From loudgrl@earthlink.net Wed May 07 20:25:03 1997
the following is taken from www.streetsound.com, posted 4/18/97, from an
interview by Spike from Planet X with "Mad Mike."  also, if you want to read
a long email message written by "mad mike" himself, there is one accessible
through hyperreal's site (hyperreal.com): follow the links as follows: Music
Resources; all artists; Underground Resistance; "Mad Mike Speaks."  it's a
post he wrote to the 313-list.  it's an extremely powerful statement about
how music _can_ become (at least for some people) a real means of fighting
racism.  if you can't access the web, email me privately and i'll send it to
you.

from streetsound's interview:

the question: what are your views on the US major labels sudden interest in
and readiness for electronic dance music?

mad mike:
        ...america's major labels are indeed ready to exploit electronic
dance musik.  unfortunately they will be up against a worldwide underground
infrastructure of resistance.  labels, artists & mom & pop record stores,
distributors, internet informed consumers . . . .10 years ahead of them in
their knowledge of musik.
        they -- the US major labels -- will pay severe irreversible price
for turning down the technology detroit's juan atkins and derrick may tried
desperately to offer them during the mid-80s.  much the same as detroit's
big 3 (ford, gm & chrysler) automotive companies were brought to their knees
in the late '70s for ignoring the small and more effecient japanese
manufacturers.
        they -- the US major labels -- will find the doors closed on a world
market they are used to dictating what the next trend in music will be --
due to their late response to a music that grew up in their own backyard!
their futile attempts to attach faces and 3 minute radio formats with vocals
to a faceless, vinyl oriented, wordless music will fall upon deaf ears in
the US and the world's cutting edge cities.  even their favorite most
vulnerable audience -- suburbia -- is clued up to this.
        unfortunately, the first to die in the US major label's attempt on
this musik will be as usual -- the artists.  the one who the labels sign and
attempt to use their ... suburban/urban friendly ... promotional techniques.
next to die will be the fake ass so-called underground sub-labels and press
the major will form . . . to fool consumers/retailers into thinking the
music is coming from a cool indy label.
        the majors attention span for this music will be two years or
whenever sales plummet . . . . they have no dedication to anything . . . .
this is 1997.  there's a virus in their harddrives and i'm glad we planted
it years ago.  the majors been selling bullshit in my neighborhood for years
and now they're gonna eat it.  the underground is the new software.  load
the new software -- evolution is mandatory!


thought this might be interesting, since the other follow-up posts didn't
really give you insights into mike banks the artist.