DJ Magic Mike - Biography
For most, "bass music" connotes little more than trunk rattling beats and raunchy lyrics. However, in the capable hands of DJ Magic Mike, a high level of technical proficiency was added to the genre, influencing not just booty shakers but a future generation of turntables who drew inspiration from his impressive scratching abilities.
Michael Hampton was born in 1970 in Orlando, Florida. As a youngster, he got his start in music spinning tunes at a roller rink and selling mixtapes. At only fourteen, he hosted his own radio show in his hometown. In 1986, he was approached by Miami-based producer/rapper Rod Whitehead of Pryme Tyme and Suntown Records but he was soon lured away by Clay Dixon, aka Beatmaster Clay D, who brought to rival Miami label, Vision Records. Magic Mike's first recording was providing scratches on MC Cool Rock & MC Chaszy Chess's 1987 "Boot the Booty." At Vision he also worked on releases by Chilla Frauste and Popular Demand although he labored anonymously. He cut two more singles with MC Cool Rock & MC Chaszy, "Get Funky" and "Creep Dog." "Rock the House" was credited as Beat Master Clay D & DJ Magic Mike in 1988 but Hampton still didn't feel he was getting his due and so left the label and returned to Orlando.
Back home, Magic Mike signed with Cheetah Records, where he was offered a half-share of the label if he could cut a hit record. Though now recognized as a monster in the bass scene, at the time the label's only credit was a jazz-rock album by ex-Blood, Sweat & Tears Member, Barry Finnerty & Superfriends. Hampton's first single under the agreement were "Magic Mike Cutz the Record," a breathtaking collage that both showcased Magic Mike's high level of technical proficiency and his mastery of the medium. The result was a sizable hit in the south.
In 1989, the eponymous DJ Magic Mike and the Royal Posse (1989 Cheetah) was released and went Platinum. Hampton's first proper solo release, Bass is the Name of the Game (1990 Cheetah) went Gold. That year, he also released House of Magic (1990 Cheetah). With Vicious Base, he released Back to Haunt You! (1991 Cheetah) but his biggest early breakthrough was DJ Magic Mike and MC Madness's Ain't No Doubt About It (1991 Cheetah), which reached 37. The duo followed it with Twenty Degrees below Zero (1992 Cheetah).
Bass - The Final Frontier (1993 Magic) and This is How it Should Be Done (1993 Magic) were released on the same day in March on Magic Mike's own label, Magic. The former went Gold, the latter reached number forty in the charts. Bass Bowl (1994 Magic) followed but it was the joint effort, DJ Magic Mike and the Royal Posse's Represent (1994 Magic) that was the DJ's highest charter, peaking at 26. He released the eponymous DJ Magic Mike (1995 Magic) the following year.
The release of Bass is How it Should Be Done (1995 Cheetah) and Outer Limits of Audio Fidelity (1995 Cheetah) on Magic Mike's former label was followed Techmaster PEB and DJ Magic Mike's Back in Bass (1996 Newtown) and then Mike's return to recording for Cheetah, where he released Don't Talk Just Listen (1996 Cheetah). Vicious Bass featuring DJ Magic Mike (1997 Cheetah) was released the same year as StreetBeat's repackaged, re-titled Back to Haunt You! misleadingly released as The Ghost is Back. T-iSSAM featuring DJ Magic Mike released Southern Hospitality (1998 Cheetah) the same year as another shared billing with Techmaster PEB, Gods of Bass (1998 Newton), as well another Hampton solo effort, Bad Boys of Bass (1998 Crown).
After a period of furious activity in the 1990s, the 2000s saw a major slow down in Magic Mike's output. He began the decade with a mix album, More Bootyz in Motion (2000 K-Tel) which was followed by his final solo album, Magic's Kingdom (2000 Restless). Another compilation followed, Bootyz in Motion 2 (2002 Down Low). In 2005, he acknowledged the Florida breaks scene he inspired with the Christopher Walkens-sampling single, "Cowbell," on 808 Records. His most recent single, "Gimme De Fiyah" was released as a digital file. Though the pace of his recording has almost halted, DJ Magic Mike still performs regularly at the Antigua in Orlando, the House of Blues and in Downtown Disney. In 2012 he released Beyond The Magic.
