QBeRt
* July 31, 2004 * Saturday * The Loft, Rockwell *
Breakin' it down...
it was my first time out since November, last year. The days before that were spent contemplating whether i should really go or just stay at home. It wasn't as simple as just "going out to see Qbert, one of, if not the, greatest DJ in the world". It meant going out. Seeing people. Wearing something decent (and the chore of looking for something to wear is not so fun right now). Leaving Dylan at home for more than a couple of hours. Basically, it was doing something i wasn't used to anymore, and technically, something i didn't even like to do anymore.
In the end, however, i decided to go. I missed Qbert's showcase the last time he was here... this was my opportunity to make up for that & i thought if i missed this one again, i might end up regretting it. So i went...
I decided to go in track pants, sneakers, and a sweater. haha! =) it was comfortable, and it worked to my advantage. It made me appear slimmer than i really am, and it was cold at the Loft, so my outfit was just right for the occassion (well, i think). We got there at around 10:30pm. Traffic on EDSA was a bitch. We parked, got out of the car and headed towards the entrance. (this may sound so dramatic, but i really didn't know what to do, what to expect, or anything. It felt like this was all so new to me). We got our stamp, and headed upstairs.
The place was empty. The amount of people in there couldn't even cover HALF of a quarter of the room. I felt relieved, at first. I didn't have to run into so many people, it wouldn't get crowded and stuffy, and the smoke level would stay at a minimum. Then, i felt embarrassed. The Philippines is Qbert's homeland... and the support he gets from the people here... well, it isn't something to brag about. Most of the HipHop posers in this country really just don't get it. Where the hell was everybody? hmm... on a Saturday night? well... Halo was an option... and i think Greenbelt had something going on. I don't think enough advertising was done to promote this event at all. The people who showed up either knew somebody who had something to do with the event, or was a friend of that somebody who knew somebody who had something to do with the event. Pretty sad, huh? oh, and the cover charge was 250 pesos... i know a grip of people who wouldn't pay a peso to get inot a club no matter how bitchin' it was inside. ha! So i know, that contributed to the lacking-of-people factor. 250 pesos cover charge repels people from a party like rats from a burning building (i'm just playin. It's probably not that bad).
So, i'm standing there waiting for something to happen. There was a local DJ playing... i wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing. So i can't really remember whether he was trying to do a showcase of his own or plain mixing beats. There were a couple of performances waiting to go on before Qbert did his thing... and they said that wouldn't start until the place was filled up. Who were they kidding?! Seriously, that place had no hope of filling up. I'm not kidding. I'm telling you, it was sad.
I've been out of the house for 2 freakin' hours and still... nothing. i thought i was only gonna be there til 11:30pm. 12am at the latest. It was weird standing there... i was actually out. I was observing how everything was. What the people did, who was hanging out with who, what kinda music they were playing... and you know what was different from the last time i went out? (Which was last year, mind you). Not a damn thing. Yes, it was the same people, doing the same old thing, listening to the same played out music. It was weird. I guess i really didn't miss out on anything, huh? Familiar faces came up to me and asked me where i've been... and when i responded, "Actually, i was pregnant, and i just gave birth." They wouldn't believe me. I got a few, "no, really..." and a couple of, "ha! good one. what? you were outa the country or something?" and i would just stand there and be like, "No... seriously. i have a son now." Some, believed me... and would continue with either, "congratulations" or (i hate this one) "ah! kaya pala tumaba ka..." and others just really didn't take me seriously and walk off with "ha! good one." so there. Other people didn't even ask where i've been or what happened to me (which i really really liked).
I wanted to go home... and i was slowly starting to regret that i had come out that night. In a way, i was being reassured that that certain phase in my life is completely over. I'm focusing on a whole different kind of thing now. I'm just not what i used to be anymore. Everything's changed...
ok, really--- QBeRt!
Finally, at around 12:30am or 1am (not really sure, all i know is i waited for a really long time)... Qbert was gonna play. The sad thing was, there were less people now that he was finally on than there were when the bands were playing or the opening Dj's. QBeRt's roadie/tech guy actually came up to me and my gurls an hour before saying, "Thank you so much for staying and for supporting us... this is the last leg of our tour. Right before this, we came from Australia and performed for over 7,000 people! we come to our homeland and we're out tonight to perform for 7 people. We appreciate you guys staying out tonight. Thanks." and he wasn't being sarcastic... he was actually sincere. I guess he was just glad that there were people there.
The Philippines was the last leg of the tour. Before coming here, they performed in Australia, Japan, & Korea. Based on the videos being shown on the screen... each event housed thousands of fans. The fans were all crazy for Qbert. Girls were having their boobs autographed (ha!), guys would have their heads signed, some even had tattoos of Qberts signature! *wow* To finish up their tour, they come here... i think it was even more of like a pity stop. "Why not drop by the Philippines coz it's our homeland?" type thing. They hardly had any support over here... it was embarassing.
anyway...
so QBeRt. This guy gets paid $10,000 for a 45 minute showcase (on a normal day... not so sure if that's the case with his performance here that night though). crazy, huh? =) But this guy is a genius. A tiny little MofO, but a genius. haha! He was walkin around talkin to people, and i just couldn't believe how tiny this guy was. He must be like 5.1" or something. But i'm not here to talk about his height... i'm here to comment on his performance. (well... i'm gonna try)
He carries with him an i-pOd, a huge flight case for his records (which i thought was a bit useless coz he only used like 2-3 records... so was that really necessary?) , and his very own designer deck (released by Vestax) called the QFO (i think). That QFO was the craziest thing! it's a turntable, a mixer, a "CD player" (but really, he just hooked up his i-pod to it, so it's just like his "music player"), the works, ALL IN ONE. It's this round deck, with the cross fader at the bottom, the volume levels for channels A & B on either side, right above it were the Lows, Mids, and Highs for each channel and effect buttons at the side, and the deck itself was the middle. Crazy and convenient.
Yoga Frog was his MC, and they had a camera taping every move Qbert was making. It appeared on a wide screen so the people who couldn't see what he was doing up front could just watch that.
I've never seen anybody manipulate beats & sounds the way this guy did... it was astounding. Everybody was in awe. He did everything a normal Dj could only aspire to be able to do. From baby scratches to the complex ones... it was genius and sheer perfection. Let me tell you, if i practiced 24 hours everyday til i'm 90, i still don't think i'd be able to pull all that off. He used everything on the deck... the cross fader, the knobs, the thingamabobs, and the whatchamacallits. His hands were floating oh-so-gracefully across that deck... and it was amazing. I couldn't believe that whatever he was doing up there was creating such dope beats. He made it look soooooooo EASY. But anybody who's ever tried to scratch, mix, blend, or juggle knows that it's no piece of cake. Foreal.
In a NutsHeLL...
He was done in less than an hour. I had waited for almost 4 hours. Don't get me wrong, i thought the showcase was great... but i felt like it was something that i could've appreciated even if i had just watched it on DVD. *tsk tsk tsk*
Walking to the car, i was tired, thirsty, wreaked of cigarette smoke (coz smokers don't care whether it's a non-smoking venue or not... they just light up whenever they please), my throat was coarse... and i just wanted to get home, get some sleep, and check how Dylan was doing (coz i was really missing him).
In a nutshell... I went out, saw Qbert, but at the end of the night, i wish i had just stayed home. *sigh*
I was in for a rough night too... Dylan hasn't been sleeping very well lately (ever since he got his shots, for some reason). Well... he sleeps alright, but he's cranky when he gets up for his middle-of-the-night- feedings. Then, he wakes up hella early (as in 5am early), and stays awake! and since i'm the only person who can really take care of him in this house... it gets very very draining... and some days--- extremely frustrating. What's worse... the following day was his Baptismal Day. So i knew i wouldn't be able to take a nap in the middle of the day or anything. *blech* and true enough... he woke up at 5am... and i functioned the whole day on an hour and a half of sleep. Believe that...
But that's a whole different story...
Breakin' it down...
it was my first time out since November, last year. The days before that were spent contemplating whether i should really go or just stay at home. It wasn't as simple as just "going out to see Qbert, one of, if not the, greatest DJ in the world". It meant going out. Seeing people. Wearing something decent (and the chore of looking for something to wear is not so fun right now). Leaving Dylan at home for more than a couple of hours. Basically, it was doing something i wasn't used to anymore, and technically, something i didn't even like to do anymore.
In the end, however, i decided to go. I missed Qbert's showcase the last time he was here... this was my opportunity to make up for that & i thought if i missed this one again, i might end up regretting it. So i went...
I decided to go in track pants, sneakers, and a sweater. haha! =) it was comfortable, and it worked to my advantage. It made me appear slimmer than i really am, and it was cold at the Loft, so my outfit was just right for the occassion (well, i think). We got there at around 10:30pm. Traffic on EDSA was a bitch. We parked, got out of the car and headed towards the entrance. (this may sound so dramatic, but i really didn't know what to do, what to expect, or anything. It felt like this was all so new to me). We got our stamp, and headed upstairs.
The place was empty. The amount of people in there couldn't even cover HALF of a quarter of the room. I felt relieved, at first. I didn't have to run into so many people, it wouldn't get crowded and stuffy, and the smoke level would stay at a minimum. Then, i felt embarrassed. The Philippines is Qbert's homeland... and the support he gets from the people here... well, it isn't something to brag about. Most of the HipHop posers in this country really just don't get it. Where the hell was everybody? hmm... on a Saturday night? well... Halo was an option... and i think Greenbelt had something going on. I don't think enough advertising was done to promote this event at all. The people who showed up either knew somebody who had something to do with the event, or was a friend of that somebody who knew somebody who had something to do with the event. Pretty sad, huh? oh, and the cover charge was 250 pesos... i know a grip of people who wouldn't pay a peso to get inot a club no matter how bitchin' it was inside. ha! So i know, that contributed to the lacking-of-people factor. 250 pesos cover charge repels people from a party like rats from a burning building (i'm just playin. It's probably not that bad).
So, i'm standing there waiting for something to happen. There was a local DJ playing... i wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing. So i can't really remember whether he was trying to do a showcase of his own or plain mixing beats. There were a couple of performances waiting to go on before Qbert did his thing... and they said that wouldn't start until the place was filled up. Who were they kidding?! Seriously, that place had no hope of filling up. I'm not kidding. I'm telling you, it was sad.
I've been out of the house for 2 freakin' hours and still... nothing. i thought i was only gonna be there til 11:30pm. 12am at the latest. It was weird standing there... i was actually out. I was observing how everything was. What the people did, who was hanging out with who, what kinda music they were playing... and you know what was different from the last time i went out? (Which was last year, mind you). Not a damn thing. Yes, it was the same people, doing the same old thing, listening to the same played out music. It was weird. I guess i really didn't miss out on anything, huh? Familiar faces came up to me and asked me where i've been... and when i responded, "Actually, i was pregnant, and i just gave birth." They wouldn't believe me. I got a few, "no, really..." and a couple of, "ha! good one. what? you were outa the country or something?" and i would just stand there and be like, "No... seriously. i have a son now." Some, believed me... and would continue with either, "congratulations" or (i hate this one) "ah! kaya pala tumaba ka..." and others just really didn't take me seriously and walk off with "ha! good one." so there. Other people didn't even ask where i've been or what happened to me (which i really really liked).
I wanted to go home... and i was slowly starting to regret that i had come out that night. In a way, i was being reassured that that certain phase in my life is completely over. I'm focusing on a whole different kind of thing now. I'm just not what i used to be anymore. Everything's changed...
ok, really--- QBeRt!
Finally, at around 12:30am or 1am (not really sure, all i know is i waited for a really long time)... Qbert was gonna play. The sad thing was, there were less people now that he was finally on than there were when the bands were playing or the opening Dj's. QBeRt's roadie/tech guy actually came up to me and my gurls an hour before saying, "Thank you so much for staying and for supporting us... this is the last leg of our tour. Right before this, we came from Australia and performed for over 7,000 people! we come to our homeland and we're out tonight to perform for 7 people. We appreciate you guys staying out tonight. Thanks." and he wasn't being sarcastic... he was actually sincere. I guess he was just glad that there were people there.
The Philippines was the last leg of the tour. Before coming here, they performed in Australia, Japan, & Korea. Based on the videos being shown on the screen... each event housed thousands of fans. The fans were all crazy for Qbert. Girls were having their boobs autographed (ha!), guys would have their heads signed, some even had tattoos of Qberts signature! *wow* To finish up their tour, they come here... i think it was even more of like a pity stop. "Why not drop by the Philippines coz it's our homeland?" type thing. They hardly had any support over here... it was embarassing.
anyway...
so QBeRt. This guy gets paid $10,000 for a 45 minute showcase (on a normal day... not so sure if that's the case with his performance here that night though). crazy, huh? =) But this guy is a genius. A tiny little MofO, but a genius. haha! He was walkin around talkin to people, and i just couldn't believe how tiny this guy was. He must be like 5.1" or something. But i'm not here to talk about his height... i'm here to comment on his performance. (well... i'm gonna try)
He carries with him an i-pOd, a huge flight case for his records (which i thought was a bit useless coz he only used like 2-3 records... so was that really necessary?) , and his very own designer deck (released by Vestax) called the QFO (i think). That QFO was the craziest thing! it's a turntable, a mixer, a "CD player" (but really, he just hooked up his i-pod to it, so it's just like his "music player"), the works, ALL IN ONE. It's this round deck, with the cross fader at the bottom, the volume levels for channels A & B on either side, right above it were the Lows, Mids, and Highs for each channel and effect buttons at the side, and the deck itself was the middle. Crazy and convenient.
Yoga Frog was his MC, and they had a camera taping every move Qbert was making. It appeared on a wide screen so the people who couldn't see what he was doing up front could just watch that.
I've never seen anybody manipulate beats & sounds the way this guy did... it was astounding. Everybody was in awe. He did everything a normal Dj could only aspire to be able to do. From baby scratches to the complex ones... it was genius and sheer perfection. Let me tell you, if i practiced 24 hours everyday til i'm 90, i still don't think i'd be able to pull all that off. He used everything on the deck... the cross fader, the knobs, the thingamabobs, and the whatchamacallits. His hands were floating oh-so-gracefully across that deck... and it was amazing. I couldn't believe that whatever he was doing up there was creating such dope beats. He made it look soooooooo EASY. But anybody who's ever tried to scratch, mix, blend, or juggle knows that it's no piece of cake. Foreal.
In a NutsHeLL...
He was done in less than an hour. I had waited for almost 4 hours. Don't get me wrong, i thought the showcase was great... but i felt like it was something that i could've appreciated even if i had just watched it on DVD. *tsk tsk tsk*
Walking to the car, i was tired, thirsty, wreaked of cigarette smoke (coz smokers don't care whether it's a non-smoking venue or not... they just light up whenever they please), my throat was coarse... and i just wanted to get home, get some sleep, and check how Dylan was doing (coz i was really missing him).
In a nutshell... I went out, saw Qbert, but at the end of the night, i wish i had just stayed home. *sigh*
I was in for a rough night too... Dylan hasn't been sleeping very well lately (ever since he got his shots, for some reason). Well... he sleeps alright, but he's cranky when he gets up for his middle-of-the-night- feedings. Then, he wakes up hella early (as in 5am early), and stays awake! and since i'm the only person who can really take care of him in this house... it gets very very draining... and some days--- extremely frustrating. What's worse... the following day was his Baptismal Day. So i knew i wouldn't be able to take a nap in the middle of the day or anything. *blech* and true enough... he woke up at 5am... and i functioned the whole day on an hour and a half of sleep. Believe that...
But that's a whole different story...
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