If you dabble in the DJ or remix trade at all, you’ve probably heard of Mix Master Mike – he’s one of those musicians who maintains a spiritual outlook on his craft but also a very down-to-earth personality, one that obviously attracted the Boys to him and paved the way for classics like Hello Nasty and To the Five Boroughs. I caught up with Mix Master Mike as he was waiting to take over the Red Bull 3-Style at the Playhouse in Hollywood, a DJ showdown between some of the country’s best and brightest aspiring Mix Masters like Morse Code and Cheapshot. Mike approaches the craft as someone with a creative and open mind — he’s kind of like Jackson Pollack splattering oils on an unfurled canvas that just seems to keep going. But there’s a method to his madness, and his outlook on life was inspirational. Regardless of how you feel about MMM, DJing, or The Beastie Boys, this should be an inspiring read for artists of all kinds who want to expand and explore their craft. And that to survive, practicing 100,000 hours isn’t always enough– it’s a never-ending process of exploration and expansion.

So first the inevitable: How are things looking for the next Beastie Boys record? Last I’d heard Adam (Yauch) had cancer and there was no word as to how bad it was.

Mix Master Mike: Well he’s out already. That’s how they kind of play it; they don’t like to let the word get out about what’s going on (personally) with them and everything. But yeah, everything’s looking better. He’s gonna make a full recovery.

It seems like their fans were in the know. No one was really freaking out or anything.

Mike: Well, I’m not stopping and neither are they! Log onto mixmastermike.com; I’ve got a bunch of stuff I’m working on. One called Napalm Rockets, one with DJ Muggs called Elements, and another one coming out called Plasma Rifle.

Mike: So since you were one of the originators, a lot of people would want to know what inspired you to get into DJing in the beginning.

Mike: I grew up in San Francisco with my uncle, who had an extensive record collection, I’d just sit around listening to all this music–funk, rock soul jazz, so that was the beginning it was embedded me. I watched Herbie Hancock at the Grammies.

How old were you when you first started? Were you living with your parents and everything?

Mike: I was 15 or so. Yeah I was still living with my folks.

Were they supportive of you and everything? They didn’t just rush out right away and get you a set of turntables?

Mike: No way, nobody encouraged anything. Of course not. Being a parent, you want your kid to do well in school, and get good grades, and I just did the opposite of that.

Were you a dropout?

Mike: A dropout, a runaway, all that. I ran away to pursue music. I ran away from San Francisco to Sacramento and that’s where I really discovered Djing. That’s where I discovered myself and what I was capable of. I entered DJ battles and just sort of worked my way up.

So how did you live, then? Were you just kind of moving in and out of friends’ places and setting up your own stuff there or what?

Mike: Doing whatever it took. They say if you do one thing for 100, 000 hours you’re bound to be someone.

100,000?! I just read Outliers that Malcolm Gladstone book and he’s done all this research that it’s 10,000 hours.

Mike: I’m on my 30 millionth hour probably. But it just takes being obsessed. There are no boundaries in music, especially in what we do. I didn’t sleep at night. So much to think about. I’m thinking of stuff to do right now.

Pretty much every one of my friends who are musicians do that. Just stay up and practice hour after hour til 6 in the morning.

Mike: That’s all it takes. Perseverance and obsession. It wasn’t an easy road for me. I’m grateful. For the position I’m in, I’m grateful. It’s incredible. To travel the world, to do shows, it’s incredible. I don’t know if its the American Dream but it’s a dream. And I’m grateful every time I touch those tables.

So where exactly do you consider home? L.A., San Francisco or Hollywood?

Mike: Well, my family’s in Hollywood now and that’s where I live. But yeah, I’m originally from San Francisco.

Delving into more experimentation and boundaries, there’s a lot of talk about how much different and kind of out of whack equipment you use in your live sets. I heard you’ve used a wah-wah pedal.

Mike: Not as much anymore. Always experimenting with other things in music though.

How does it work? Do you just hook it straight in and it makes that same sort of phasing effect when you scratch?

Mike: Yeah, it’s just another example of something in pushing boundaries. I was just messing around, but I got this really cool effect and liked it.  I learned there that this thing that I was doing was going to propel other things. It made me realize stuff about where I was going with everything. And some of that stuff I sent into The Beastie Boys to get noticed.

How did you end up with the spot vacated by Rick Rubin and DJ Hurricane?

Mike: I just left messages on (The Beastie Boys’) their answering machines.

How did you get their phone numbers?

Mike: This was around the time  I won third in the world DJ championships, and then I met Adam Yauch in New York at a Rocksteady Anniversary. I just had a card, business cards with my name on it, and it said ‘world champion’ on it. Y’know, things you do when you’re excited! I gave it to him, he gave me his number, and I would just send him videotapes and stuff. It drove him crazy.

Do the Beastie Boys sort of tell yo where to go when you play, since it’s their name? How do they react to the experimentation you tend to go for?

Mike: No way. When I come from BB shows, I’m the one that’s giving them the set lists. Adam and the other guys just let me alone backstage to put the setlist together. They’re like ‘do whatever the fuck you want to do. We’re brothers and it’s great that we have full trust in me. There are no boundaries. But, y’know, it is a rap show. when you get to a Mix Master Mike Show, anything goes. Both worlds are amazing. You’d be a fool to let your inhibitions limit you.

Did you have a moment where you sort of had a spiritual awakening? One that sort of really inspired you to start experimenting?

Mike: It was like I was conscious, but I wasn’t conscious. Before I had turntables, I would just make pause mix tapes on two tape decks. One for the recorder and one for the playback. I would make a mix. And then when I got turntables, it was like there was this whole another world. And then when the wah wah pedal.it’s like… it’s like I try to think of things that are…it’s like, think of another planet. there are other planets out there, think about just try to think of what they’re into. That was my frame of mind. What are these people doing? The Ashtar Command, what are they up to? It’s like it’s a sort of battle between me and the universe.

So you’re sort of just putting yourself on a higher level?

Mike: Just tapping into everything. Y’know how you hear a lot that you only use 13 percent of your brain? Try to tap into to achieve at least 40 % of your brain.I always thought that when you communicate with beings from other planets. That always what it was for me. We dabble in other worlds and how I stay on top of my game.  As somebody from Earth, its like I’m showing these others that there’s some real shit down there It may sound crazy but that’s just always how I’ve rolled.

Words by Jeff Nau, Photos by Sidney Bensimon