Slackline Radio: Where do we find Mike Flips today?Mike Flips: Easy, man. Thanks for reaching out. Just at home in the Northeast of England, chillin’ with my family and occasionally sneaking into the studio to mix some beats.
Slackline Radio: How did you make your way to the sounds of underground hip-hop? Any major influencers?
Mike Flips:I’ve loved hip-hop for as long as I can remember. I think Cypress Hill was one of the first hip-hop groups I really got into—I was hypnotized by those bass lines. Muggs is a beast!
Before the internet, I discovered a lot of hip-hop through blading videos. I was really into blades and BMXs—not that I was any good, haha. Those old blading videos had some killer hip-hop on them. I remember hearing DWYK by Gang Starr on one, then heading straight to HMV to track it down. Hard to Earn got copped that day, lol. Sometimes, I’d just go to music shops and buy whatever had a dope cover. And TBF, being the ‘90s, I (naively) stumbled upon some future classics. But yeah, videos, friends, record shops, radio—a lot of different sources.
I got my first set of belt-drive turntables at around 15. I was really into scratching and would spend hours cutting shit up. It seemed like a natural progression into production after messing with vinyl for so long. I think most DJs wanna try their hand at production.
I managed to get my mitts on an MPC-2000XL around 2001, and that was it—I was hooked! At first, I had no idea wtf I was doing. It’s not like I could pop around to Pete Rock’s house and ask him how to make a beat, lol. I’d mess around with soundtracks—that was my thing. Maybe that comes from being a bit of a film buff. I used to make beats to scratch over for mixtapes. I’d record the beat, do some cuts over it, mix it into a track from vinyl, then sell the mixtapes. It wasn’t until much later that I really got serious about making beats, started putting different sounds together, and realized I was actually half-decent at it.
Influence-wise, there are too many to name. Of course, the likes of Premo and Pete Rock. DJ Muggs has gotta be right up there, too! RZA, Lord Finesse, Large Professor, Showbiz, Eric Sermon, Thes One. Some closer to home, like Lewis Parker, P Brothers, Mark B, Skitz, DJ Nappa… The list is endless, but those are some of my favorites.
Slackline Radio: You just released another collaboration with Seize titled Minds Combined. Tell us about this partnership over the years on recordings like Life Cycles or the track One Time on Tarkine Funk.
Mike Flips: I first heard some beats by Seize on SoundCloud. I think he hit me up saying he liked my beats and that I should keep at it, etc. At the time, I hadn’t released much, so the fact that someone I thought was dope thought the same about me was a confidence boost.
Then we were both on the same KADV collab tape—The Abstract Era. After that, he asked me to do some cuts on the track One Time, so I gladly obliged, haha. Then I did some cuts for an EP he was making with Funki Flava—The Awen EP (Big up Funki and his bro Kosmic MC). I also ended up producing a couple of beats on there. We worked on Life Cycles for Nord1kone, and of course, the latest endeavor—Minds Combined.
For Minds Combined, I wanted to work with someone I knew would always come through with quality beats. Plus, I think his style is unique—he always brings something different to the table. We’re about the same age and just get along well, which translates into the music. You don’t get that with everyone! It’s definitely been a good experience over the years, and I’d like to think we’ve injected some good music into the world.
Slackline Radio: On Minds Combined, you also teamed up with numerous rappers. Tell us about how you made these connections and what you think they bring to the release.
Mike Flips: From the start, I knew a few heads I really wanted to get on there. With social media, I figured I could just hit them up and ask if they were down for a feature. I wanted to contribute (what I think is) good music to the UKHH scene, so I focused on MCs from the UK.
For me, I don’t want to influence the MC—like giving them a subject matter or whatever. I think it’s better for them to hear the beat and write what it inspires them to write. Then I usually try and sneak in some cu-cu-cuts, lol. Each MC on the album brings something different and helps make it diverse. Plus, Seize and I offered various styles of beats, from smooth jazzy flavors to dirty back-alley bangers. Hopefully, with that diversity, there’s something on there for the average hip-hop head.
Slackline Radio: You also released an instrumental version, which really highlights the beat production between you two. What was the creation process like on this recording with Seize?
Mike Flips: Ah man, well, I can’t speak for Seize, but for me, I was trying to make each beat different—to show some versatility. Not only that, but I really wanted to cater to the MC, so naturally, each track had a different vibe. For most of the tracks, I just sent them one beat and hoped they liked it, rather than sending a batch of 10 beats or whatever. Plus, I’m not the kind of guy who makes 20 beats and just sends them to the rapper. I wanna take my time and craft something special for them—something that’ll hopefully resonate.
Having another beatmaker in there whose work I admire definitely helped bring out the best in me. He’d send beats, and I’d think, Damn, now I gotta make something dope! Haha. Like, Fuck man, how am I gonna top this shit? Haha. So yeah, it pushed me creatively.
Overall, we just reached out to the artists we wanted with beats we thought would work well for them.
Slackline Radio: Tell us something about yourself that the listening crew may not already know.
Mike Flips: Hmm… I used to play the saxophone—until my Mam sold it. Maybe that’s why I like chopping up saxophone samples so much!
Slackline Radio: What’s on your plate for 2025?
Mike Flips: I want to try and release more stuff under my label (if you can call it that) Flippin’ Hits. I’ve had an instrumental album finished for a while now—just needs mastering, then it’s ready to go to wax.
I also really want to do a seven-inch series—with a track featuring a rapper, an instrumental for that track, plus a bonus beat.
Slackline Radio: Speaking of plates, we can’t leave without asking—what’s on your plate for dinner?
Mike Flips: Steak fajitas.
