Michael Cook - Floor Shakers From The Laughing Academy - Trackwerk Guestmix - Aug 2007

Biography of Michael Cook

Michael Cook is a native of Manchester, England currently residing in London. He began DJing professionally at the age of 18 playing a heady mixture of Indy and early Hip Hop & Electro in the North West of England before leaving for the USA in 1986. He's been partly credited with bringing Acid House to California but prefers to believe he (along with several other DJs) helped bring California to Acid House. He sites John Peel as his first and most formative musical influence and Michaels musical tastes remain resolutely eclectic.

Michael is the consummate all rounder drawing his set selections from the entire spectrum including Funk, Soul, Reggae, Jazz, Latin, Down tempo, Deep House, Nu Disco, Hip Hop, Electro, Punk Funk, Broken Beat, Rock and Indy; though he is equally happy specialising in any one of these genres.

Currently he plays various residencies in some of Londons top clubs bars and lounges and regularly plays guest sets at home and internationally. Heres a selection of some highlights from his many years as a DJ.

1999 2006

Main backstage/VIP DJ and music programmer for the Glastonbury (2004 & 2005) and Reading festivals (2004 - 2006)

Resident DJ for the Big Chill festival and monthly resident at the Big Chill Bar

Resident DJ for Rob Da Bank's Bestival and other Sunday Best events

Regular DJ partner with Thievery Corporation's Rob Garza (World wide)

Resident DJ for legendary Notting Hill Carnival house sound system Sancho Panza

Regular DJ for Lowlife (Last Night a DJ Saved My Life authors Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton)

Tour support DJ for Gotan Project

DJ for Radio One at Glastonbury festival 2003 & 2004 (with Sancho Panza)

DJ for the Glade festival with Sancho Panza 2004 - 2006

DJ for the VIP area and MTV stage at Exit Festival Serbia (2006)

Residencies at many London bars and lounges including Big Chill, The Player, Cantaloupe, Sosho, Match, Market Place and Tabernacle with more occasional sets for AKA, Medicine, Departure & Barfly

Annual winter residency at La Santanera in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico along with regular international gigs in Lisbon, Rio, Sao Paulo, Moscow, Warsaw, Paris & Barcelona

DJ sets for Time Out, MTV, Maharishi clothing, London Film Festival, Serpentine Gallery & The Royal College of Art events & many corporate events.

1995 1999

Returned to the UK with DJing mostly on the back burner due to commitments to his music for film production company M62. During this period DJing is limited mostly to small low-key parties, though some highlights include playing at birthday parties for Madonna and William Orbit and various support slots for William Orbit.

1986 1995

Based in Los Angeles California he is one of the founding fathers of the West Coast underground House & Rave scene, playing at such legendary vanguard parties as Alices House, Moonshine, Double Hit Mickey, Truth, Paw Paw Patch, Narnia & Gilligans Island

Residencies at Princes Glam Slam, The Mayan, 1015 (San Francisco)

Support DJ for Happy Mondays, 808 State, Bjork, Orbital, The Orb, The Farm, The Hacienda, Moby, The Prodigy and many others

Hosts Los Angeles first underground dance radio show on KXLU with Jason Bentley

Writer and reviewer for Street Sounds, Mix Mag and others

Billboard reporter