Oral History -
DJ Ralph M still remembers a Halloween party he attended in 1982, where he was first introduced to hip-hop and break dancing. He was fascinated by the turntable and his dream was to become a Mixmaster on KDAY, a famous Los Angeles radio station. When he was thirteen, he received that opportunity which was an inspirational and educational moment for him.
DJ Babu enjoys his journey teaching the artform of turntablism, a term he is credited for coining.
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2003. All moving images within this video indicate those who have been interviewed as part of the NAMM Oral History program. Larger segments of their interviews are posted here on the NAMM website (use the "search this site" white box type their name).
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2002. All moving images within this video indicate those who have been interviewed as part of the NAMM Oral History program. Larger segments of their interviews are posted here on the NAMM website (use the "search this site" white box type their name).
This video is of our annual NAMM Tribute, created in honor of our members and music industry friends who passed away in 2001. All moving images within this video indicate those who have been interviewed as part of the NAMM Oral History program. Larger segments of their interviews are posted here on the NAMM website (use the "search this site" white box type their name).
Vidal de Teresa closed his veterinary clinic in 2000 to pursue his dream of establishing a distribution company specializing in exotic woods. His vision was to supply luthiers of guitars and violins with the finest tone woods in the world.
DJ Qbert brought new energy to Hip-Hop as a DJ in the digital world of turntables. Keeping to the traditions of the pioneering DJs who influenced him, Qbert added new flare to the craft of mixing by utilizing cutting edge technology and gear. His first set up included a turntable where the records would drop down to play from a stack as well as a Radio Shack mixer.
DJ Quest thought he was going to be a rapper while his cousin would DJ but once he saw the turntable set up at home he was hooked and never looked back. Quest is a founding member of the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters/Space Travelers who created one of the first DJ battle records Hamster Breaks.
DJ Rhettmatic entered into the hip-hop world as a dancer (popping) and as a graffiti artist but quickly moved over to the DJ side. As a member of The Beat Junkies he won ITF World Team DJ titles in 1997 and 1998 as well as DMC West Coast champion in 1996. He was featured in the cult classic documentary Scratch and has produced for The Visionaries.
Salvador Urbina is proud of his family’s history and legacy in the music industry of Guatemala. His grandfather was an audio technician and saw the need for quality gear as well as repairs. He opened a small audio equipment store in 1957 and soon carried Shure and Audio Techinca.