Real name: Max Houston

Effective period / Period of releases: 2001

Having played violin since age four, Mad Max began studying classical guitar at seven. After years of formal training, he taught himself electric guitar, bass, and drums. By the time high school rolled around, Max had grown into a formidable songwriter and four-track alchemist. Having played and recorded in bands around the Washington DC Hardcore scene for several years, Max turned his attentions toward the unconquered terrain of DJ'ing jungle. A quick learner, he quickly acquired the skills and selection that devastate dancefloors on both the East and West Coast. With an inexhaustible musical appetite, Mad Max began programming beats soon after touching turntables. His early experiments soon developed into ongoing hip hop projects in collaboration with Ragga Banton and J Dubious, as well as his formidable jungle productions.
With an energetic sound geared towards dancefloor devastation, Mad Max keeps things fresh by avoiding a formulaic approach to music. His DJ sets, often toasted by MC Ragga Banton, showcase his skill and diverse selection: teched out basslines, crippling breaks, and loads of precision scratching for good measure. Bringing the same eclectic sense to his productions, Max writes intricate tunes with a simple purpose: to get the crowd screaming for a rewind. As such, the style of his first release on Black Pearl Records, "Skatterbrain," is hard to pin down; acid undertones compete with a raw, funky bassline as crisp, storming beats get rinsed by an unexpected amen workout. Forward thinking, but with a nod to days gone by, "Skatterbrain," has all the ingredients of a surefire killer. These same ingredients offer ample material for Bristols infamous Technical Itch to piece together a top notch, hard hitting, stomper of a remix on the flip side.
Having dropped sets at parties including Quest and Eklectic, Max has also guested on SF's X-Radio, and NY's Velocity and Urban Jungle Show (WKCR). His energetic style can be heard on past mixtapes, including "Competition Is None" (9/99), "King of Champions" (6/99), "Jungle Jesus" (12/98), and "Wickedess Murderah" (9/98). As his debut Jungle release, "Skatterbrain" only continues to put on the pressure. And with more releases coming, Mad Max will surely take Stateside Jungle to the next level.