"Itching for vinyl and scratchin' it up like nobody's business, Mix Master Mike has moved from San Francisco Bay Area hero to nationwide DJ celebrity in no time. The underground rap mix-master has worked closely with music groups like the Beastie Boys, and his West Coast appeal has been the subject of awe-inspiring speculation through the years.Born Michael Schwartz but better known for his business name, Mix Master Mike grew up under the influence of his uncle's record collection, drooling over vinyls in the assortment. Sparks were ignited under Mike's musical chair when he saw Grandmixer DST on stage with Herbie Hancock in his youth, and the incredible DJ's career has since exploded on the music scene. Combining his loves of hip-hop and scratching, Mix Master Mike started out testing his musical abilities mixing at house parties, weddings and like events. During one of these events, Richard ""Q-Bert"" Quitevis discovered Mike and the two quickly took up a partnership. In 1992, just months after Mix Master Mike became the first West Coast DJ to win the New Music Seminar DJ Battle for World Supremacy in New York City, the scratch band consisting of Mike, DJ Apollo and Q-Bert, eventually known as ""The Dream Team,"" won the DMC World title. They repeated the performance to win the event in '93 and '94, thereafter focusing on a group act.Eventually forming Invisibl Skratch Piklz in 1995 alongside a revolving door of hip-hop DJs including Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike and Shortkuz (J. Cruz), the San Francisco kings did nothing but help each other's solo careers as well as their group effort. Eventually going solo with 1996's Michristmasterpiece Muzik's Worst Nightmare, Mike caught the attention of the Beastie Boys in the late ‘90s, and the old-school rappers employed him to serve as their stable DJ for the 1998 LP Hello Nasty and on tour."