Customer Reviews

Anti-Theft Device

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mix Master stepped up and showed the world how it was done with this opening album and was able to prove why he earned the title Mix Master Mike, winning countless scratch battles. I read at Yahoos bio for him that he was banned from competitions because no one else stood a chance. Whether or not that's true I have yet to prove either way, but listening to this you can see why. A fast and ingenious mixer, he came in with his best foot forward and left a real impression on the music world. A great album well worth the asking price.

This is one of the freshest (if not THE freshest) and best produced releases in hip-hop's last 10 years. Mike is way way ahead of his time. It makes me happy to see 25 user reviews almost all agreeing about how good it is. I figured this release would be completely misunderstood or lost on people. There's hope after all...

This is one of my very few "Must Buy" CDs for anyone with an open mind and an ear toward hip-hop.

I was driving back from the airport after a long business trip when a local college radio station played about 30 minutes of "Anti-Theft Device". I was so impressed that I pulled off the interstate and started hitting the major retailers looking for it. Didn't find it so I went home and mail-ordered it. Got it just in time to take it with me out of town on my next trip. Spent two days snowbound in Ohio listening to this on headphones. Incredible! It's so packed with turntabley richness that you'll hear something new with each listening - check out the soundbytes for examples. It was so dense I had to balance it out with Volume 1 of the "Shiggar Fraggar Show" by the Invisibl Skratch Piklz just to change the pace. This is something everyone should be listening to.

Mix Master Mike's Anti Theft Device is one of the greatest contributes to the Art of Turntablism. MMM shows how the turntable is really an instrument and is demonstrated well on this cd. He is a MASTER at what he does. I've been listening to MMM since early ISP days and he's my hugest inspiration, but that's not why I recommend this cd its a must buy. A good cd and deserves 5 stars.

It took me a while to really appreciate this album beyond the beats and samples, but what Mike has done is unprecedented. I have never heard anything that even comes close to the texture and vision that Mike creates on Anti-Theft Device, that is the genius. Each scratch is in its rightful place, each note is a complement to the others. I think this is the best album of 1998, both in scope, and in accomplishment.

Although this is still the best turntable album to date, it doesn't quite demonstrate just how good M.M.M. is. He could probably put out an album almost as good from one live performance. If you've seen him live, you know what I mean. Nonetheless, most of the songs are interesting on first listen, and seem to improve with subsequent inspection. The first half is far superior to the second... there is a kind of deterioration into simple bass-bumping (perfect for all you Bazooka Tube/Rockford Fosgate types). All in all, well worth the money. If you want smooth mood music, stick to DJ Shadow. If you want to be strapped to a slab of vinyl and chucked into space, pick up Anti-Theft Device.

When I first listened to this, for the first couple of tracks I was wondering, "Where is all the scratching...?" I had been listening to a few other prominent tablists like Qbert and Rob Swift where it seemed the most important thing was showcasing how GOOD of a tablist you are. This is not the case on this record. MMM has approached this record like he was making a soundtrack for a BADASS SPACE DYSTOPIA. With all of the many layers and elements happening simultaneously and MMM's scratching weaving in and out, you may find this has a LOT of replay value compared to other technical DJ records. This is one of the most moody records i've ever heard, up there with Radiohead's Hail to the Thief(sounds sophmoric/unrelated but I can't think of anything to match). Other more current "DJ's" have gloomy moods for sure and nice beats, but this albums scratch riffs put it in a totally different league, with more coolness and street cred and less snood.

I like underground beats and never really got into most of the hardcore, heavy bass line hip hop that was coming out in the 90s. Then I heard Anti-Theft Device. Mixmaster Mike uses some of the heaviest bass lines, and he knows just how use them. He's got some the best, all-out turntable sample and scratch techniques I've heard. But if you're not a fan of nonstop cuts and loops laced with hardcore beats, then this may not be for you. If you like to hear a DJ really hit the tables hard (like I do), then your money can't be spent better.

This record contains some bad. . . scratching and funky beats. Mix Master does serious damage on every track, taking us listeners on a tripped out hiphop journey. Every step of the way, there's something new to bend your mind and get your body moving.

This record is a great one to throw on when you're driving, or working... the beats fill in the background and make the time fly. If you're a fan of hiphop virtuosity, I suggest you give this one a spin.

If you like DJing, this is your record. It had to be the strongest showing of musicality on turntables (mixed with dense, vast production values) that came out that year. A lot of records have tried to be epic, tried to tell a story, tried to be scary and show you inordinate amounts of skill on turntables - and many more will try as DJing finds its way back into the front of the audience mass-mind - but few will be this good. No rapping...a pure soundtrack of DJing by one of the best DJs around.