Optional page text here. The Beast's Lair: DJ Magic Mike - An American Legend

Monday, January 07, 2008

DJ Magic Mike - An American Legend


I am not really into hip-hop music. But DJ Magic Mike is a legend.

In the 1980's and 1990's something called "Miami Bass" became very popular. Teenagers were spending every last cent they had earned at the local McDonald's to buy the best "system" for their car or truck. A "system" meant that you had some kind of massive subwoofer, usually in your trunk, that would rattle the entire car. I joined the party at the age of 15, and by the time I had turned 16 and was the proud owner of a 1986 Chevy Nova, the first thing I did was put a Bazooka Subwoofer in that sucker. It was at this time in my car stereo career that I learned what a "crossover" was. I had no idea how to install a car stereo, I left that up to my friend Matt Dalton, but every now and then I would try to sound intelligent and say, "hey Matt, did you install the crossover?" I had no idea what I had even asked.

Anyway, my first experience with DJ Magic Mike came from this friend of mine named Matt Dalton. For some reason that I can't remember, he had to take me to school for about a week (we lived right down the street from one another). He had the best "system" in the entire school. He owned a silver Mazda truck that I thought was the coolest thing going. On one such morning as we were driving to school, Matt had a song playing, way beyond a healthy volume range of course, and as I listened to it, I was instantly hooked. I mean hooked. I asked Matt to replay the song the entire trip to school, and on the way back home. The name of the song was "M&M's Gettin Off" from the album "Bass is the Name of the Game." Not the most clean cut song title, but I didn't care. It was amazing. The most spectacular part was a 2 minute break down in the middle of the song where this pounding bass pattern just kept repeating and repeating. It was a bass version similar to the bridge in "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring, except much cooler. Once I finally listened to the rest of the album, I was amazed at how good this stuff was. This was not your typical Miami Bass music. This was actually good stuff.

So, as soon as I turned 16, in went my subwoofer and I purchased the record. I still have the cd to this day and listen to it on occasion just to remind myself of times gone by and the only Miami Bass artist who I think actually has a great deal of talent. I recently read that DJ Magic Mike is doing shows at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney in Orlando, FL where he is from. Perhaps one day I can catch him live. (by the way, that fact alone confirms my theory from the age of 15 that something was special about this guy. How many hip-hop Miami Bass artists do you know playing their music at Disneyworld?)

Below is just a sampling of the lyrical mastery of DJ Magic Mike:

I go to work (now) (do it, do it) DJ Magic Mike, let's go!
Bing Bing Bing Bing Bass Bing Bing Bass Bing Bing Bass Bass.

DJ Magic Mike is just another one of those ways that my teenage years would not have been near as great as they were if I had never experienced his music with my friends. Good stuff!

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