Usually DJ Quest goes to Amoeba but last week it was the other way around when the Amoeblog visited the Mission District home studios of the legendary San Francisco turntablist (video below) who has done several performances at Amoeba Music over the years including a record release set for his 2008 album Questulous and another with the DJ youth group the The DJ Project, that featured youth DJs from Horizons Unlimited and the Quest School of DJ Arts, where he mentors at-risk youth to gain arts education as well as the employment and entrepreneurial skills to help get them music-related careers. Throughout his two-decade plus career DJ Quest has always been as much of an inspiration and educator to aspiring DJs as he has been an artist/performer - using the turntable as a tool and sort of text book to educate and inspire. Last summer accompanied by talented young DJs he went down to Monterey County, CA where, as part of the Monterey County Free Libraries' (MCFL) Summer Reading 2012 program at several branches across the county he hosted several well-received scratch/hip-hop DJ turntable performances and Q+A seminars.

"I would say that this year marks a good twenty one years now that the Bay DJ's have been really solidly in the battle scene. Hamster Breaks came out twenty years ago. Invisbl Skratch Piklz won DMC twenty one years ago. And the DJ's from here have been strong ever since. Our history is strong here and we are together supporting the event and forward movement of the battle scene and to wherever it goes," said the Bay Area proud DJ Cue who is also one of the organizers of this weekend's event which he describes as a true group/community effort.

Once again my man Hip Hop Slam correspondent Shing02 graces the Amoeblog with another in his ever informative digests in the ongoing exclusive Amoeblog reports (video above, text and pics below) from NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) - the annual DJ/producer/music-tech trade show that happens each January at the Anaheim Convention Center. This year's was held over the past week/weekend: from January 24th to 27th, 2013. Thanks to Shing02 and all of the folks he talked to for their contributions to this piece including DJ Q-bert, OP-1, Yoga Frog, DJ Platurn, DJ Quest, Mista B, DJ P-Trix, DJ A-1, Vestax Spin2, PDJ, Numark Orbit, Apogee Quartet McDSP, Stylophone, Elektron AnalogFour, Gittler Guitar, Chord Dice, Wheel Harp, and Koichi Sanchez aka Nightshift.





The NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA proved to be on par with previous years as it featured hundreds of exhibitors showcasing digital and analog instruments,    complete with colorful participants who packed the convention floor. Despite the cloudiness for most of the days, the feverishly festive mood is an annual destination for music industry heads worldwide.

As anyone who has spent even a small amount of time in Daly City will confirm odds are that, regardless of whatever season of the year it might be, that the weather in this suburb south of San Francisco will  undoubtedly be foggy or overcast. But to everyone's pleasant surprise on Saturday, October 13th, seemingly in honor of the legacy of Cue's Records  the Weather Gods graciously lifted back every trace of fog and bestowed nothing but blue skies and glorious sunshine all day long!

That lucky weather break from the norm provided the perfect backdrop to the hip-hop reunion at Gellert Park in honor of Cue's Records Daly City store that closed a dozen years ago.

"I haven't seen most of these guys since the store closed back in 2000," commented Joe Quixx echoing a sentiment uttered many times on Saturday. Quixx was just one of the many Bay Area hip-hop DJs in attendance on Saturday with direct ties to the much missed record store/hip-hop meeting place. He was also just one of the countless DJs to jump on one of the four DJ set ups Saturday to spin and/or cut up some classic hip-hop.

Other DJs flexing their skills included DJ Quest (who also provided the big booming sound system), Quest's teenaged son DJ Train, Mista B, Shortkut, the Midnite Cru's DJ Chill and DJ Chino, DJ Marz, Kool DJ Rize, Myke One (Almighty DJs), DnZ, DJ Deeandroid, and VinRoc to name but some of the DJs who collectively played nothing but incredible music all day long (lots of old school electro and a sick ass Bay Area 90's set by Myke One). Add to all that great music, good food, special T-shirts for the reunion, live art by BIZR68, REBUKER, and HERMS (who did the cover art work for DJ Quest's last two albums),  and nothing but good vibes and conversation and you had one memorable Bay Area hip-hop reunion. One of the many highlights of the day was when DJ Shortkut, who later that night was DJing at Somar in Oakland to celebrate his birthday, stopped by with his young daughter in tow. Soon after arriving the Beat Junkies/Invisibl Skratch Piklz DJ proceeded to do a killer impromptu scratch routine all the while with his daughter happily sitting on his shoulders swaying back and forth to the beat. (see pic right)

During its long gone and long missed lifetime 1990's Daly City record store Cue's Records, owned and operated by Frank "DJ Cue" Cuevas of the Bullet Proof Hamsters/Space Travelers, was more than simply a shop to cop that latest rap 12" single ,or battle record, or other DJ supplies from.

Rather Cue's was a cultural crossroads for hip-hop devotees: a place where Bay Area (and beyond) hip-hop fans, party DJs, and turntablists would gather in support of their shared love of records and all things hip-hop.

For six years up until 2000 Cue's Records, which sat atop that famous hill in Daly City across from what was once Steven Matthew David's heavily advertised electronics store, was the setting for many memorable events. And who would have expected anything less from a store owned and operated by a founding member of the Bay Area's legendary turntablist crew (along with Eddie Def and DJ Quest and later Marz and Eddie K) who were responsible for making the first DJ battle break record Hamster Breaks. In its time Cue's was revered and supported by DJs and hip-hop diehards; many of whom who would trek in from far outlying places like Stockton just to stop by Cue's. Indeed Cue's unique independent Bay Area hip-hop record shop, opened in 1994, quickly built a positive rep for having cool in-store sessions and holding DJ battles inside the store. And of course you could buy records that DJ Cue was himself directly involved in. That included the Cue's Hip Hop Shop volume one and two compilations that came out via Stray Records (DogDay Records' spinoff label).