Mixmaster Mike

This former Invisibl Skratch Pikl has had a full-plate of musical duties for the majority of his musical career. When the former DMC champion isn't creating some of the most uniquely bizarre scratch cuts under his own name or various collaborations, he's behind the decks for the Beastie Boys, blowing the minds of hip-hop heads around the world, but it's only now the Los Angeles-based DJ releases his first mix record. "I'm trying to broaden the listener's horizon, as far as giving them something fresh for their ears," explains Mike. "First of all, I pick about 100 records and I go through them all and pick the ones that are not going to be played on the radio, and then I pick the ones that you're never going to hear in your life. Then I go through that stack and pick the ones that you're never ever, ever going to hear." Some of these fresh cuts include underground hip-hop DJs and MCs that Mike has befriended during his career. "I want to open doors for underground and upcoming artists," he explains. Some of this talent includes blistering beats from the likes of JVC Force's "Strong Island" to the chunky grooves of the Porn Theatre Ushers' "Me and Him." "There are a lot of underground bands that are making incredible music and I want to get it out there. To have people listening to what I'm listening to." Spin Psycle, his first release on Moonshine, after leaving Asphodel, is exactly what one might expect. Along with the mind-boggling scratches he previously laid down with Q-Bert's "Cosmic Assassins" and the Beastie Boy's "Three MCs and One DJ," Mike also tears it up from one track to another. In some ways, Mix Master Mike is remixing the songs he's selected by breaking up the beats and adding layers of bliss via his cross fader. This is definitely a large dose of serious hip-hop for you to ride to, but Mike almost slips in some unnoticed oddities - such as Rage Against The Machine. "I listen to all sorts of music, not just hip-hop," he explains. Further proof is that he just recorded scratches for Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie. "I'd also love to make a jazz or blues mix but it would be hard to get the licensing for something like a John Coltrane or Miles Davis record. So I like to keep it as my own personal listening pleasure."