Thud Rumble – the ever pioneering Bay Area based DJ music/technology company co-founded by DJ Qbert and Yogafrog two decades ago – continues its ever-innovative streak with the unveiling and demonstration of its latest creation: computing embedded DJ equipment and a sensor activated turntable using IntelR technology. A collaboration with Intel the new technology will be showcased at this weekend’s Maker Faire in San Mateo where visitors can experience experimental samples and prototypes. For this new creation Thud Rumble staffers, including Hard Rich, Qbert, and Yogafrog, have taken the IntelR ‘Edison board, a compute module the size of a postage stamp that includes a CPU, MCU, memory, storage and built-in WiFi, and paired it with three commonly utilized DJ and production instruments – a Stanton STR8-150 turntable, a Native Instruments Kontrol S25 keyboard, and a Maschine by Native Instruments.
The result of this integration is the elimination of the necessity of connecting a computer – meaning that with this new technology that now a DJ will only need to bring a USB drive in place of a computer. Maker Faire happens today Friday May 15th, tomorrow Saturday May 16th, and on Sunday May 17th at the San Mateo Events Center – all from the Intel booth. Note that Sunday’s closing day events will be the one to be sure to attend as DJ Qbert is scheduled for a very special and unique performance.
Like many tech developments, that are kept hush-hush up to the last minute, so too was this high-tech collaboration between Thud Rumble & Intel. Only two days ago on Wednesday this week, at the Maker Con event at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, did Ritche “Yogafrog” Desuasido first announce the new high tech product that will be shown to the public today through the end of the weekend at the Maker Faire in San Mateo. Posting the image left to Instagram he wrote that this “homage to the turntable creator it’s named the Edison chip. Actual Size. Soon we will enable you to add this to your DJ equipment, so you can leave your laptops at home.” Meanwhile his longtime friend/business partner Richard “DJ Qbert” Quitevas weighed in that, “This is next level. Intel’s technology is enabling us to connect the power of computing directly into our gear which is opening up new frontiers for us as DJs. We’ve already dreamed up a few applications, but we’re barely getting started on what is possible with this innovation.”
This latest Thud Rumble creation follows hot on the heels of the recent pioneering interactive DJ Qbert Extraterrestria fold-out LP cover that can be transformed into a virtual DJ turntable/mixer set up via wireless connection to an iPad. This morning, via email, I caught up with the always hella busy Ritche “Yogafrog” Desuasido to ask him about the new technology and what to expect at the Thud Rumble/Intel booth at this weekend’s tenth annual Maker Faire in San Mateo.
