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Mike E. Clark | |
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| Birth name | Michael Earl Clark |
| Born | (1962-12-25)December 25, 1962 (age 62) |
| Origin | Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer,disc jockey |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Website | mikeclark |
Michael Earl Clark (born December 25, 1962) is an American record producer andDJ fromMichigan, best known for working withKid Rock,Insane Clown Posse,Prozak andMickey Avalon. Clark has also worked withGeorge Clinton,Patti Smith andR.L. Burnside.
Clark was born on December 25, 1962, and raised inRoseville, Michigan, He took an early interest in music and the first album Clark received was agreatest hits compilation bySonny & Cher as aValentine's Day gift from his mother.[1] Clark later discoveredWarren Zevon,Elton John,The Rolling Stones,Sex Pistols andThe Stooges.[1] After graduating from high school, Clark took classes on music production at the Recording Institute inEastpointe, Michigan, and soon got a job at The Disc Ltd.[1]
Clark worked as an assistant engineer onPatti Smith's "Wild Leaves", theB-side of the single "People Have the Power", which appeared on Smith's 1988 albumDream of Life.[2] During this period, Clark metKid Rock, and helped produce demos that led toJive Records signing the aspiringrapper.[2] Clark's talent for producinghip hop music earned him the nickname "The Funky Honky".[1] In 1989, he helped engineer (and played keyboard on) the debut album ofEsham.
For Kid Rock's debut album,Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast, Clark produced the single "Yo-Da-Lin In The Valley".[2] During the recording ofInsane Clown Posse'sCarnival of Carnage, the group's manager, Alex Abbiss, hired Clark to produce the album, which featured appearances fromEsham and Kid Rock.[3][4] Clark continued to work with the group and various associated acts on its label,Psychopathic Records. Clark has been involved with the production of albums byGeorge Clinton,R. L. Burnside, andPrimal Scream.[2]
In 2000, Clark began working onDark Lotus' debut album,Tales from the Lotus Pod, and Insane Clown Posse's sixth and seventh albums,Bizzar andBizaar, but had a falling-out with members Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. According to Clark, "It seemed like too much was going on, and I wasn't sure about the material. I needed a break. I was frazzled, we weren't getting along, so that was it."[1] Clark produced four songs forTales from the Lotus Pod; the album's production was completed byTwiztid producer Fritz the Cat.[5]
In 2001 Clark then started his own record label B4 Records producing records for local acts Dead By 28 and Abstrakt Intellekt. Unfortunately these bands proved to be unprofitable.
Clark and rapperProzak formed the group Project: Deadman, releasing its debut album,Self Inflicted, in 2004, and touring the United States for six months.[1][6] That year, Clark became a full-time engineer for Kid Rock. Clark contractedpneumonia, but ignored the illness, and began coughing severely as he awoke, leading to a three-month stay in Mount Clemens General Hospital, during which one of his lungs collapsed three times.[1]
As the result of his near-death experience, Clark decided to reconcile with J and Shaggy. Phone conversations between Clark and Insane Clown Posse led to Clark producing Utsler's 2006 solo albumF.T.F.O.[1] In 2007, Clark produced the Kid Rock single "All Summer Long", which was musically based upon amash-up ofWarren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" andLynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".[7] The same year, Clark produced Insane Clown Posse's tenth albumThe Tempest, but did not work with the group directly.[8][9]
In 2009, Clark produced the group's eleventh studio album,Bang! Pow! Boom!, the first album that Clark worked on directly with J and Shaggy sinceBizzar andBizaar.[8][10] Three years later, Clark produced the group's twelfth studio albumThe Mighty Death Pop!, as well as the bonus albumsSmothered, Covered & Chunked,Freaky Tales, &Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium.
Mike E. Clark is known for providing an eclectic musical approach in hiship hop production. In Barry Walters'Rolling Stone review ofThe Amazing Jeckel Brothers, Walters wrote that Clark's production incorporates elements of "carnival organ riffs,power chords and shotgun blasts...banjolike plucking andVan Halen-esque guitar squeals."[11]Allrovi writer David Jeffries called Clark's production style a fusion ofelectro,funk and "Oingo Boingo-like mad-clown melodies", comparing Clark toGeorge Clinton andDanny Elfman.[12]
Clark has cited numerous influences on his music, includingpunk andheavy metal artists such asRob Zombie,Black Sabbath,The Cramps,The Clash,Fugazi, andSystem of a Down,[13]funk musiciansRick James,Prince,James Brown andParliament-Funkadelic,[13]blues,jazz andR&B musicians likeSerge Gainsbourg,Al Green,Billie Holiday,Curtis Mayfield,Buddy Miles,Bessie Smith andHowlin' Wolf,[13]alternative musicians likeBeck,Faith No More,Hüsker Dü,Pixies andWeen,[13]progressive rock artistsPink Floyd andFrank Zappa,[13] andhip hop artists such asBeastie Boys,De La Soul,Public Enemy,Busta Rhymes,Geto Boys,Grandmaster Flash andN.W.A,[13] as well as artistsDavid Bowie,Bob Dylan,Madonna,Bob Marley,Klaus Nomi,War,Yoko Ono andWarren Zevon,[13] and producersRick Rubin andPhil Spector.[13]
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