Once A DJ

About Once A DJ

Paths of Rhythm is a conversation series about the journey a life in music takes you on. Hip hop is the starting point for a lot of these conversations, but the show ranges across house, drum and bass, radio and more — and it's not just DJs. Hosted by Adam Gow, each episode talks to DJs, writers, photographers and sound engineers about their passion for music and where it's taken them. Guests have included Carl Loben (Mixmag), Photographer Eddie Otchere, DJ Rap, Rob Da Bank, House Shoes, Cutmaster Swift and many more.

Publisher

Remote CTRL

Category

music · music · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

14 Feb 2023

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

101 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   DJ Qbert : I just really, really love scratching

   Paths of Rhythm is brought to you with support from vinylunderground.co.uk - take 10% off your next order with the code POR10 and free UK shipping on orders over £100 Paths of Rhythm is a Remote-CTRL production. If you're looking for audio or video production, then check out https://remote-ctrl.co.uk (https://remote-ctrl.co.uk) to see how they can help. Other ways to support the show Follow the show on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/4FNSNLfHsT2FNvZeb4TrrV?si=cb3c8f99472042ca) or Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/once-a-dj/id1671744646) Any feedback or questions? Hit up https://www.instagram.com/pathsofrhythmpodcast/ (https://www.instagram.com/pathsofrhythmpodcast/) This week I'm joined by someone who's really in a category of one: multiple DMC champion, Invisibl Skratch Piklz founder and absolute turntable legend, DJ Qbert. Qbert grew up in San Francisco. His parents came over from the Philippines, and his dad loved disco and only wanted music he could dance to, so he handed his son all the records he didn't like. That's how a young Qbert ended up with Ravi Shankar and classical Indian tabla music. Then Rapper's Delight came on the radio, the Bay Area electro scene took hold, and when he heard Herbie Hancock's Rockit he had no idea the sound was coming off a record. In 1985 a friend showed him how to scratch, he put his whole palm on the record, and that was that. From there we follow the whole journey. We talk about losing battles with his high school crew and treating every loss as a lesson, an empty school cafeteria whose echo made him feel like he was getting good, and meeting Mix Master Mike at that same gig. We also get into the car accident that stopped the body tricks and made him focus on becoming a real musician, and winning world team titles with Mike and Apollo. Qbert talks about mushrooms, Bruce Lee and being one with the music, odd time signatures and Dave Brubeck, Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik, making Wave Twisters, his huge vintage sampler collection, and why studying Rakim and Kool G Rap's flows is a gold mine for scratch patterns. It was a 4:30am start for him, and he still brought so much energy and generosity to the conversation. It's one I'll be coming back to for a long time. What we get into: Growing up in San Francisco with Filipino parents and a dad who loved disco Ravi Shankar, tabla music and inheriting the records his dad didn't like Rapper's Delight, four on the floor and the Bay Area electro scene Hearing Herbie Hancock's Rockit and not realising it was a record 1985, and putting his whole palm on the record for the first time Competing with his high school crew: win or learn Scratching on his dad's record-stacking turntable The echo in the school cafeteria and meeting Mix Master Mike Philosophy, mushrooms, Bruce Lee and being one with the music Ego, battles and scratching for the music instead of the other DJ Studying the New York DJs before the New Music Seminar Doing everything on 45 at the DMC, and Christian Marclay Forming the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and winning the DMC team titles The car accident that made him focus on what comes out of the speaker Odd time signatures, Dave Brubeck and scratching over Take Five Yogafrog, Skratchcon, Turntable TV and The Shiggar Fraggar Show The new Piklz album with Shortkut and D-Styles Disk, Buckethead and Brain from Primus Scratching versus beat juggling, and Jimi Hendrix-style soloing Going global and the scratch DJs he thinks deserve more attention Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Musik and Rap Pages Break records and getting straight to the good part His collection of vintage drum machines and samplers Daily routine, forever beats and making Wave Twisters Product design, the QFO and the portable scratch scene Advice from Mix Master Mike: make up your own style Rakim, Kool G Rap and rap flows as scratch patterns Sleep, spring water and happy scratching

2. 

   8 Oct 2026

   BBE's Peter Adarkwah - Taking risks, avoiding burnouts, and keeping true to yourself

3. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Martin 2 Smoove - The 20 year residency, and the secrets to a long and prosperous DJ career

   This week I'm joined by Martin 2 Smoove — Ministry of Sound Milkshake resident, tour DJ for Eve and for Romesh Ranganathan, and a man who held down a Pacha residency alongside Trevor Nelson. Martin was born in Kerala, raised in Basildon, and spent his teens watching Trevor on MTV Base thinking that's the job I want. A night out at 17 watching the Dream Team turn a room inside out sealed it. What follows is one of the most honest accounts of the slow route I've had on the show: an economics degree taken to keep his parents happy, summers as a runner at Wise Buddah fetching drinks for 50 Cent, years of breaking into halls of residence with armfuls of flyers, and a long stretch between 2010 and 2012 where nothing moved at all while everyone he graduated with got on with their careers. Then a call from a contact at Atlantic about an American artist needing a tour DJ turned out to be Eve, and thirteen years later he's still there. We get into the craft of it too — the Leicester Square residency where the owner would ask him to clear the dance floor on purpose, six years playing 80s and 90s pop at Jazz Cafe that taught him more about music than anything else he's done, why Shazam charts are a month ahead of the actual charts, and why being easy to travel with matters as much as what you can do on the turntables. Martin's the kind of guest who makes you want to take the unglamorous gig. Really enjoyed this one. What we get into: Growing up in Basildon with no music in the house, and finding Michael Jackson, MTV Base and Trevor Nelson Seeing the Dream Team at 17 and deciding on the spot that making a room happy was the job Studying economics at Keele to shut his parents up, and hating every minute of the academic side Why he'll still take the right gig for free, and how the long-term view has paid off repeatedly Being a runner at Wise Buddah, getting studio drops from Mariah Carey and Xzibit, and learning artist etiquette the hard way Warming up for Trevor Nelson at universities, and twenty years of Milkshake at Ministry of Sound The 2010–2012 stretch where nothing happened, and the digging-for-diamonds meme he wishes he'd seen then Two summers at Pacha, and bringing R&B and hip hop to an island that wasn't playing it Leicester Square and Jazz Cafe: learning to clear a dance floor on purpose, and what Karma Chameleon does to a room The U2 end-of-tour party where nobody danced for four hours until one request changed everything Getting the Eve call, messing up the second gig, and the look of death on stage Gumball 3000, working Mondays unpaid to learn the clothing business, and a BAPE collaboration on the way VJing Romesh Ranganathan's arena tour, and how to add value rather than just play a set Why Shazam charts beat the official charts by a month Running a DJ agency with Andy Purnell and Luke, and why being easy to travel with is a professional skill

Who has been a guest on Once A DJ

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• DJ Hype
• Ben Pedroche
• DJ Double Peas
• Nick Halkes
• Steve Mac

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

75,104

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.5 / 5

8 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

29 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

53

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

77

Contact Once A DJ

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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