Little Mike
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Biografía
- Tagged ‘Little Mike’ by bartenders at the 21+ clubs he was playing when he was 15 and still getting dropped off by his Mum, its a miniature namesake that’s doggedly followed him around since. If his growth had been stunted in later life it could have b..Tagged ‘Little Mike’ by bartenders at the 21+ clubs he was playing when he was 15 and still getting dropped off by his Mum, its a miniature namesake that’s doggedly followed him around since. If his growth had been stunted in later life it could have been bad, but going on to achieve respectable man-height and smashing it with his career to date it all turned out perfectly politically correct. Spinning disco, 80s industrial, early Chicago / Detroit house and techno records as a 15 year old to a crowd six years older than you means you either get confident in your own tastes and technical abilities fast or you don’t get asked back, and go home and watch ‘Knightrider’. Coming from a musical background (his dad is still touring in a bluegrass band and Mike is a classically trained pianist) meant that DJing for Mike was a place where he was comfortable from the word ‘go’ and by his 19th birthday he had already won two ‘Best DJ in Denver’ titles and was esteemed by local magazine ‘Westword’ for his “rare ability to bring together accessibility and adventure”. Wanting to push his unquenchable thirst for entertaining a crowd (and vodka) further still, Mike entered the world of club and radio promotion. Over the next eight years he was the first to book in Denver the likes of Magda, Craig Richards, Demi, Damian Lazarus, Pier Bucci, Wiggle, Mazi, Ralph Lawson, Random factor, Cari Lekebusch and Mr. C and also threw what became Denver’s first real tech-house weekly ‘Phrunky’ (the vibe and success of which later inspired Little Mike’s record label Phrunky Recordings alongside Ty Tek). He also hosted a monthly mix on Proton Radio called 'Filthy Naughty Little Beats’(ongoing) and guested on two mixes on John Digweed’s Kiss FM mix show ‘Transitions’. Holding eight year long residencies at The Church and Vinyl in Denver Little Mike has also had regular bookings outside of Denver, including playing clubs like Sullivan Room and Love in New York, The Endup and 1015 Folsom in San Francisco and the notorious 'Degenerates' party during Miami Winter Music Conference where he played alongside Damian Lazarus and Mr C. He has also made it across the pond to play at London’s established 'Wiggle' parties with friend Nathan Coles and revelled in playing gigs as far afield as Istanbul’s infamous Crystal Club. Horizons of new experience and possibility in the world outside of Denver suddenly accelerated tenfold to Mike. By the time he had decided to leave Denver for Berlin he was not just an obsession of the Denver crowd but mates with all the DJs he had booked (Lee Burridge, James Zabiela, Sasha, Digweed, Nic Fanciulli, Richie Hawtin, Loco Dice, and Danny Howells had all requested Mike as their warm up DJ when they were in town) and also the darling of the local press. To summarize the extend of this, on a recent Berlin to Denver trip Mike’s flight was entirely paid for through donations from Denver clubbers. He had become what is commonly known as a ‘local hero’. “Moving to Berlin was a time to take a break after working in the clubs every weekend for virtually 13 years in a row. A time to re-evaluate why I am involved in DJ culture, where I see music going, and to get back out on the dance floor to find out what works, and create a new sound to start fresh and with all the experience from before.” Enforcing a three year break from DJing/producing on himself, his first years in Berlin and in Europe have been about soaking up the experience, getting back to basics and re-focusing. Coinciding with a new full time job at Beatport, time away from the DJ circuit seemed like fate. His first real ‘9– 5’ job as genre manager for tech house/techno, has added more strings of music journalism, artist relationships, marketing and yet more retail and A&R to his already overloaded bow. His desire to entertain a crowd however, has been an impossible flame to extinguish (a common theme to anyone that has ever met him in person) and one he found himself unable to resist during his first 12 months off. Berlin bookings at Watergate and Weekend and some European gigs were vetoed from the ban and weekends have now suddenly become an arena for possible gigs once more. Blurring the lines of house, techno and electro when DJing his record bag/CD wallet/laptop is completely immune to the possibility of organizing by a particular label, artist or sound. Drawing on influences straight from the throbbing hearts of the UK, USA and Berlin scenes yet without any of the real stereotypes of either, you could just as easily find him playing an old underground disco set as wander into a warped minefield of drug soaked wonky techno. With Little Mike’s revitalisation sequence now perfectly complete expect to hear a lot more of him over the next 12 months. With gigs in London and The States already scheduled and the re-launch of his label Phrunky Recordings and a fresh remix for Nic Fanciulli, 2010 and the near future looks set to be a fitting part deux to the story so far.