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Photo by Norma Cordova

What sets skratch turntablist emeritus DJ Mike Relm apart from the rest is his seemingly endless knowledge of pop-culture. Mixing Falco with the Pharcyde, Harold Faltermeyer with De La Soul, Mike’s sets come off like two radios tuned to two different stations, but with a cosmically-ordained synchronicity.

He is Casey Kasem by way of Funkmaster Flex, cranking out improbable and inspired mixes with infectiously danceable beats.

Following the recent release of his Radio Fryer album on the venerable Quannum label, the twentysomething DJ has been crisscrossing the globe in his trademark Reservoir Dogs suit, playing gigs from Switzerland to Japan, London to San Francisco. Theme caught up with Mike while he was on tour in Paris with Quannum’s journeyman MC, Lyrics Born, managed to extract his favorite top ten albums of all time.

1. Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
The Wu Tang Clan
36 Chambers embodies everything that makes hip hop great, and the Rza’s production is ridiculously ahead of its time. When I’m feeling uninspired I listen to this album and think “These guys had no money, one ASR-10 keyboard, no fancy computers, and they created a masterpiece. Get off your spoiled ass.” As solo artists, the clan is amazing; as a group, they have no weaknesses.

2. Batman (score)
Danny Elfman
My 5th grade music teacher told me to pay attention to the opening credits of this movie, said it was the best thing I could be listening to. She was right--I ended up dragging my dad to the theater a dozen times just to witness the opening titles. If I had hairs on my arm when I was nine, they would have been standing up when the strings hit. At that time I realized how important music is to film, a lesson that stayed with me my entire life.

3. The Chronic
Dr. Dre
As a DJ, The Chronic does not leave your crate. Dr. Dre re-defined what it means to be a hip hop producer--he took the gritty quality of his previous NWA production even further into a heavy funk soundscape, he introduced the world to the G-Funk lifestyle, he showed his ear for talent by showcasing a young Snoop Dogg. Dre set a standard that no one to this day has been able to live up to.

4. Nirvana Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
Listening to this reminds me that no matter how perfect you think a song might be, there is still room for re-imagination. What amazes me is how Cobain was able to take Bowie, Leadbelly, the Meat Puppets and completely flip them into his own. It’s highly unlikely that I’ll be able to do something like this vocally, but you know what they say - those who can’t sing covers, remix.

5. Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
Since Paul’s Boutique is often referred to as “the Sgt. Pepper’s of hip hop” I’ll refer to Trans Europe Express as “the Paul’s Boutique of electronic music”--a gigantic technical and sonic leap. Prior to Express, no one pushed the boundaries of beat machines and synths to create lush orchestrations laid beautifully over pulsating rhythms. Afrika Bambaataa used Express’ melody for his immortal “Planet Rock,” one of the first (and most sampled) hip hop songs to break into mainstream music. With one single album, Kraftwerk changed the way my generation enjoyed and produced music.

6. You Forgot It In People
Broken Social Scene
I’m a track skipper; I rarely let an LP play all the way through, and if I do it’s usually because I fall asleep. Enter You Forgot It In People, where Broken Social Scene did no wrong. Sure some songs are more infectious than others, but I’m never mad if I forget to hit repeat on “Almost Crimes”. The album itself plays like a really good mixtape, the kind you make for someone you really like.

7. Madvillainy
Madvillain (Madlib and MF Doom)
Sometimes when I hear a dope album, I think “these beats are awesome, but would have been better with someone else rapping on it.” But I can’t think of one emcee who would sound half as good on this album than MF Doom. Maybe it’s the overall dark mood of the record, maybe it’s the “low-fi” texture. A rare examples of two artists who don’t normally work together making something amazing.

8. Freak Out!
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Whenever I listen to Freak Out!, I’m reminded of a very important thing: if you are genuinely having a hell of a time, so will your audience. “Go Cry On Somebody Else’s Shoulder” is one of my favorite songs ever. Zappa goes down in history as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, but I think he also wins for best use of the kazoo. I’m convinced that if he were alive today he’d have a turntablist in his band. I like to think he’d pick me.

9. Eddie Murphy: Comedian
Eddie Murphy
In the summer of ‘99 I was in the middle of preparing for the biggest DJ battle of my life. I couldn’t think of anything for the end of my set. I was worried and needed a good laugh so I threw on Comedian. I ended up killing two birds with one stone; I laughed my ass off and heard what would become my ending line: “This is my house! And if you don’t like it, you can get the fuck out!” In case you’re wondering, I won. Thanks Eddie.

10. S & M
Metallica, Michael Kamen, and the San Francisco Symphony
One of the greatest musical performances by anyone, ever. Kamen took Metallica’s already enormous sound and composed an epic, almost god-like symphonic masterpiece. This album broke all the rules. I prefer most of the versions on this album to the originals, including their smash hit “Enter Sandman” and “Wherever I May Roam.” It’s inspiring to hear what can be done with what started out as three dudes rocking out.