Quasimoto is the pitched-up alter ego of producer-rapper Madlib — vocals recorded at half-speed and sped back up into the cartoon-like Lord Quas. The Unseen (2000) on Stones Throw is the abstract hip hop landmark, and The Further Adventures of Lord Quas (2005) extends the lore. Shop Quasimoto vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Quasimoto is one of the alter egos of American hip hop producer and rapper Madlib (Otis Jackson Jr.), based in Oxnard, California. The Quasimoto persona - characterized by pitched-up vocal recordings of Madlib's vocals (helium-vocal effect, achieved by Madlib recording his vocals at half-speed and speeding them up to normal tempo) - appeared in 2000 with The Unseen on Stones Throw Records. The character Quasimoto is mythologized as 'Lord Quas,' a cartoon-like alter ego with conceptual lore. The 2005 follow-up The Further Adventures of Lord Quas extended the conceptual approach. The Quasimoto persona has been influential in establishing the foundational template for contemporary alternative and abstract hip hop, with influence on the broader Stones Throw aesthetic and subsequent hip hop production approaches. Madlib has parallel work as Madlib (his primary identity), Yesterdays New Quintet, Madvillain (with MF DOOM), Jaylib (with J Dilla), and dozens of other parallel projects. See the Madlib collection page for broader context.
Quasimoto's sound combines hip hop, abstract hip hop, alternative hip hop, jazz rap, underground hip hop, and instrumental hip hop with the distinctive pitched-up Quasimoto vocal delivery, Madlib's foundational sample-based production approach (use of obscure jazz, soul, funk, and global samples), and lyrical content addressing cartoon-character conceptual themes alongside hip hop subculture.
Stones Throw Records pressings of the Quasimoto catalog are foundational items in alternative hip hop collecting, with collector premiums on original pressings.
Listeners new to Quasimoto typically start with The Unseen (2000). See also: for the broader Madlib catalog.
