Mixmaster Mike - Bangzilla

Mix Master Mike is the Muhammad Ali of the turntables; his hands float like butterflies and his beats sting like bees. From his rise to fame as a member of the Invisbl Skratch Piklz to his current position as the Beastie Boys' resident DJ - not to mention his Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Turntablist Federation - his playful, dexterous blend of rock, hip-hop and any other recorded sound that isn't nailed down has allowed him to maintain his long-standing place as one of the world's top DJs.

Bangzilla, MMM's latest creation, immediately places the listener in a '50s thriller setting. Suspenseful strings are paired with tinny gunshots, sirens, and then, as if someone handed him the remote, we hear one of our favorite pop culture phenoms plead, "Mike, DO something!" And boy, does he ever…

The title track is proof that turntablism is an ever-evolving art, and what once existed solely as a medium has truly become its own instrument. Mix Master Mike is a vinyl fiddler - a DJ whose deft hands are the inventors of a whole new sonic palette, complete with strings, keys, and rhythms cut from every imaginable cloth. And while he's got a brand new bag of tricks, he's still got love for the orchestral hits and 808's from back in the day. Bangzilla is action packed and pumping, as Mike lays down the fluid grooves with style and soul. Take track seven, "Full Range Earmuff," which hits with a full-on beat assault that is sure to shake your entire existence.

Mix Master Mike's turntable wizardry landed him a feature spot in the legendary "Scratch" documentary, an independent film about the art and history of hip-hop that has become one of the highest selling music DVDs in history. In between his many independent endeavors, MMM has also opened for bands as seemingly far from the hip-hop world as Guns 'N' Roses, and provided the backdrop for the Beastie Boys' multi-platinum record, Hello Nasty, and their most recent release, To the 5 Boroughs.

Wait until you hear what this DMC World Champion has been up to.

On October 18th, Bangzilla emerges from the depths... Tags