Mike E. Clark
Encyclopedia
Mike Earl Clark is an American
record producer
and DJ
from Detroit, Michigan
currently signed to Hatchet House
.
Clark is best known for his work with Insane Clown Posse
, for which he has produced nine studio album
s. Clark has produced solo material for members Violent J
and Shaggy 2 Dope
, in addition to contributing production to artists signed to the Psychopathic Records
label founded by Insane Clown Posse.
, and took an early interest in music. The first album Clark received, a greatest hits
compilation by Sonny & Cher
, was a Valentine's Day
gift from his mother. Clark later discovered Warren Zevon
, Elton John
, The Rolling Stones
, Sex Pistols
and The Stooges
. After graduating from high school, Clark took classes on music production at the Recording Institute in Eastpointe, Michigan
, and soon got a job at the The Disc Ltd. Clark worked as an assistant engineer on Patti Smith
's "Wild Leaves," the B-side
of the single "People Have the Power," which appeared on Smith's 1988 album Dream of Life
. During this period, Clark met Kid Rock
, and helped produce demos that led to Jive Records
signing the aspiring rapper
. Clark's talent for producing hip hop music
earned him the nickname "The Funky Honky".
For Kid Rock's debut album, Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast
, Clark produced the single "Yo-Da-Lin In The Valley." During the recording of Insane Clown Posse
's Carnival of Carnage
, the group's manager, Alex Abbiss, hired Clark to produce the album, which featured appearances from Esham
and Kid Rock. 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 by George Clinton
, R. L. Burnside
, and Primal Scream
.
In 2000, Clark began working on Dark Lotus
' debut album, Tales from the Lotus Pod
, and Insane Clown Posse's sixth and seventh albums, Bizzar
and Bizaar
, but had a falling-out with members Joseph Bruce
and Joseph Utsler
. 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." Clark produced four songs for Tales from the Lotus Pod; the album's production was completed by Twiztid
producer Fritz the Cat.
Clark and rapper Prozak
formed the group Project: Deadman, releasing its debut album, Self Inflicted, in 2004, and touring the United States for six months. That year, Clark became a full-time engineer for Kid Rock. Clark contracted pneumonia
, 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.
As the result of his near-death experience, Clark decided to reconcile with Bruce and Utsler. Phone conversations between Clark and Insane Clown Posse led to Clark producing Utsler's 2006 solo album F.T.F.O.
. In 2007, Clark produced the Kid Rock single "All Summer Long
," which was musically based upon a mash-up
of Warren Zevon
's "Werewolves of London
" and Lynyrd Skynyrd
's "Sweet Home Alabama
even though Zevon had released a single Play It All Night Long, which was a retaliation for Lynyrd Skynyrd
attacking Neil Young
in Sweet Home Alabama
." The same year, Clark produced Insane Clown Posse's tenth album The Tempest
, but did not work with the group directly.
In 2009, Clark produced the group's eleventh studio album, Bang! Pow! Boom!
, the first album that Clark worked on directly with Bruce and Utsler since Bizaar.
's music.
In his review of The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
, Rolling Stone
writer Barry Walters wrote that Clark's production incorporates elements of "carnival organ riffs, power chord
s and shotgun blasts...banjolike plucking and Van Halen
-esque guitar squeals." Allrovi called Clark's production style a fusion of electro, funk
and "Oingo Boingo
-like mad-clown melodies", comparing Clark to George Clinton
and Danny Elfman
. In his review of The Tempest
, David Jeffries wrote that Clark "cleverly borrows from whatever genre he feels like" and that "there's no denying that Clark's vision does wonders for the duo."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
from Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
currently signed to Hatchet House
Hatchet House
Hatchet House is the sub-label of independent record label Psychopathic Records, based in Royal Oak, Michigan in the United States, which was formed in 2007 by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse.-History:...
.
Clark is best known for his work with Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
, for which he has produced nine studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
s. Clark has produced solo material for members Violent J
Joseph Bruce
Joseph Frank "Joe" Bruce is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler and actor. Bruce is most commonly known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse . He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler and their former manager,...
and Shaggy 2 Dope
Joseph Utsler
Joseph William "Joey" Utsler is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, professional wrestler and actor. Utsler is known as Shaggy 2 Dope of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow Insane Clown Posse rapper Joseph Bruce and...
, in addition to contributing production to artists signed to the Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
label founded by Insane Clown Posse.
Biography
Clark was raised in Roseville, MichiganRoseville, Michigan
Roseville is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a part of the Metro Detroit area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,299...
, and took an early interest in music. The first album Clark received, a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation by Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
, was a Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
gift from his mother. Clark later discovered Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
. After graduating from high school, Clark took classes on music production at the Recording Institute in Eastpointe, Michigan
Eastpointe, Michigan
Eastpointe is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 34,077. Eastpointe forms a part of the Metro Detroit area. It borders on 8 Mile Road on the northern edge of Detroit.- History :The community was first settled by Irish and German...
, and soon got a job at the The Disc Ltd. Clark worked as an assistant engineer on Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
's "Wild Leaves," the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the single "People Have the Power," which appeared on Smith's 1988 album Dream of Life
Dream of Life
Dream of Life is an album by Patti Smith, released in June 1988 on Arista Records. It was her first album after the dissolution of The Patti Smith Group. Lead single "People Have the Power" received some album-oriented rock airplay at the time, and later was revived by Bruce Springsteen as a theme...
. During this period, Clark met Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
, and helped produce demos that led to Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
signing the aspiring rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
. Clark's talent for producing hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
earned him the nickname "The Funky Honky".
For Kid Rock's debut album, Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast
Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast
Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast is Kid Rock's debut album, released by Jive Records in 1990. A college radio station, WSUC-FM 90.5 Cortland, NY which played an uncensored version of the song "Yo-Da-Lin in the Valley" was fined $23,750 by the FCC. Jive dropped Kid Rock soon after and Kid Rock...
, Clark produced the single "Yo-Da-Lin In The Valley." During the recording of Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
's Carnival of Carnage
Carnival of Carnage
Carnival of Carnage is the debut album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on October 18, 1992, by Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1991 to 1992 at Miller Midi Productions and The Tempermill Studio. The album is the first Joker's Card in the...
, the group's manager, Alex Abbiss, hired Clark to produce the album, which featured appearances from Esham
Esham
Rashaam Attica Smith, better known by his stage name Esham , is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for his hallucinogenic style of hip hop which he refers to as "acid rap", which fuses rock-based beats and lyrics involving subjects such as death, drug use, evil, paranoia and...
and Kid Rock. Clark continued to work with the group and various associated acts on its label, Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records
Psychopathic Records, also known as "The Hatchet", is an American independent record label based in Farmington Hills, Michigan that specializes in hip hop music. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip hop group Insane Clown Posse....
. Clark has been involved with the production of albums by George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, R. L. Burnside
R. L. Burnside
Not to be confused with R. H. Burnside, stage director.R. L. Burnside , born Robert Lee Burnside, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived much of his life in and around Holly Springs, Mississippi. He played music for much of his life, but did not receive much attention...
, and Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
.
In 2000, Clark began working on Dark Lotus
Dark Lotus
Dark Lotus is an American hip hop supergroup based in Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1998, the group consists of Psychopathic Records-associated rappers Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler of Insane Clown Posse, Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric of Twiztid, and Chris Rouleau.-History:Dark Lotus made its...
' debut album, Tales from the Lotus Pod
Tales From The Lotus Pod
Tales from the Lotus Pod is the first album by American hip hop group Dark Lotus. Released in 2001, the album featured the first and only appearance of former member Marz, who was soon dismissed from the group. Mike E. Clark was brought in to produce the album, but left the project after producing...
, and Insane Clown Posse's sixth and seventh albums, Bizzar
Bizzar
Bizzar is the sixth studio album by Insane Clown Posse. Released on October 31, 2000, it is the first half of the Bizzar Bizaar double album, released the same day as its companion album, Bizaar.- Release and reception :...
and Bizaar
Bizaar
Bizaar is the seventh studio album by Insane Clown Posse. Released on October 31, 2000, it is the second half of the Bizzar Bizaar double album, released the same day as its companion album, Bizzar.- Release and reception :...
, but had a falling-out with members Joseph Bruce
Joseph Bruce
Joseph Frank "Joe" Bruce is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler and actor. Bruce is most commonly known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse . He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler and their former manager,...
and Joseph Utsler
Joseph Utsler
Joseph William "Joey" Utsler is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, professional wrestler and actor. Utsler is known as Shaggy 2 Dope of the hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow Insane Clown Posse rapper Joseph Bruce and...
. 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." Clark produced four songs for Tales from the Lotus Pod; the album's production was completed by Twiztid
Twiztid
Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Warren, Michigan. The group is composed of Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric, who perform under the respective personas of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child...
producer Fritz the Cat.
Clark and rapper Prozak
Prozak (rapper)
Steven T. Shippy, better known by his stage name Prozak, is an independent rapper and film director from Saginaw, Michigan. He is signed to Tech N9ne's Strange Music label through a distribution deal, as well as being a member of the rap groups Project: Deadman and Bedlam...
formed the group Project: Deadman, releasing its debut album, Self Inflicted, in 2004, and touring the United States for six months. That year, Clark became a full-time engineer for Kid Rock. Clark contracted pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, 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.
As the result of his near-death experience, Clark decided to reconcile with Bruce and Utsler. Phone conversations between Clark and Insane Clown Posse led to Clark producing Utsler's 2006 solo album F.T.F.O.
F.T.F.O.
F.T.F.O. is the second solo album of American rapper Shaggy 2 Dope. Released in 2006, it is his first full-length solo release.- Reception :F.T.F.O. sold 14,000 copies in its first week in stores.-Track listing:...
. In 2007, Clark produced the Kid Rock single "All Summer Long
All Summer Long (Kid Rock song)
"All Summer Long" is the title of a song recorded by Kid Rock. It was released in 2008 as the third single from his ninth studio album Rock n Roll Jesus. The song contains musical and lyrical references to several hit songs of the 1970s, including Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", and Lynyrd...
," which was musically based upon a mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
's "Werewolves of London
Werewolves of London
"Werewolves of London" is a rock song composed by LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, and Warren Zevon and performed by Zevon. Included on Zevon's 1978 album Excitable Boy, it featured accompaniment by bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac.The single was released by Asylum as...
" and Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
's "Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama (song)
"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.It reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band's second hit single.-Creation and recording:...
even though Zevon had released a single Play It All Night Long, which was a retaliation for Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
attacking Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
in Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama (song)
"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.It reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band's second hit single.-Creation and recording:...
." The same year, Clark produced Insane Clown Posse's tenth album The Tempest
The Tempest (album)
The Tempest is the tenth studio album by American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. Released in 2007, the album marks the return of producer Mike E. Clark, who had a falling-out with the duo in 2000...
, but did not work with the group directly.
In 2009, Clark produced the group's eleventh studio album, Bang! Pow! Boom!
Bang! Pow! Boom!
Bang! Pow! Boom! is the 11th studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released on September 1, 2009 by Psychopathic Records, it was the group's second album with producer Mike E. Clark since his return to Psychopathic Records, and the first album to focus on the Dark Carnival...
, the first album that Clark worked on directly with Bruce and Utsler since Bizaar.
Musical and production style
Clark's production style has been the subject of appraisal, as some critics view Clark's production as being the most appealing element of Insane Clown PosseInsane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
's music.
In his review of The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
The Amazing Jeckel Brothers is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on May 25, 1999, by Island Records, in association with Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1998 to 1999. The album is the fifth Joker's Card in the...
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
writer Barry Walters wrote that Clark's production incorporates elements of "carnival organ riffs, power chord
Power chord
In music, a power chord is a chord consisting of only the root note of the chord and the fifth interval, usually played on electric guitar, and typically through an amplification process that imparts distortion...
s and shotgun blasts...banjolike plucking and Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
-esque guitar squeals." Allrovi called Clark's production style a fusion of electro, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and "Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band. They are best known for their influence on other musicians, their soundtrack contributions and their high energy Halloween concerts. The band was founded in 1972 as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, a performance art group...
-like mad-clown melodies", comparing Clark to George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
and Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
. In his review of The Tempest
The Tempest (album)
The Tempest is the tenth studio album by American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. Released in 2007, the album marks the return of producer Mike E. Clark, who had a falling-out with the duo in 2000...
, David Jeffries wrote that Clark "cleverly borrows from whatever genre he feels like" and that "there's no denying that Clark's vision does wonders for the duo."