- Mix Master Mike
-
Michael Schwartz 
Background information Birth name Michael Schwartz Also known as Mix Master Mike Born January 16, 1970 Origin San Francisco, CA Genres Turntablism, Hip-hop, rap rock Occupations Disc jockey Instruments Turntables Years active 1989–present Labels Grand Royal, Capitol Associated acts Beastie Boys, Invisibl Skratch Piklz Website www.mixmastermike.com Mix Master Mike (born January,16,1970)[1] is an American turntablist and contributing member of the Beastie Boys.
Contents
Life and career
Born Michael Schwartz in San Francisco, California, Mix Master Mike is of German and Filipino descent.[2] He first came to prominence upon winning the 1992 New Music Seminar/Supermen Inc. DJ Battle for World Supremacy in New York City, becoming the first West Coast DJ ever to do so. In the same year, his turntablism collective Rock Steady DJs won the DMC World DJ Championships, establishing Mix Master Mike as one of the pre-eminent DJs in the industry. This success was followed by triumph in the 1993 DMC Championships, this time as part of a duo with DJ Qbert.
Mix Master Mike and DJ Qbert subsequently founded the turntablist group, The Invisibl Skratch Piklz with DJ Apollo.
Mix Master Mike's most high-profile work has been with hip-hop group the Beastie Boys. Mix Master Mike worked with the boys on Hello Nasty (1998), To The 5 Boroughs (2004), and Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011). He also appears on the Beastie Boys single "Alive", which was released in 1999 in support of The Sounds of Science retrospective anthology. For the studio to world tours, Mix Master Mike is now effectively the Beastie Boys' resident DJ, having replaced DJ Hurricane, who was preceded by Doctor Dre (not to be confused with Dr. Dre) who replaced Rick Rubin known as DJ Double R.
In 1994, after winning three consecutive DMC World Championships, it was rumored that Mix Master Mike and Q-Bert were asked to retire from further competition, so as to avoid monopolizing the title.[3] This claim is disputed by the DMC World Championship Website. After retiring from the world of competition turntablism, Mix Master Mike and Qbert became judges for the 1995 DMC Championships.
Mike has also helped fellow DJs produce their own albums, most notably, Wave Twisters, by DJ Q-bert.
Mix Master Mike is known for his heavy-hitting bass and intricate scratch routines. Mike's solo album Eye of the Cyklops won best electronic album in 2000 at the California music awards.
In 1995, he was honored with The Grandwizard Theodore lifetime achievement award from the International Turntablist Federation. He has collaborated with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Tommy Lee, Rob Zombie, Fela Kuti and Joss Stone, among others.
In 2002, Mix Master Mike contributed two tracks to the critically acclaimed Red Hot + Riot, a compilation CD created by the Red Hot Organization in tribute to the music and work of Nigerian musician, Fela Kuti, that raised money for various charities devoted to raising AIDS awareness and fighting the disease and featured many other contemporary hip-hop and R&B artists. He remade classic Fela Kuti songs, "Interlude: Gimme Shit" and "Water No Get Enemy."
Mix Master Mike is often credited with inventing the Tweak Scratch. The scratch is performed by moving the record back and forth while the platter motor is stopped. The inertia of the platter causes the sounds to slow and drop in pitch in an unusual manner. He is also well known for the unusual technique of using a wah-wah pedal, an effect most commonly used by guitarists, with his turntables.
Mix Master Mike is featured as a secret character that can be obtained through a cheat code in the 2002 snowboarding game SSX Tricky. He also contributed the song "Patrol Knob" to the soundtrack of the NTSC and PAL versions of the 2000 game Jet Grind Radio.
Mix Master Mike is one of 9 artists who participated in thetruth.com’s Remix Project, in which he remixed the Sunny Side song “Tough Love”.
On March 9, 2010 Mix Master Mike was a guest on the Cool Tricks segment of Yo Gabba Gabba.
In 2011, Mix Master Mike has joined Travis Barker for a few performances promoting Travis' debut album Give the Drummer Some - On February 10, 2011, performing "Can a Drummer Get Some?" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with Travis Barker, Game and Swizz Beatz, and On March 7, 2011, performing "Saturday Night" on Conan with Travis Barker, Transplants and Elvis Cortez. It was then confirmed that Mix Master Mike will be performing with Barker again, joining Barker on his I Am Music Tour supporting Lil Wayne, through March–April 2011.
In June 2011 it was announced that he was to present a Saturday night show on the alternative radio network Xfm from 6pm-7pm for an initial 13 week period commencing July 9.
Discography
Albums
- Juko (1991)
- Anti-Theft Device (1998)
- Spin Psycle (2001)
- Bangzilla (2004)
- NaPALM ROCKETS (DubStep) (2010)
EPs, singles, and Mixtapes
- Neck Thrust One
- Rescue 916
- Terrorwrist Delivery Service
- Memoirs of a Serial Wax Killer
- Mixmasterpiece: Muzik's Worst Nightmare (1996)
- Surprise Packidge (1999)
- Eye of the Cyklops (2000)
- 30 Minute Massacre (2001)
- Return of the Cyklops (2002)
Mixtapes
- Live! Beatdown volume 1 (2006)
- Neckthrust One
- Rescue 916
References
- ^ http://www.bigfloor.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=29&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
- ^ According to the LA Weekly newspaper, he is of German and Filipino ancestry.
- ^ http://www.snwmf.com/festivalbios/99festivalbios/mixmaster.html
External links
- beatLawrence.com Interview
- Mix Master Mike at the Internet Movie Database
- Mix Master Mike official fanclub and website
- Meeting with Mix Master Mike on OC-TV.net
- Mixmaster Mike featured in HHC Digital's DMC retrospective
Categories:- 1970 births
- American hip hop musicians
- Hip hop DJs
- Living people
- People from the San Francisco Bay Area
- Beastie Boys members
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