Mix Master Mike
Turntablist and Beastie Boys DJ
One of the premier scratch artists of the day, Mix Master Mike got his initial itch for vinyl while growing up in San Francisco listening to his uncle's extensive record collection, the sounds of which would regularly welcome him home after school. Years later, the moment that had the most impact on him was catching Grandmixer D. ST. on stage with Herbie Hancock.
With his newfound love of hip-hop and his foray into scratching, Mike got involved in the mobile DJ business playing house parties, weddings and all those other "cutting the chops" types of gigs, some for experience and the exposure. It was at one of those parties that he met Richard Quitevis, better known as DJ Q-Bert. Q-Bert wasn't a DJ at the time, but was so impressed with Mike's scratching technique that it had the same effect on him as watching Grandmixer D. ST. had for Mike. The following day, Richard went over to Mike's to watch him practice and it was there that the two quickly became friends.
In 1992, Mike was the first West Coast DJ to become World Champion by winning the New Music Seminar DJ Battle for World Supremacy in New York City. That same year, Mike, DJ Apollo and Q-Bert known as the first ever scratch band won the DMC World title. In 1993, Mike and Q-Bert decided to take the competition to the next level by teaming up as a scratch duo known as "The Dream Team" and won the title once again. In 1994, after winning three consecutive world titles and consistently coming out on top, Mike and Q-Bert were asked to step down from further competition as their domination was too much for the rest of the pack. The two performed an amazing "farewell" set and were honored to become DMC judges.
Shortly thereafter, friends and fellow turntablists Triple Threat, DJ Apollo (Apollo Novicio), D-Styles (Dave Cuasito) and Shortkut (Jonathan Cruz) joined DJ Disk, Mike and Q-Bert to form the Invisibl Skratch Piklz (ISP), the most influential and recognizable turntablist crew in history. Though the ISP no longer exists, the five founders still remain close to this day.
It was a chance meeting at the Rock Steady Anniversary Jam in NYC in 1994 with Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys that would propel Mike to the next level. The two exchanged numbers and Mike often left crazy scratch messages on Adam's answering service. Fellow Beasties Mario C. and Mike D caught on to his scratch message craze and in 1997 requested Mike's studio work for their multi-platinum album Hello Nasty. Soon after completion of Hello Nasty's recording, the Beastie Boys offered Mike to become their resident DJ.
In the summer of 1999, the International Turntablist Federation honored Mike with a lifetime achievement award for the advancement of the turntable as a musical instrument. The new millennium brought more amazing things from Mike. In March 2000, the Eye Of The Cyklops EP dropped to brilliant reviews winning the California Music Awards as "Best New Electronic Album," with his first-ever mix CD Spin Psycle following in 2001. Also released was Return Of The Cyclops, a special anthology of Mike's works recorded before and after his seminal album, Anti-Theft Device. His most recent album, Bangzilla, was released in 2004.
Never one to take a break, Mike's credits also include his weekly "Spin Psycle" radio show on KROQ-FM Los Angeles, as well as working with EA Sports on the "SSX" and "SSX Tricky" video games and on "Jet Grind Radio" for Sega Dreamcast. He also produced music for the motion picture soundtrack for Jail, Hospitals & Hip Hop, hosted the ESPN Action Awards and is also prominently featured in the indie film Scratch.