The Beastie Boys, while they were busy gettin' down with no delay, once asked, "Mix Master Mike, what you got to say?"
He answered with a funky breakdown of the beat - bodies were movin' because there ain't no sound but the sound so soothin'.
Mix Master Mike, in his fourth and most recent solo album, Bangzilla, proves that he can easily function outside the three MCs and one DJ setup, as far as his spinning abilities are concerned.
Whether an album showcasing those talents works well is more questionable.
His 13-track turntable narrative seems to tell a story, though it is unclear just what the plotline is. Judging from song titles such as "Tranzmission" and "Extra Beast," it has something to do with space, the future, takeover by zombies or other topics that lend themselves well to runaway-from-it-all beats.
Pounding bass lines are fast and frequent in every track, save the samples that Mike throws in - almost all of which are so strikingly obscure that they offer little repose for the listener.
The DJ relies heavily on synthesized strings repeated over an extremely busy main beat. The sound is overused and never quite lies comfortably on an otherwise strong foundation, giving many of the tracks a lack of cohesiveness.
As a note of redemption, Mix Master Mike also samples a variety of more suitable sounds, with a couple of songs starting out on flute loops. It baffles all logic, but flute almost always sounds good mixed with hip-hop beats, a fact that is fully taken advantage of in this case.
More than anything, Mix Master Mike's spinning and mixing abilities are ridiculous. He never loses the beat, even amid the wall of sound he has created.
On "Marvel," the mix master perfectly blends what sounds like the theme song to a '70s TV show with his underlying bass pulse. The mix is seamless.
The album itself misses out on the smooth blend found in its tracks.
A common trait to Mix Master Mike's work is a sort of ebb and flow in the groove. He starts with a sample, lays down a beat and slowly builds it up with scattered vocal and instrumental tracks, all the while distorting and scratching the result. Near the peak of that sound mountain, he cuts it off almost completely, often changing to a new and unrelated idea.
This tactic works well when it serves as a background for a rapper or as a tool from which they can derive their simpler background beats. Left to stand alone, it tends to fail. Most of the loops, though unique and thumping while they last, seem underdeveloped or abandoned.
Some things just make more sense with three people rapping about White Castle and ending every line in rhyme and unison - which, by the way, is both absurd and brilliant.
It's true, nobody can do it like Mix Master can do it.
He spins better than any DJ you are likely to find, but his tracks lack the maturity needed to hold a listener's attention for the entire 45-minute span of his album.
Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
