Mephisto Odyssey is an American House

House

A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...

 music group from San Francisco California who have been credited with helping to pioneer the San Francisco house music sound. The group went on to release a number of self released singles until doing tenures at City of Angels and Warner Bros. Records from the mid 90s into the early 2000s. Mephisto Odyssey are also credited with being the only group to officially remix Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...

 for the maxi-single "So What!". The group released many singles and remixes as well as an EP and two full length albums during the life of the band. This included the song "Crash" which was co written with Wayne Static

Wayne Static

Wayne Static is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X. He released his first solo studio album Pighammer on October 4, 2011.- Early life :Static grew up in Shelby, Michigan before moving to Chicago and eventually...

 of Static-x

Static-X

Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....

 and "Some Kinda Freak" which was featured in the horror film Hostel

Hostel

Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...

.

Inception and debut single (1993—1996)

Mephisto Odyssey was originally formed in the fall of 1993 by musician, songwriter / producer Mikael Johnston and producer / songwriter Michael Ames. Johnston's highschool friend and fellow musician Orpheos Dejournette joined the group shortly after. The groups first single, the self-released "Dream of the Black Dahlia” (1993) earned kudos from Bay Area promoters and the international underground scene including DJ Garth

DJ Garth

DJ Garth is a pioneering House music DJ who is largely credited with both defining and capturing the sound of San Francisco House music in the 1990s. As a recording artist, his productions are recognized on club anthems such as "Twenty Minutes of Disco Glory"...

 of Greyhound Recordings who was the first international DJ to play the track. Ames left the group permanently after the release of their first single.

City Of Angels (1996—1998)

Mephisto Odyssey now fronted by Johnston and Dejournette continued to release singles on their own label Mephisto Records until 1996 when they signed to the progressive West Coast label City of Angels. At City of Angels the group shared the talent roster with Uberzone

Uberzone

Überzone is Anaheim, California native Timothy Wiles, is an electronic musician. He has also been known as Q, named after the popular character in the James Bond series....

, Simply Jeff, Christopher Lawrence (DJ)

Christopher Lawrence (DJ)

Christopher Lawrence is an American DJ and producer, specializing in progressive trance music. He has released 10 mix CDs since 1997.Lawrence has an international audience and makes frequent appearances worldwide...

, Sandra Collins

Sandra Collins

Sandra Collins is an American DJ.She got her start on the West Coast of the U.S. in Phoenix, Arizona and into residencies in Los Angeles, and eventually moved towards trance. She used American producers to give herself a unique sound...

 and future break beat kings, The Crystal Method

The Crystal Method

The Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method's music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. The most prominent is the US television...

. After a handful of singles and the release of their first full length album Catching The Skinny the then duo caught the ear of Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

 A & R rep Troy Wallace. Troy offered the duo the chance to work on a remix project with Jane's Addiction for the upcoming maxi single So What! Mephisto Odyssey co produced the remixes with long time friend and Primal Record Shop owner Barrie Eves who officially joined the group soon after. The official release featured 3 remixes by Mephisto Odyssey and went on to spend 6 weeks in the Billboard (magazine)

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 maxi singles chart which paved the way for a Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

 recording contract (December 1998). DJ Josh Camacho also joined the group soon after the band signed to Warner Bros. as a touring member. To date Mephisto Odyssey are the only artists to officially remix Jane's Addiction.

The Warner Bros. Years (1998—2002)

While at Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

 the group expanded further into the realm of engineering, producing and remixing by working with various artists sharing the roster. Mikael Johnston co-wrote, produced and engineered the single "Crash" with Wayne Static

Wayne Static

Wayne Static is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X. He released his first solo studio album Pighammer on October 4, 2011.- Early life :Static grew up in Shelby, Michigan before moving to Chicago and eventually...

 of Static-X

Static-X

Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....

 which also appeared on the Static-X

Static-X

Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....

 album Beneath... Between... Beyond... Mephisto Odyssey also appeared with Wayne Static

Wayne Static

Wayne Static is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X. He released his first solo studio album Pighammer on October 4, 2011.- Early life :Static grew up in Shelby, Michigan before moving to Chicago and eventually...

 and Koichi Fukuda

Koichi Fukuda

Koichi Fukuda is a Japanese American musician, and the lead guitarist, programmer, and keyboardist for the industrial metal band Static-X and Drugstore Fanatics -Biography:...

 in the songs video (directed by Len Wiseman

Len Wiseman

Len Ryan Wiseman is an American film director best known for his work on the Underworld series and Live Free or Die Hard. His latest project, Total Recall, is set for release in summer 2012...

), which aired in heavy rotation on MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

x. A Humble Brothers Remix

The Humble Brothers

The Humble Brothers are an electronic music duo consisting of Canadian Ken "hiwatt" Marshall and Tanzanian-born Traz Damji. They gained notoriety with their involvement in Electronic Arts soundtracks, starting with 2001's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2...

 version of "Crash" was also featured on the soundtrack of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is a 2000 direct-to-video animated film featuring the comic book superhero Batman and his archenemy, the Joker...

. Mephisto Odyssey did remixes for Los Amigos Invisibles

Los Amigos Invisibles

Los Amigos Invisibles is a multiple-Grammy nominated and Latin Grammy winning Venezuelan band that plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms...

 "Mi Linda", Static-X

Static-X

Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California. They were formed in 1994. They are signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released six albums, their most recent being Cult of Static, which was released on March 17, 2009....

's "Push It" and Soul Coughing

Soul Coughing

Soul Coughing was a popular New York-based alternative rock band. The band found modest mainstream success during the mid-to-late 1990s. Soul Coughing developed a devout fanbase and have garnered largely positive response from critics. Steve Huey describes the band as "one of the most unusual cult...

's "Rolling" among others. An EP called "The Lift" which charted in the Billboard (Magazine)

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 Hot Dance Club Play Chart, several singles and a full length album called "The Deep Red Connection" followed. A diverse array of Guest vocalists appeared on the bands major label debut including Wayne Static

Wayne Static

Wayne Static is an American musician, and the lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and programmer for the industrial metal band Static-X. He released his first solo studio album Pighammer on October 4, 2011.- Early life :Static grew up in Shelby, Michigan before moving to Chicago and eventually...

, Hafdis Huld

Hafdís Huld

Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir is an Icelandic singer and actress, formerly of GusGus.-Biography:Hafdís toured the world as a 15-year-old with Icelandic band GusGus. After leaving the band she started writing her own songs, and collaborated with FC Kahuna, co-writing their singles "Hayling" and "Machine...

 of Gus Gus, former 4ad

4AD

4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...

 artist Paula Frazer

Paula Frazer

Paula Frazer is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in Georgia and Arkansas and moved to San Francisco in 1981. Her music is frequently described as melancholic alternative country, but with an eclectic mix of folk, blues and pop, among other genres...

 and Mad Lion

Mad Lion

Oswald Priest, better known as Mad Lion, is a dancehall, ragga musician and rapper. He frequently collaborates with fellow hip hop artist KRS-One — most recently on a DVD promoting the Temple of Hiphop...

. The group left Warner Bros. at the beginning of 2002 and disbanded.

Mephisto Odyssey reunite (2006—2008)

In 2006 founding member Mikael Johnston and DJ Josh Camacho reunited under the Mephisto Odyssey moniker to release several singles under their new Groove Quest label. Some of the singles released were "Superphonic", "Sexy Love" and "Bump."
In 2008 Mikael Johnston put Mephisto Odyssey in moratorium to become one half of the music production team Dresden and Johnston

Dresden and Johnston

Dresden and Johnston are an American DJ and production duo composed of Dave Dresden of Gabriel & Dresden and Mikael Johnston of Mephisto Odyssey.-History:...

 with long time friend Dave Dresden

Dave Dresden

Dave Dresden is an electronic dance music DJ and producer, co-founder of the collaborative acts Gabriel & Dresden with Josh Gabriel, and Dresden and Johnston with Mikael Johnston of Mephisto Odyssey fame.-1990-2000: Early years:...

.

Discography

• Dream of the Black Dahlia (EP) 12" - Orpheos Productions 1994
• Dream of the Black Dahlia Remixes 12" - Mephisto Records through Hi-Bias 1994
• Dream of the Black Dahlia on Twitch Vol. 10 12" Twitch Records 1994
• Catching the Skinny EP 12" - Mephisto Records through Hi-Bias 1994
• The Motive EP 12" - Mephisto Records 1995
• Transhumance feat. John Kozak - San Francisco Sound Spectrum (under the name Odyssey Arcane) 12" Twitch Records 1995
• The Tyburn Swing on RAW OXYGEN 5: Cool Neurotica 12" - Oxygen Music Works 1996
• Freak Lip Stomp, Dream of the Black Dahlia on Mephisto - The Subterranean Sounds of San Francisco 12" SSR/Crammed 1996
• Get Down (single) 12" City of Angels Records - 1996
• Midntropolis (Single) 12" City of Angels Records 1997
• Feterous Tripstride on The Sound of Young America 12" City of Angels - 1997
• Catching the Skinny Album - City of Angels 1997
• Jane's Addiction - So What EP Mephisto Odyssey remixes 12" Warner Bros. Records 1997
• Los Amigos Invisibles - Mi Linda Mephisto Odyssey Remixes 12" Luaka Bop / WBR 1998
• Flow single (under the name Deep Red) 12" Primal Trax / Warner Bros. Records 1999
• The Lift EP - Warner Bros. Records 2000
• The Lift Remixes (EP) 12" Dbl Pack Primal Trax / Warner Bros. Records 2000
• The Deep Red Connection - Warner Bros. Records 2000
• Sexy Dancer (single) Hipp-E & Halo remix 12" Primal Trax / Warner Bros. Records 2000
• Reach (single) feat Hafdis Huld 12" Primal Trax / Warner Bros. Records 2000
• Killah (single) feat Jamalski 12" Primal Trax / Warner Bros. Records 2001
• Some Kinda Freak (single) feat. Ultra Violet Catastrophe remix 12" Primal Trax / Warner Bros. Records 2001
• Crash Video (Featuring Static-X, directed by Len Wiseman) - Warner Bros. Records 2001
• Rites of Passage (single) 12" The Joint / Waako records 2004