Michael Schwartz (born April 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Mix Master Mike, is an American

turntablist Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA system ...

best known for his work with

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

Life and career

Born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California, Mix Master Mike is of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

descent. Mix Master Mike 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 Mix Master Mike won the

DMC World DJ Championships DMC World DJ Championships is an annual DJ competition hosted by Disco Mix Club (DMC) which began in 1985. Championships were sponsored internationally by Technics, but in 2010 Technics has been replaced by Serato and Rane. From 2011, the viny ...

as a member of the

turntablism Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA system ...

collective Rock Steady DJs with

DJ Qbert Richard Quitevis (born October 7, 1969) known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Qbert, is an American turntablist and composer. He was awarded America's Best DJ in 2010, was DMC USA Champion 1991 (solo) and achieved titles as DMC World Champion in ...

and

DJ Apollo The Invisibl Skratch Piklz are an American group of turntablists. The members of the group were originally hip-hop DJs, who were among the pioneers of the turntablism movement in the 1990s; turntablists create musical pieces by mixing sampl ...

, 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 the duo Dream Team with

. Mix Master Mike, DJ Qbert, and DJ Apollo were the founding members of the turntablist group

Invisibl Skratch Piklz The Invisibl Skratch Piklz are an American group of turntablists. The members of the group were originally hip-hop DJs, who were among the pioneers of the turntablism movement in the 1990s; turntablists create musical pieces by mixing sampl ...

. In 1994 it was rumored that Mix Master Mike and Q-Bert were asked to retire from further competition, so as to avoid monopolizing the title. This claim is disputed by the DMC World Championship Website. After retiring from the world of competitive 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 ''Wave Twisters'' is a 2001 American animated film directed by Eric Henry and Syd Garon and based on DJ Q-Bert's album of the same name. It is known as the first turntablism-based musical. It is a mix of live-action, computer graphics, and cel ...

'', by

DJ Q-bert Richard Quitevis (born October 7, 1969) known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Qbert, is an American turntablist and composer. He was awarded America's Best DJ in 2010, was DMC USA Champion 1991 (solo) and achieved titles as DMC World Champion in ...

. In 1995, he was honored with The Grand Wizzard Theodore lifetime achievement award from the

International Turntablist Federation The International Turntablist Federation (ITF) was an organization which held a series of DJ battles during the rise of turntablism in the late 90s and early 2000s. The ITF is notable for introducing the concept of category competitions. The categ ...

. He has collaborated with Ozzy Osbourne, Tommy Lee, Rob Zombie, Fela Kuti and Joss Stone, and a number of other artists. Mix Master Mike's most high-profile work has been with hip-hop group the

. Mix Master Mike worked with the band on ''

Hello Nasty ''Hello Nasty'' is the fifth studio album by American rap rock group Beastie Boys, released by Capitol Records and Grand Royal Records on July 14, 1998. It sold 681,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albu ...

'' (1998), ''

To The 5 Boroughs ''To the 5 Boroughs'' is the sixth studio album by the American hip-hop group, Beastie Boys. The album was released on June 14, 2004 internationally, and a day later in the United States. The album debuted #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming ...

'' (2004), and ''

Hot Sauce Committee Part Two ''Hot Sauce Committee Part Two'' is the eighth and final studio album by American hip hop band Beastie Boys, released on May 3, 2011, through Capitol Records. The project was originally planned to be released in two parts, with ''Hot Sauce Commi ...

'' (2011). He also appears on the Beastie Boys single "Alive", which was released in 1999 in support of '' The Sounds of Science'' retrospective anthology. From the studio to world tours, Mix Master Mike is now effectively the Beastie Boys' resident DJ, having replaced

DJ Hurricane Wendell Timothy Fite, also known as DJ Hurricane (born January 12, 1965) is an American hip hop DJ, producer and rapper. He is best known for his work with the Beastie Boys. He was a member of the groups Solo Sounds and The Afros and recorde ...

, who was preceded by

Doctor Dré André "Doctor Dré" Brown (born December 5, 1963) is an American rapper, radio personality and former MTV VJ. Early life André Brown was born and raised in Westbury, New York, on Long Island. Career In the early 1980s, Doctor Dré was a DJ ...

(not to be confused with

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

) who replaced

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...

known as DJ Double R. Mix Master Mike is known for his heavy-hitting bass and intricate scratch routines. His solo album ''Eye of the Cyklops'' won best electronic album in 2000 at the California music awards. In 2001 he released the album ''Spin Psychle''. In 2002, Mix Master Mike contributed two tracks to ''

Red Hot + Riot Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

'', a compilation CD created by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

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 A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The ped ...

, 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 ''SSX Tricky'', also known as ''SSX 2'' or ''SSX 2: Tricky'', is a snowboarding video game, the second game in the ''SSX'' series published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label and developed by EA Vancouver. A direct sequel to ''S ...

''. He also contributed the song "Patrol Knob" to the soundtrack of the

NTSC The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...

and

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

versions of the 2000 game

Jet Grind Radio (originally released in North America as ''Jet Grind Radio'') is a 2000 action game developed by Smilebit and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. The player controls a member of a youth gang, the GGs, as they use inline skates to traverse Tok ...

. 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 ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock ( Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Sto ...

. In December, Mix Master Mike provided scratches for a cover of

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

's "

Willie the Pimp "Willie the Pimp" is a song from Frank Zappa's 1969 album '' Hot Rats''. It features an idiosyncratic Captain Beefheart vocal and one of Zappa's classic guitar solos. It is the only track that is not instrumental on the album, though the track ...

", which appeared on the iTunes compilation ''

The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAAAA Birthday Bundle 2010 ''The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAAAA Birthday Bundle 2010'' is a compilation album released as a digital download through the Zappa Family Trust on Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American mu ...

'', featuring rappers

Darryl McDaniels Darryl Matthews McDaniels (born May 31, 1964), better known by his stage name DMC, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Run-DMC, and is considered one of the pioneers of hip hop culture. Early life McDaniels gre ...

and

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

and singing by Zappa's son,

Ahmet Zappa Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa (born May 15, 1974) is an American musician and writer, and trustee of the Zappa Family Trust. Early life Ahmet Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children born to musician Frank Zappa and ...

. On Dec 2nd 2010, Skullcandy and Mix Master Mike launched the official Mix Master Mike headphones, released in all major marketplaces including Apple stores, worldwide. In 2011, Mix Master Mike has joined

Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...

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! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

with

Game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

and

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

, and On March 7, 2011, performing "Saturday Night" on Conan with

Transplants Transplant or Transplantation may refer to: Sciences *Transplanting a plant from one location to another *Organ transplantation, moving an organ from one body to another *Transplant thought experiment, an experiment similar to Trolley problem *Tra ...

and Elvis Cortez. It was then confirmed that Mix Master Mike will be performing with Barker again, joining Barker on the

I Am Music Tour The I Am Music Tour, was a concert tour headlined by American rapper Lil Wayne. The tour was following his Grammy Award-winning album ''Tha Carter III''. The tour concluded with America's Most Wanted Tour featured Wayne's record label, Young M ...

supporting

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

, 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. In May 2012 Beastie boys along with Mix Master Mike were inducted into the Rock n roll Hall of fame in Cleveland Ohio. In December 2013 Mix Master Mike became the first turntablist to perform at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for The Kennedy Center Honors in honor of Herbie Hancock, performing "Rockit" In 2018, it was announced by B-Real of

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have multi-platinum and platinum albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast and 1990 ...

that Mix Master Mike would be joining Cypress Hill. In 2019, Mix Master Mike performed alongside

at a free concert in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

at Vancouver's 420 Cannabis Festival to a crowd of 60,000 people despite efforts by the Vancouver Parks board to cancel the show.

Discography

Albums

*''Juko'' (1991) *''Anti-Theft Device'' (1998) *''Eye of the Cyklops'' (2000) *''

Spin Psycle ''Spin Psycle'' is a 2001 hip-hop mix album by Mix Master Mike. It was released on September 11, 2001. Track listing Reception Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music d ...

'' (2001) *''Return of the Cyklops'' (2002) *''Bangzilla'' (2004) *''NaPALM ROCKETS (DubStep)'' (2010) *''The Magma Chamber'' (2015) *''Conquest'' (2019) *''Beat Odyssey 2020'' (2020)

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) *''30 Minute Massacre'' (2001) *''Plazma Ryfle'' (2015) *''Live! Beatdown volume 1'' (2006) *''The Bolt-117'' (2012)

Awards and credentials

* DMC World Champion 1992 - Rock Steady DJs (Apollo, Qbert, and MixMaster Mike) * DMC World Champion 1993 - Dreamteam (Mixmaster Mike and Qbert)

References

External links

Mix Master Mike official fanclub and website
* *

Mixmaster Mike featured in HHC Digital's DMC retrospective
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mix Master Mike 1970 births American hip hop musicians American musicians of Filipino descent American people of German descent American hip hop DJs West Coast hip hop musicians Living people People from the San Francisco Bay Area Beastie Boys members Musicians from San Francisco Methods of Mayhem members