DJ QUEST -Turntable Artist / Scratch Music Innovator

DJ Quest (Questosahn), is considered one of the most skilled DJ innovators in the field of turntablism. Born in in El Salvador, Quest moved to San Francisco's Mission District in the early 1980’s where he was introduced to the sounds of Hip Hop and Electro-Funk which sparked a life long musical obsession and exceptional interest in scratch music.

In the mid ’80’s and early ’90’s Quest began rocking house parties, performing on stage with  various rap crews and competing in local DJ battles. Quest is a veteran of the DMC and New Music Seminars' Superman battles, and regardless of never taking any national titles, the battle training provided the foundation and discipline for mastering the craft.

During this period, Quest’s appreciation for recording music was also in progression. He joined forces with DJ’s Eddie Def and DJ Cue, creating an early version of a DJ band “The Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters”. Their biggest contribution came in 1992 with the release of Hamster Breaks Vol. 1, the first record of its kind arranged specifically for scratch and battle DJs. This set off a wild fire-like effect and opened up a new market for tool records and battle breaks.

Quest, is also known for coining the term 'Hamster Style' which refers to the reverse set up of the turntables into the mixer. Today the term remains popular and recognized by DJs and DJ industry world-wide. Modernizing the implementation of the 'Hamster' feature (the reverse switch) in every competent battle mixer.

In the mid 1990’s he expanded his musical horizons by teaming up with percussionist Albert Mathias and bassist Andrew Kushin to form the experimental Jazz/Hip-Hop group LiveHuman, who has self produced recordings for various labels including Matador Records and Hip-Hop Slam, bringing Quest to display his skills through- out the US, Europe, Australia and Japan.

Presently, Quest is sharing his knowledge with his Quest School of DJ Arts, in collaboration with Horizons Unlimited/The DJ Project, a non-profit community based- organization which offers music arts and entrepreneurial programs. 

He continues to creatively expand by working on his craft, teaching and studying it. Quest style on the turntables is distinct and raw with complete freedom and no purist compromise. Breaking the rules of expression and advancing the fine-tuning of the turntable as an instrument and the evolution of scratch music.