Qbert takes to the decks at China Doll tomorrow night

Qbert arrived in town yesterday, armed with a crate of records, his mixer, turntable needles, and his patented slipmats, the Slipmaster Butter Rugz, to keep things "all slippery – not too slippery, y’know, but slippery enough."

And if that wasn’t enough to show how ready he is to get things going, he's also requested for turntables to be set up in his hotel room (two Technics 1200s, of course). The scratch legend himself, even jet lagged, was as nice as any legend in the field could be, constantly playing down the hero worship and calling himself "a student," even to up-and-comers like DJ Wordy (the highest ranked Chinese scratch DJ in the World DMC standings - take a look at some of his work here), who popped in during the interview to doing some scratching – and who coincidentally, just happened to get into turntablism after watching one of Qbert’s DIY videos.

When Qbert hears the story, he gives a high five and blushes – he clearly doesn't like to play up his role as a legend in the field. In fact, he considers the current batch of champion scratchers, including Netik (who also performed in Beijing last May) and Rafik (the current World DMC Champ) among his equals, and hangs with them while at home in the Bay Area. "I'm learning more everyday," he says, ever the modest shorty. In scratch (and in life, I guess), he says, "everyone's got something different to offer … that thing that Wordy just did right there, I was like, 'Damn!'"

And though the man won't say it himself, he is the master, and his new Scratchlepedia Breaktannica DVD, which he reveals took over a year to make – a more advanced guide to scratching, containing over 150 new scratch inventions (for those who already have the basics, he explains – and for beginners, of course, there's his series of DIY tapes). "Now it's all about combinations," he says, of what's still blowing his mind today, referring to the technique of combining several different moves into one. The combinations are limitless – "I can't say which is the best – each scratch is like a different part of your vocabulary … it's like saying, what's the craziest word or something" – and Qbert sees moves, even accidental ones, that continue to blow him away. For the video, "there is a definition" on how to do each scratch he features, which includes such fine combinations like the Aquaman Scratch, the Prism, and the Autobahn. You'll be able to hear some of them during Qbert's performance tomorrow at China Doll, when he’ll be spinning a b-boy DJ set, "with a bunch of ‘70s funk and low-end scratching," he says. "It’s sort of more of an educational set, letting people know what the roots of hip-hop are."

(For the record, here's how he describes the Aquaman Scratch: "it would be: forward-backward-forward. Then the opposite of that would be backward-forward-backward. So you're doing three notes each, then reversing it – that's another three notes. You put two clicks right in between those three notes, so it becomes six notes, so like [ch-chicka-ch-whhh] … (laughs) Oh, I can’t say it. You gotta see the video!")

China Doll may appear to be an unlikely place to catch a house-rocking DJ, but organizer Dan Stephenson reveals the choice of venue came about simply because "the other clubs that call themselves 'hip-hop clubs' weren't interested in the most recognized hip-hop turntablist DJ in the world." He has nothing but good things to say about China Doll, where he’s been working closing with the staff to ensure a solid experience. "We've got a multiple camera set-up and extra projectors to play his performance upstairs and down, to make sure everyone can witness the fitness," he says, to compensate for the club's multi-level layout, which is admittedly not ideal for being able to crowd around the DJ booth. But hopefully, the innovation will pay off, and Stephenson hopes, just by virtue of being in China Doll, that it'll be a classier atmosphere, unlike what goes down at, ahem, other so-called Hip-Hop clubs.

Speaking of which, I just want to point out, that even despite my rant last Thursday regarding the Kruder gig at Vics, the club still managed to bump up the price from what they advertised. We spoke to Victor Muh (one of the organizers of the show) about this, and he has issued an apology to the readers, and is still trying to get to the bottom of the price gouging. Working with the club, he says, "is like driving an out-of-control freight train," revealing that it was Vics who initially suggested the lowered RMB 30 cover charge in the first place! He also adds, "Please also note that I DID NOT book the go-go dancers."

Well, whatever the case, Qbert at China Doll tomorrow should be a refreshing change from all that.

Qbert

Tickets available at China Doll, Lush, Fish Nation (both locations), Kagen, and Hatsune. RMB 60 (advance), RMB 80 (door).

10pm. China Doll (6417 4699)