By Gino Sorcinelli • May 31 2019

From his earliest memories, recorded sound always played a prominent role in San Francisco native Mixmaster Mike’s life. Exposed to the deep funk crates of his uncles as a kid, records were often on full blast in his house. This constant exposure helped nurture an enduring appreciation of music and, according to his 1998 bio for the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, “planted the seeds for my later learning to pinpoint bits of music, like a breakdown, a chorus, a guitar solo, whatever it was I was hearing.”

As is common for many artists who came up in the 80s, Mike first found his way into hip-hop culture through breaking and b-boying in 1984 at age 14. Fascinated by the passion he saw people pour into this emerging phenomenon, he knew he had to find a way to increase his involvement. “It was this movement, this art form that was so new, and so full of energy, that captured my heart and really made me want to be involved,” he said in his World Music Festival bio.

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