MIKE ILL was born and raised in the birthplace of Techno, Detroit, MI which has greatly influenced his sound. He attended his first rave in 1998 and was enthralled with Terrence Parker cutting and scratching house music tracks. He purchased his own set of turntables and began teaching himself by watching other djs at raves and clubs. He honed his skills and began spinning Detroit Ghetto Tech, Hip Hop and House music at local bars and college house parties. Soon he was hanging with the likes of big hitters including DJ Godfather, DJ Shortstop and DJ Don Q. Their influence helped shape his cutting and scratching skills and introduced him to the main stream crowd which help put him on the map.
MIKE ILL was trying to balance the 9 to 5 grind of the corporate world while playing gigs at night. His career would eventually have him to moving to Denver in 2003. After a short stint there, he decided to move back to Detroit in 2005 and focus on djing. Over the next two years, he played various small gigs until he landed the gig that would change the shape of his entire world. MIKE ILL started spinning at the award winning 6 Salon, and soon realized that he wanted to expand his cutting skills beyond the world of djing. He cancelled his check that he had written to sign up for law school, and decided to enroll in Paul Mitchell the School and start cutting hair. Soon he found a second creative outlet in the world of hair design. He made a goal to work at the best salon in Detroit and to be the fastest assistant to earn a chair, all while continuing to focus on his djing. During this period, he decided to focus on spinning house music because he was fed up with the low integrity of the commercial music that was hitting the mainstream airwaves.
In 2009, MIKE ILL set his sights on becoming the best hair stylist and carving out his own unique personal style behind the decks. He soon became a resident at Rush Street in Ann Arbor and became a favorite opener for national names including Mix Master Mike, DJ Swamp, Manufactured Superstars, Lee Kalt and many others. His 4-hour set for the Pre Grand Re-opening of legendary electronic venue Bleu, caught the attention of everyone in Detroit and has left a tremendous buzz surrounding his name. In 2010, he was also recognized for his creativity in the hair industry with a Tiffany Award (Midwest Hair Awards... Grammies of the Hair Industry) nomination for Color Stylist of the Year as well as his work on the set of the motion picture REEL STEEL.
2011 Started off strong playing on the Groove Cruise Miami as well as Starting a residency at Detroit's only world class night club, Bleu Detroit. Currently, MIKE ILL is in the studio working on new electro house and tech house tracks soon to be released later this year.
MIKE ILL’s influences include hair, Hip Hop music, Wolfgang Gartner, Chris Lake, Funkagenda, Mark Night, John Dahlback, Sharam Jey, Miles Dyson, Terrence Parker, Shawn Michaels, Kenneth Thomas, Farsheed, DJ Godfather, DJ Don Q and FM 98 WJLB‘s Club Insomnia. His style cannot be pinpointed to a specific genre. He can play an after hours party, headline an event or open for a major headliner combining numerous genres seamlessly to create a party mix unlike anything heard before. To put it simply, MIKE ILL plays great dance music, but prepare to expect the unexpected.

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