Mike D Goes Solo With ‘Switch Up’
Single marks first new music from a Beastie Boy in 15 years
Mike D surprised fans recently with a pop-up performance in Los Angeles with his sons’ band Very Nice Person.
Now comes the release of a solo single called “Switch Up,” marking the first new music from a Beastie Boy in 15 years when the legendary rap trio dropped their 2011 swan song Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.
“Switch Up” is an experimental jungle-style smash-up that can be traced back to carefree, low-pressure experiments at Mike’s home studio.
“It sounds like BS 2000 and Mike D had a baby,” wrote one commenter on the song’s visualizer via YouTube, which you can check out below. BS 2000, of course, is the breakbeat-blessed solo vehicle of Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz during the late ’90s and early ’00s.
These sessions began with his sons Davis and Skyler and their band Very Nice Person, and expanded to include a variety of collaborators (and additional locations). The spontaneous, free-flowing and intuitive nature of these various sessions is apparent in the aptly titled single and its fluid direction shaped by community and creative chemistry.
“Switch Up” was released last night while Mike was on stage at an instantly sold out performance at Los Angeles’ Plaza Nightclub & Dance Hall, one of a few intimate Mike D pop-up shows in unconventional venues — including Malibu’s Brothers Marshall Surf Shop and The Ojai Valley Women’s Club — a trend that continues with a May 10 date at Sid the Cat Auditorium in South Pasadena CA and May 22 and 23 shows at Xanadu Roller Arts in Brooklyn NY.
“Switch Up” was produced by Carter Lang & Very Nice Person and mixed by Derek “MixedByAli” Ali at No Name Studios. The single artwork was designed by San Francisco based artist, Thad Higa.
VIDEO: Mike D “Switch Up”
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