When I first played the loop that would become “Knuckle Scraper” for the homie A.C.E. O.N.E., I thought he was going to lose his mind. I’ve never had someone react so positively to something I created (probably) ever. Sure, my remix of “Fences” (by the band Phoenix, co-created with OhBeOne) had generated a modest buzz, but “Knuckle Scraper” was intended to be something different. I was going to do an album featuring all of the people in Indy that I loved listening to- old favorites, new favorites, strangers, friends, family- I was gonna do a “best of Indy” type compilation, and this loop was just the start of a masterpiece!!!
Yeah, right. Now, over two years later, that project never happened. Obviously. Sure, I had a few people drop some gems for me (there’s an M-80 cut on my computer right now that only two people are ever going to hear), but the project died over a year ago. There were too many moving parts, too many variables, not enough free time, etc. etc. etc. Three songs made it out into the world, and they are all on here. (Sidebar: if it weren’t for A.C.E. O.N.E. and I discussing the possibility of that project happening, this project wouldn’t exist. BIG BIG BIG THANKS to A.C.E. O.N.E.!!) Much respect to super producer Joe Harvey for making my vision for “Knuckle Scraper” and “Tunnel Vision” into a reality (he helped to arrange and finish both tracks). Mad love to A.C.E. O.N.E., J.O., Richard Cook and Big Skittz for the fire. Shouts to Brad Real for believing in my abilities enough to basically give me a verse and say “Do whatever you’re gonna do with it” – “Cliches” is the result of his believing in me. All three of these tracks are a result of truly collaborative efforts from a bunch of talented cats. Thanks for kicking me in the ass and helping me get this thing done.
“Rat Tat Tat Tat” is a result of the awesome guys from indymojo.com always throwing a few gigs my way. I may not DJ as much as I used to, but I’ve still got some skills and every once in a while Matt and JK- for no good reason whatsoever (wink)- give me a venue to flex my muscles, so to speak. This year for my birthday, my present from them was to open for the legendary Dieselboy. In preparing for my first ever Drum and Bass set, I decided I needed to do something really special, so I remixed 5-6 songs just to play for that one night. This track is one of those bootlegs, and it wouldn’t exist if those guys didn’t believe in me. Thanks.
“The Ecosystem” is another bootleg made specifically for a set- in this case, for my set at Oranje (its 10th anniversary in 2011). This was the first time that I actually made remixes for a specific set (which is common practice for me now, see above). The song was edited to fit into a specific part of my set (which you can download at http://www.mixcloud.com/dustyfingertips/ – Ill Things Considered, Volume 3), but was never finished until now. Rusty and Tyler (of Mudkids) have been hugely influential on me in both music and life, and I thank them for many years of awesome music and positivity. Thanks.
“Untitled #9” and “Scrambled Nerves” are the result of my taking one song and using it solely as the entire source material for an entirely new creation. For those that are unaware, my style of production (up to this point) has been to use only samples for everything I create.
Let that sink in for a second.
Every track I’ve ever released has been created from 100% samples. Those of you with a little musical background will know how difficult it is to create this way (the rest of you are probably not impressed). But getting back to these two tracks, they are each created from multiple samples taken from the a single source track. In the case of “Untitled #9,” that source track is used to create an entirely new track. “Scrambled Nerves” also features a drum loop but otherwise is entirely sourced from one track as well.
“Mosa” was a complete accident. I was working on some drum loops when I stumbled upon the mash-up of two tracks that would eventually become this tune. I “screwed-down” one song and chopped it up, put it on top of another song, and there you go. It’s a remixed remix, so to speak.
“Codexed” is my first ever tech house song, which is really weird, because I prefer spinning tech house and really love the genre as a whole. I had been messing around with the song “Codex” by Radiohead for almost a year and this is the result.
“Bump In The Night” is my second remix for the always awesome Andy D. For some strange reason, this super talented dude and I hit it off (probably a mutual appreciation of fanny packs), and hopefully will continue to do so. I look forward to remixing a song off of his (still new) third album, much as I have remixed a song off of his previous two albums. Additionally, he will be releasing some new material in the next year or so featuring some original tunes produced by me as well. If you haven’t seen Andy D. perform live yet, you truly have not lived. Thank you, you insane viking king!
“Garifunasty” is my take on K. Sabroso’s cut of the same name. I met this young talent about two years ago, and I immediately appreciated his love of all things music. Much like myself, he really didn’t want to get pigeonholed into being a certain type of genre-specific DJ and producer. We both appreciate all types of music, and we both like to make and share many different types of music as a result. When he found out he was going to get to drop an EP on Spring Strut records, he asked me to do a remix of whatever style I wanted, and I did a simple house flip of his tune. Little did I realize that my version would be the first cut to be offered as promo for his EP! This opportunity has led to my songs getting played all over the world, and I will be forever grateful. I look forward to seeing this amazingly talented artist grow and can’t wait to see where he’s headed. Thanks.
“Lullaby” is my favorite song on here and the most recent work on this album. When this song started coming together, I realized that I had a closing track for an album (that didn’t exist when I started the work). When I finished this song, I knew that it was time to collect my work and put a label on it. If this song didn’t happen, this album wouldn’t have happened, plain and simple. This song is dedicated to my two boys, Solomon and Gabriel. I love you guys.
Special thanks go to Merih. Thanks for believing in me when I didn’t. Thanks for helping me in so many immeasurable ways that I can’t even begin to list them. I love you.
Thanks to everyone involved in this project- no matter how much or how little you actually contributed to this effort, please know that it was appreciated! (I think you’ve all been addressed already, but just in case: A.C.E. O.N.E., Joe Harvey, J.O., Richard Cook, Big Skittz, Rusty Redenbacher, Tyler Knapp, Brad Real, Andy D., K. Sabroso, Matt Ramsey and Jason King). Thanks to everyone who tried to get involved in this (and other) projects (Dustin Akard, OhBeOne and M-80, specifically, and too many others to even begin to list here). Thanks to anyone I may have forgotten (I haven’t slept much in the lat few days!).
Thanks for listening. Downloads are available underneath the mp3 player. If you’re having trouble with this player, head over to my Soundcloud page HERE.
Download free right here:
“Intro/Knuckle Scraper (Point Blank)” – A.C.E. O.N.E. ft. J.O.
“Rat Tat Tat Tat (Mike B.ootleg)” – Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg
“The Ecosystem (Balance of Nature)(Mike B.’s Moombahklong Blend)” – Mudkids
“Codexed” – Radiohead vs. Mike B.
“Mosa (Mike B.mix)” – DJ Krush
“Bump In The Night (Mike’s B.’s More Thrilled Remix)” – Andy D.
“Tunnel Vision (Nit Wits)” – A.C.E. O.N.E. ft. Big Skittz & Richard Cook
“Garifunasty (Mike B.’s Deep & Tribal Treatment)” – K. Sabroso