It must have been 1997 when Jester and Quadrigo first met. DJ Jester's former co-worker, Art, asked DJ Jester "Hey Mikey, my band Leopoldgreen is doing a cover of Sabotage..Wanna add a little wicky-wicky?" That weekend, DJ Jester made one of his first public appearances at a venue called the DMZ, run by Tony Chainsaw. The flyer lied and said "Featuring Puff Daddy," to try to get more people out. It was also an inside joke because it seemed like in those days "featuring Puff Daddy" was on every song. Anyway, 8 people showed up, including all the members of Leopoldgreen and their then-girlfriends. QuadRod was the lead singer and mastermind behind Leopoldgreen. He didn't laugh at any of Jester's jokes. Eventually, they got over that and made a bunch of songs that were never meant for anyone else's ears. They also made a record together with another dude named SMARTY and had a band called Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine. They made a concept record called Table For One, that came out on the Wisconsin-based label Fever Pitch and got mentions in magazines like XLR8R and Giant Robot, resulting in a legendary SXSW showcase.
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From Popmatters.com:DJ Jester the Filipino Fist & Quad Rod, Table For One (Fever Pitch Music) My introduction to DJ Jester was the turntable outrageousness of River Walk Riots. That record was fun, funny, chock full of beats, and unusual samples that made the record as much fun to dance to as to listen to. With River Walk Riots DJ Jester The Filipino Fist made an impressive addition to the burgeoning world of turntablism. Championed by Aquarius Records and Kid Koala, DJ Jester rapidly made a name for himself as a master on the wheels of steel, as likely to drop in a sample from "The Greatest American Hero" as Public Enemy. With Table For One Jester has paired with fellow San Antonian Quad Rod to make a record dedicated to the heart breaking work of strained personal relationships. Mixing slow brooding beats with sinister guitar lines and what sounds like hours of voicemail messages left by friends, lovers, enemies and co-workers, Table For One is definitely not another River Walk Riots. The emphasis this time around is on an emotional framework that elucidates the challenges of relationships. It's a fun though barely distracting listen, don't come expecting ass moving beats; DJ Jester is aiming squarely for your head on this one. — Peter Funk
From AQUARIUS RECORDS (in San Francisco): Finally! Here it is, a new DJ Jester record! Those of you who have been following along at home, know that we at AQ dig pretty much everything Jester's done so far. And this new one is no different. Well, it's no different in that we totally dig it, but sonically it's WAY different. Jester's previous records have been fun and funny, playful and clever, a lot like Kid Koala, but Jester was also a master at deftly mixing Willie Nelson, Aerosmith, Charles Manson or even Pavement with hip hop beats, and of course crazy scratching. This one takes a whole other approach. According to the liner notes, Table For One is the soundtrack to the breakups and relationship problems of Jester and all his pals. And it sounds like it. Dark and mealancholy, minor key and sort of rainy day sounding. This is definitely way more of a rock record than any of his previous records, in fact Quad Rod is a friend of Jester's who crafts beautifully downer indie/post rock much in the same vein of bands like Bedhead, Low, The New Year and all that sort of mope rock we love. Jester adds some scratching, some turntable warble and some snippets of conversation, from movies, answering machines and the like. Very dark and pretty dour. It's a testament to Jester's skills that his input -seems- minimal, very tasteful and perfectly complimenting the downer mood rather than scratching all over the place. Jester fans will obviously dig this, but so might you indie mope-rockers. As long as you can handle a little scratching chocolate in your indierock peanut butter. Artwork by AQ pal Dale Flattum (Steel Pole Bathtub).
