Mike Relm preview

Mike Relm
Abbey Pub, Chicago
Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The art of turntablism became a battle ground throughout the mid to late-’90s, with hip-hop DJs training year round to compete in one-day scratch- and beat-juggling-competitions like DMC (Disco Mix Club) and ITF (International Turntablist Federation). But as tablists became champions and had nothing left to prove on a competitive level, many fell out of the public eye. Not San Francisco native Mike Relm. This U.S.A. winner of the 1999 ITF battle has gone on to become one of the most visible innovators in a niche that has largely gone back underground.

Instead of just trying to invent new ways to scratch records, Relm has been busy bringing his hip-hop-inspired craft to a wider audience. Judging from his recent opening gig for the Blue Man Group tour, Relm’s work has paid off. Using turntables, a DVJ movie mixer, and projection screen, this audio/visual act’s stage show sees him meld his tablist techniques with popular movies and music videos (which is well documented in his new DVD, Clown Alley).

One of the more unforgettable segments in Relm’s live show includes him manipulating scenes from the video to Björk’s “Human Behaviour.” When Björk starts belting away, Relm uses the DVJ to stretch and chop her vocals and the movements of her mouth, reanimating the video as if it were a piece of vinyl.

Of course, not every aspect of his show is that technical. What started this whole a/v movement for Relm was his Radio Fryer mix CD, which fused classic hip-hop and rock with slices of pop culture. And portions of that mix have been implemented into his show. One of the fan favorites is when he projects a scene from “Peanuts” when Schroeder starts playing the piano inspiring Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and company to jubilantly dance around. Segments like this are why Relm’s shows appeal to more than just turntable nerds. No doubt he does a lot of scratching in his sets and he does it well. But almost everything he includes — whether it be a Björk video or scenes from Office Space — is widely recognizable.

Pugs Atomz and The Opus open.

— Max Herman

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly