Michael Anthony Banks, better known as "Mad" Mike Banks, is an American record producer. He is the co-founder, along with
Jeff Mills, of record label
Underground Resistance and was a key player in the "second generation" of
Detroit techno.
Banks lives in
Detroit,
Michigan, and is a former
studio musician (bass/guitar), having played with
Parliament/
Funkadelic among others.[1] He worked in the second half of the 1980s with the collective
Members of the House, releasing several 12" singles. Banks and Mills founded the label Underground Resistance in the late 1980s, and the pair, along with
Robert Hood, produced most of the label's early releases.[2] After Hood and Mills's departure from Underground Resistance, Banks headed the label himself, releasing material from acts such as
Drexciya and
Sean Deason in addition to his own productions.[2]
He is also co-founder and co-owner with Christa Robinson of Submerge Distribution since 1992. Submerge, along with Underground Resistance, is an
independent record label which distributes Detroit-based techno worldwide.[3]
Among Banks's early influences are
Derrick May,
Juan Atkins and
Marshall Jefferson; his later work shows his increasing interest in
acid house and
industrial.[2] Banks has hewn strictly to an ethic of the
underground and refuses to be
photographed in public as part of this ethic.[3] His releases often deal with elements of political and social commentary, which have made him a controversial figure from within the Detroit electronic music scene.[1] Banks quit playing live shows in the late 1990s due to continuing problems with bringing electronic equipment through
customs agencies, but began doing live shows again in the mid-2000s.[4]
Galaxy 2 Galaxy - Galaxy 2 Galaxy (double-maxi comportant les morceaux Hi-Tech Jazz (The Science), Hi-Tech Jazz (The Elements), Journey Of The Dragons, Star Sailing, Astral Apache,Deep Space 9, Rhythm Of Infinity, Metamorphosis) (1993)
The Martian - Cosmic Movement / Star Dancer (Red Planet) (1993)
The Martian - Journey To The Martian Polar Cap (Red Planet) (1993)
The Martian - Sex In Zero Gravity (Red Planet) (1993)
The Martian - The Long Winter Of Mars (Red Planet) (1994)
1992 Radio Interview Recorded in September, 1992. Adelaide, South Australia. Interviewed by Georgie Knight on Community radio station 5MMM (now with callsign 5DDD and known as Three D Radio)