With the proliferation of electronic and hiphop artists of all sub-classifications looking back to their original roots, now's the perfect time to make reflection part of forward thinking. Nobody knows that better than San Francisco's famed Asphodel Records, a growing label dedicated to all things fringe, avant, and groundbreaking in the non-rock universe. This year, the label reissued Mix Master Mike's Return of the Cyklops and Invisible Skratch Piklz' Invisble Skratch Piklz Vs. Da Klams UV Deth 12", reminding anyone who may have forgotten that, dammit, this is part of how scratching's popularity all began.

MMM's innovative and masterful technique of bringing sample-laden, soul beat-collage up in the mix's foreground pioneered much of what has fueled abstract (and concrete) hiphop's progression to this day. Contrary to the belief of the MTV generation, the Mix Master's greatest achievements have little to do with his now-classic collaborations with the Beastie Boys, and everything to do with the fact that he taught Invisible Skratch Pikl Q-Bert how to crunk the turntable up right. The two became legendary pioneer scratch DJs, were staunch rivals (Mike holds three DMC competition world titles--an unbroken record, FYI) and later joined forces in the Skratch Piklz to churn out perfectly encapsulated and compressed life-affirming capsules of raucous sound--all with the flick of a wrist.