Chicagoist Mix #16: DJ Qbot
By Jake Guidry in Arts & Entertainment on May 16, 2012 6:00PM
Chicagoist Mix Series is an ongoing feature that profiles local DJs/producers and features a mix compiled exclusively for Chicagoist. This is mix No. 16, brought to you by DJ Qbot.
It's been, um, never since we've featured a full techno mix for Chicagoist Mix Series. Though unintentional, the error is still egregious on our part. To atone, however, we've got a mix today from one of Chicago's techno-scene staples, DJ Qbot. Originally hailing from Missouri, DJ Qbot made Chicago home after years of formative experiences in the underground dance scene. Today, she spins at clubs, parties, and warehouses all over the city, and she's the host of long-running electronic music radio show, "Destination Unknown". Her stellar mix today delves into the darker side of the local and international techno scenes.
Qbot got her start in DJing "like a lot of people", she says. "Someone came over and saw my record collection and said, 'Let me teach you how to spin these,' and stuck me in front of a pair of turntables." From there Qbot cut her teeth by playing at friends' nights in St. Louis. She later moved to Chicago in the late '90s, "more or less because William Tucker convinced me to", she explains, without going into details (William Tucker was an industrial guitarist in the '90s). But for her, it wasn't a hard sell; St. Louis "got boring."
Upon her arrival in Chicago, Qbot didn't pursue DJing. But after a local promoter by the name of John Laake caught wind of her DJing past, she was forced on a bill against her will, and soon after she found herself with a residency at the club Vision. "I was so naive at the time," she admits. "I thought that there were lots of clubs that big, so I didn't really appreciate it as much as I should have. I've been playing consistently ever since then. I know John is not a very popular character, but I owe him a lot for that."
Qbot spent much of her early days DJing industrial and new wave, but once the scenes started to wear on her, techno came calling. "The techno scene in Chicago started picking up, and I started hanging out with Angel Alanis, who found me more techno parties," she explains. "The dark and sometimes dirty atmosphere, the clean production, the robotic beats, and the attitude of the crowds was everything I'd been looking for." Since then, Qbot has become one of the city's leading techno DJs.
As it stands today, you can hear Qbot at a number of spots around town, including her weekly radio show, "Destination Unknown". Started in 1999 by DJ Kamar on WLUW, "Destination Unknown" explores a wealth of electronic music genres. Once DJ Kamar could no longer host, he gave the reigns to Qbot, who has since hosted talent both local and worldwide. "I try to mix it up; it's not just DJs, or producers, or house, or techno, or even Chicagoans," she says. "I've had everyone from bedroom house DJs to international chiptune stars come in, and I don't think one of them has done a bad set yet."
Still yet, Qbot has more she's set to accomplish. "I'm working on a big project through Pandemic in conjunction with American Gothic (a.k.a. Scary Lady Sarah) for this summer," she reveals. "But out of all the things I do, what I'm most ecstatic about right now is my increasing involvement with Oktave; Jeff Derringer is throwing what I'm willing to bet will be the techno events of the year, and I'll be playing one of them on August 31st."
Today's mix is dark and deep, and Qbot shows what's so great about the local scene. It's a quite beautiful mix, set to sail you through the rest of your day.