Interview With Mix Master Mike

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Mix Master Mike is a celebrated turntablist and founding member of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz. He joined the Beastie Boys in 1998 and continues to DJ for the group. On Saturday, he will headline the Main Event party at the Hill's Florist warehouse.

He spoke over the phone Tuesday about his musical influences and his career. An edited transcript follows.

Q: Well first of all, is it cool if I call you Mike?

Mix Master Mike: (laughs) Yeah, that’s fine.

Q: Cool. So when did you first become interested in DJ’ing and spinning vinyl?

MMM: Well, it was 1984. I saw a video called "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McClaren. After that, I saw a video with Grand Master DST and Herbie Hancock. After those two videos I was like, what is this sound all about? I was definitely intrigued with the scratch sound. I knew where I wanted to be right when I saw those videos.

Q: How do you think growing up on the west coast influenced your specific style of scratching, and also the timeline of your success—where you came to be now?

MMM: Well its funny, growing up there wasn’t too many people doing what we were doing, so we developed our own sound, our own scratch style. We developed it in our own way. We based everything on the scratch. No gimmicks, no behind the back tricks, just straight music, straight technical scratching.

Q: You weren’t following in anyone’s footsteps. You guys were fresh, the first ones.

MMM: Yeah, we pretty much started what we started. For sure.

Q: When you think back on that time period, who were the boys that you were doing that with?

MMM: It was me, DJ Qbert, DJ Apollo ... yeah it was pretty much us three. We had the fantasy of starting the first ever DJ orchestra, which we created. We were the big dreamers, you know. We sat, we scratched, we dreamed a lot, and pretty much all of those dreams came to fruition, and now we’re all blessed, you know? Now were making a living, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Q: Since you guys started off with nothing, and you basically built it from the ground up, when people think about DJ’s and turntablism they pretty much think of you guys. How do you think that technology and its development has affected the trajectory the three of you have taken?

MMM: You know what, I think the technology is a love-hate thing. I love, love, love, the way technology is and where it’s at right now, but at the same time, we’re musicians and this is what we do for a living. We're trying to sell records, and people are pretty much getting them for free now. It’s tricky, you know? But as far as actual instruments and stuff like that goes, it's just amazing. On my laptop I have my whole studio. Give me a month in a hotel room and I’ll bang out 20 songs. That’s the beauty of technology these days.

Q: What about people who hook an iPod up to a P.A. and call themselves a DJ? Anyone can rip Ableton Live off the internet, put in their favorite tracks and just roll with that. Is that something that you think is valuable and important, that people have that accessibility or do you think it should be more exclusive, and you should have to work harder to get that sound?

MMM: I think for us, I mean, we’ve been through so much. I mean blood, sweat and tears to get where we are today. If you're not paying your dues and you're trying to call yourself as such, you're definitely looking through the wrong lens. In order to know where you’re at you have to know where it comes from. So you have to give praises where they're due. For me that’s people like Grand Wizard Theodore. Every time I touch a turntable, I just can’t believe that I’m there in front of 200,000 people doing what I do, getting to entertain. If it wasn’t for those guys this wouldn’t be happening right now.

Q: So as far as scratching goes, you weren’t following in anyone’s footsteps?

MMM: The only footsteps we were following were people like John Bohnam, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk. We’re like an offspring of those guys.

Q: So you were looking at the musicians that preceded you, and taking the attitudes and the innovations that they achieved in their specific disciplines, and then you took it somewhere else and did your own thing with it.

MMM: No doubt, no doubt. The passion, the drive, the ability to improvise, etc.

Q: Looking back, are there DJ’s who have done to the turntables what Miles did to jazz tonality? Are there DJ’s after you who have innovated and taken it to the next level?

MMM: Oh of course. There’s Craze, and of course the Beat Junkies, the X-Ecutioners, you know, it’s the same core that we started out with, and now they’re doing it on their own. It only helps build the culture if we all just keep it going.

Q: So what would you say is the most significant challenge that you have faced in your career and the trajectory you have taken as a DJ, whether it’s a specific thing or an overarching theme; but something that has caused you pause and you’ve had to work really, really hard to move past it?

MMM: I would say the only thing that comes to mind ... you know, I’ve been ten years sober. I think that being sober has taken me to that next level, where I wanted to be. If you’re a musician there are so many other things attached to that. It’s not a bed of roses, and I’ve had some challenges and some demons, but you know, thank God ... the thing I'm proud of most is that I’ve been sober for ten years. It's an amazing thing, especially when you're out and about. Everything is for free, you know? So that’s something I’m very proud of.

Q: When you stepped into the Beastie Boys ensemble, at what point were you in your career at that point, and how did that deal look to you from your side?

MMM: Well this was right after we formed the Invisibl Skratch Piklz. Right when I got that call from the guys I was like, you know, I’ve got to do this. This is a big event in my career. I let Qbert and Apollo know, and I was just like, I've got to do this.

Q: And they were supportive?

MMM: Oh definitely. I mean if it had happened to Qbert or one of the other guys, I would have been like, you know what? You need to do it. If you don’t do it, you’re stupid.

Q: Yeah, especially considering the context of how you guys basically grew up scratching together. You started this thing. And then there’s this opportunity to go mainstream with it.

MMM: It’s like if you were a kid, and you bought all of Led Zeppelin’s records. And you’re listening to them because you’re a musician as well. You’re honing your own craft, trying to contact these guys, and then they contact you. That’s a dream come true! That’s unheard of, you know what I mean?

Q: So when you got that call it was out of the blue?

MMM: Yeah, yeah. It was awesome

Q: When you stepped into the role as DJ with the Beastie Boys, did you learn anything from the previous DJ’s like Hurricane and Rick Rubin?

MMM: Umm, not really. You know, the guy who mentored me the most on tour was Ad-Rock.I mean, as far as nerves and the challenges of being on tour, and being able to take it all in and handle it. He was really there for me. I remember him telling me, “Just do what you do." That’s the best advice I could have gotten.

Q: Would you say they ascribe to that same philosophy?

MMM: Yeah exactly. It’s whatever happens. He told me, “Mistakes happen all the time on stage.” When he told me that it really loosened me up. Give me that attitude of whatever happens, happens. I’m an improvisational musician, so I was also able to adapt really quickly, you know, so thank God.

Q: Do you think that most people realize how improvisational scratching is? Or do you think that it's something that needs to be understood more deeply? You’ve compared yourself with Coltrane, Miles, Thelonious Monk ... Is that how you consider yourself as a musician?

MMM: I mean, definitely. I’m taking a lot from those guys. Those guys are my teachers, you know. Just the way they play with the same passion, the way they hit the notes, you know? It’s awesome.

Q: So you approach the turntables with the same mindset a jazz musician approaches his instrument?

MMM: Yeah. You know what? When I touch the turntables, it’s emotional. It’s emotional for me. When you see a lot of DJ’s out there it’s not emotional for them. They’re just standing there, but for me it’s like a nirvana state. When you can project emotion, people can ride with that. We live in an emotional world, and if I can take thousands of kids away for just an hour, I know I’ve done something good with my life.

Q: In Chattanooga there isn’t really much of a house or dance scene. We have some local DJ’s with talent for sure, but it’s not L.A. by any means. When you come to cities in the southeast, do you find that it’s harder for crowds to interact with you?

MMM: Not at all. Not at all. I just let it all hang out you know, it’s all an experience. People pay to come see it and get entertained, so I’m going to make sure that I’m going to entertain them and put smiles on their faces. I see kids in the audiences with their eyes closed and I’m like: Wow. That’s what it’s about.

Q: I’m not sure people at The Main Event are going to know what to expect.

MMM: Well of course, I’ve never played in Chattanooga before.

Q: So lay it out there. You said it’s going to be emotional, it's going to be real, it's going to be tangible.

MMM: High-powered. High-powered offense.

Q: So we shouldn’t approach it with the mindset of “This guy is going to come spin some dance beats while I talk to my friends and dance a little bit.” This is a performance. This is you laying it out on the line, on display, for us to interact with.

MMM: No doubt. No doubt.

Q: So what are your plans for the near future? Did you have any role with the recent remastering of Paul’s Boutique or Hello Nasty?

MMM: Nah man. Remastering is great, but I didn’t have anything to do with that. I do have some new Mix Master Mike headphones coming out through Skull Candy. They’re going to be packaged along with my new record, Plasma Rifle. I also have a DJ video game coming out called Scratch: The Ultimate DJ.

Q: Didn’t Guitar Hero do something like that?

MMM: DJ Hero did that, but this one’s more authentic. It’s the other version.

Q: So it’s not for scrubs is what you’re trying to say?

MMM: No, no, no. This is pretty authentic. It’s going to be fun.

Q: When does your record drop?

MMM: First quarter of next year.

Q: Looking back, thinking about MCA being diagnosed with cancer recently, what are some events that you went through that have brought the four of you together?

MMM: After 9/11, we did shows in NYC for something called New Yorkers Against Violence. We did the Rock the Vote tour, we got everyone to cast their votes. You know, we get around. We filled our role.

Q: Respect.

MMM: No doubt.

Q: Well I’m going to let you go. We’re going to put some of this audio up on the website, and I was wondering if we could get you to say something.

MMM: Sure what you got?

Q: The website is called Chattarati. Can you say “Hey this is Mix Master Mike and you’ve been listening to Chattarati?

MMM: Sure. You ready?

Q: Yeah, hit it.

MMM: Yo what’s up? This is the serial wax-killing villain, Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys, and you're tuned in to Chattarati. Check it out. Don’t be a clown. Don’t sneak. Here it is.