DJ Quest

Who is DJ Quest?

DJ Quest was born in 1973 in El Salvador. While there are others using the name 'DJ Quest', Carlos Aguilar has most likely had the moniker the longest,. He is considered one of the most skilled and reputable DJ and innovators in the field of Turntablism. DJ Quest has contributed to the hip hop DJ art form by bringing power scratching to the battle scene. Quest, a battle veteran of the internationally known DMC, New Music Seminar and countless others has been crowned champ on several occasions.

Quest and his family moved to the San Francisco Bay area in the early 1980s where he was introduced to Electro or Electro Funk artist Nucleus, Kraftwerk and Afrika Bambaataa. He soon bought his first mixer, a Pyramid 4700 and accidentally hooked up the Turntables in reverse.

In a strange coincidence, Quest coined the term “Hamster style”, which refers to the reverse set up. While performing on the popular local hip hop show "Home Turf" in 1992 he demonstrated his skills. When DJ Kevy Kev attempted to use Quest set up and could not understand it, Quest blerted out that it was "Hamster style". This is the actual origin of the term and the switch that is included in almost every scratch mixer sold today. Today the term remains popular and is recognized by DJs worldwide, and ultimately led to companies like the Rane Corp. and Vestax including him in their DJ roster and list of endorsees.