For DJ Quest's new twelve track experimental album
Queztocoatl, released April 12th, the pioneering Bay Area turntable artist assumes the artist name of "Questosahn feat. DJ Quest"
to distinguish from his turntablist productions that he's best known for. The follow up to his 2011 album "Cosmic Parasite," this new release is less of a DJ/turntablist project and more of a twisted Funk collection of songs by the artist.
Throughout
Queztocoatl the artist showcases both his production and compositional skills. Synthesizers and old school drum machines are among the instruments he summons from his home studio collection of old analog gear to construct this new album. Scratch fans should take note that Quest still does include turntable manipulations on the new album, but he sparingly sprinkles them throughout
Queztocoatl's dozen tracks.
A founding member of San Francisco's trailblazing Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters/Space Travelerz, who released the pioneering battle record "Hamster Breaks" and are credited with the "hamster style" in turntablism, Quest is also the architect of the long running Jazz/Hip-Hop trio Livehuman along with Andrew Kushin (bass) and Albert Mathias (percussion). Livehuman's rich resume boasts several albums including 2000's Elefish Jellyphant on Matador Records, while venues they've performed at since forming two decades ago include the prestigious Montreaux Jazz festival in Switzerland. Additionally for the past decade, Livehuman's hometown NPR affiliate KALW FM have utilized the revered modern Jazz ensemble's music as the theme to their afternoon news reports.
In some ways
Queztocoatl is an outgrowth of Livehuman with Quest applying his production approach to that experimental Jazz group on this solo release. Not surprisingly then both Albert Mathias and Andrew Kushin lend their talents to select tracks on Quest's new solo outing. The album, which Quest suggests playing loudly, transcends any one musical flavor with diverse sounding tracks that range from the dirty beat-drenched, gritty Funk of "Grimmy Mutilation," to the reggae-tinged uptempo head-nodding "Danza Dub Style, m" and the high energy electronic, head-banging, scratched-laced frantic beats of "The Epic Of Gilgamesh."
Queztocoatl was composed, mixed and arranged by Questosahn with scratching by DJ Quest. The album was mastered at Mammoth Sound Mastering with artwork courtesy of Raul Reyes.
