song by our friends from Los Angeles, Rad Omen. We also included tracks from Breakbot, Shazam, Dogg Master, and Free School, which Replay of the Bangerz is also a member of.  We just wanted to put something out that was way left of what we normally do.

Explain how this compares to your other releases.
We felt like the Bangerz as a whole is always putting things out that are very aggressive sounding, bass heavy, and electro-hip-hop-ish. With this one we wanted to create a different vibe. Something a little more relaxed, and something everyone can enjoy for the summer.  So while most of the songs may be unfamiliar, the quality is there and will remain a timeless piece of work.

What’s after this?
The Bangerz as a whole are working on finishing up a new EP, and we’re always working on new mixes, remixes, parties, events and what not. You can check out G-Wrex on 3rd Fridays at Bruno’s SF, and Goldenchyld every Friday night at Myth.

Grab the mix here and keep up with the Bangerz at www.thebangerz.com.

Stanford is known for their labs, clinics, sports teams and ubiquitous sweatshirts—not hip-hop.  And certainly not two huge West Coast rappers, the legendary E-40 and rookie-of-the-year lyricist, Kendrick Lamar. Bother perform at the university Sunday, May 20.  

This year’s Stanford’s BlackFest Music Festival will be the largest yet, capping a long history that began as a family style picnic that started 20 years ago with activities that were centered around music, a  3-on-3 basketball tournaments, kids’ activities, dominoes and the like. It was fun and safe and simply grew as attendance multiplied. Through the years, it began fostering local acts and campus organizations as word spread beyond the campus.

In 2009, Day 26, an R&B group from Diddy’s reality show, Making the Band 4, headlined.  The following year, rapper Wale headlined and both events drew crowds of approximately 1,500, respectively.  Last year, Southern drawls and slumpy, keyboard beats boomed from the event as Big Sean and  Travis Porter headlined.  It was huge and, by then, a different monster.

The upcoming event, held at the Frost Amphitheater, features a balance of acts; veteran taste-maker and Vallejo icon E-40, known for verbose lyrics and his own lexicon of street slang is matched with Kendrick Lamar, Compton’s newest prodigal son; an MC with raps that skew more conscious than gangster. Both are heralded with huge followings. Local acts Black Greeks and Catch A Fyah will provide additional entertainment. Check out the newest (and most timely) collab between Kendrick and E-40 and Droop E (40’s son) “Catch A Fade”.

BlackFest is at Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheater on May 20. Tickets are $20 and doors open at 1:30pm.

“The Sticky Lab started in 1995 in my mom’s living room,” says Jerry Dalalo, known locally as Jerry D or Jerry Da Hermit, the producer and studio engineer who operates one of the most prolific and unassuming studios in the South Bay, Sticky Lab and its subsequent label, Sticky Note Records.  “The studio hopped around San Jose in the early 2000s but I established it in Cannery Park in early 2005.”

Many artists and projects have passed through the studio over the years, namely Insolence’s Audio War,  Low Self Discilpline’s projects, Dem One’s Audio Still Life, and the new, highly anticipated Third Sight album, Chillin with Dead Bodies in a B-Boy Stance.  Though the bulk of Sticky Lab’s output is hip-hop oriented, Jerry deals with all kinds of artists, repetitively listening to  loops, samples and vocals until everything is ironed out.  It’s all in a day’s work, as the studio preps a rather hectic release schedule for the upcoming year.

As a thank you (and since Jerry has numerous tracks sitting on hard drives all over his studio) Sticky Lab will be releasing a song per month for local listeners and fans of artists that record there.  The first free track is  “New World,” a slow burner based on an eerie sounding loop featuring the legendary D-Styles on cuts and MCs Roughneck Jihad, Opski Chan and longtime Kool Keith collaborator, Motion Man on vocals.  Jerry produced, recorded and engineered the song.

“I made the beat two years ago and wanted to bring it back to life so I asked Opski, Roughneck and Motion if they can do something to it,” he says.  “It’s amazing how each MC can still be in character with such a slow beat without struggling to rap.”

Stay tuned for more projects and goodies emerging from Sticky Lab this coming year and peep “New World” HERE or stream on YouTube below.