Thud Rumble’s History:

(Starting from Skratch)

DJs invented Hip Hop, and with the control and skill involved with rhythm and turntable techniques, DJs have transformed the music, technology, and the style behind it. Though many DJs posses this musical talent, a sub-culture of DJs called “Turntablists” has pushed the talent into an art by manipulating, and orchestrating beats and vocals to create completely new sounds and songs. By venturing into uncharted musical and digital realms, Thud Rumble has effectively and successfully escalated industry standards in the DJ Skratch culture.

Established in 1996, Richard Quitevis and Ritche Desuasido created Thud Rumble, Ltd. and cemented a partnership to span the DJ skratch culture to new audiences and media. Primarily developed by DJ Qbert’s innovations on the turntable, Thud Rumble saw a synergy by working with undiscovered talents in the independent music and film industry. Opportunities quickly unfolded allowing them to creatively express and explore the DJ Skratch culture in multiple media sectors.

In March of 1997, Thud Rumble created, produced, and distributed Turntable TV. With the skepticism questioning the phonograph turntable as being considered a musical instrument, Thud Rumble developed a humorous approach in introducing a turntablist’s lifestyle. By creating Turntable TV, viewers could watch turntablists practice and hang out with other DJs from different regions around the world show off their talents, skills, while providing helpful tips. Amazed by a large reaction from Turntable TV, Thud Rumble saw the need for new products and events to help Turntablists progress their skills.

In July of 2000, San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts held Skratchcon2000, the first DJ Skratch forum that provided “the education and development of skratch music literacy”. By bringing the globe’s important DJs together in one arena, professional and amateur DJs were given the chance to learn and utilize various skills, techniques, and styles. In the past, Thud Rumble was involved in contribution to producing important historical DJ events like ITF (International Turntablist Federation) and the Vestax World DJ Championships. After being praised by Source Magazine as the “Greatest DJ event of all time”, Thud Rumble had successfully added Skratchcon2000 to the list.

In 2001, Thud Rumble opened their office doors to become an independent company that managed and maintained the production and distribution of their own products. By working with various DJ artists to produce and distributed scratch records, Thud Rumble was able to provide a wider range of practice and/or performances tools for DJs. As a result, 80% of the skratch DJ market is distributed by Thud Rumble.

Within the same year, DJ Qbert’s 1998 skratch album, Wave Twisters had a cinematic debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Fans were captivated by the brilliance of this album, which told a story using only skratch music. By working with talented graffiti artists and film producers, turning Wave Twister into an animated movie would soon be in motion. Soon after it completion, Wave Twister received a critical acclaim, and was later noted as Hip Hop’s first successful animated film.

In 2004, Thud Rumble became the only company besides Apple Computers to design with Monster cable. Ortofon, one of the founding fathers of needle stylus and innovators of the concorde cartridge shape, asked Thud Rumble to help design and endorse the QFO. Becoming a modern breakthrough in DJ technology, the QFO combines the mixer and the turntable into one mobile unit, which allows turntablists to practice and/or perform anywhere. From Sony to Pioneer, Thud Rumble has become one of the few DJ companies to ever landmark a deal to endorse and design DJ equipment.

Thud Rumble encapsulates the true meaning of an independent production, modeling an interactive global market that keeps the artist at the center. From the success of independent film releases, original videos, interactive soundtracks, and by effectively shaping and shifting 99% of the entire DJ culture both technologically and musically, Thud Rumble has become experts and large influences in transforming the DJ world into a multibillion-dollar industry.With their pursuit to push creative talent, Thud Rumble will continuously find new and entertaining approaches to present the phonograph turntable as a musical instrument.