D.ST

Grand Mixer DXT (born Derek Showard) is an American turntablist. He was formely known as Grand Mixer D.ST. "D.ST" is a reference to Manhattan, New York City's Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. He was featured in the influential hip hop film Wild Style. Widely recognized as a pioneer, GrandMixer DXT is credited for being the first to establish the turntable as a fully performable and improvisational musical instrument (Alberts 2002). Especially important is his technique of altering the pitch of the note or sound on the LP record. He is also credited with greatly helping to popularize DJing through his scratching on Herbie Hancock's single "Rockit" from the Bill Laswell and Material produced album Future Shock. He is featured in the 2001 documentary, Scratch.