Mike Redman

Redrum

In the early nineties, Redman started performing as a rapper and MC in nightclubs in Rotterdam. He also performed across the Netherlands and Europe as an MC, mainly in the drum-and-bass scene. In the nineties Redman started organizing club nights in Rotterdam nightclubs and named them 'Redrum Parties'. These parties staged mostly upcoming local talents from the hardcore hiphop scene. Redman formed a rap group called the Redrum Squad, consisting of rappers P-Mode, Unorthadox, turntablist Eni-Less and Redman himself. Redman and Eni-Less produced the works of the squad and released their first tracks in 1999. In 2003, the Redrum Squad released the single 'Enjoy' and they performed on Dutch national television. The group mainly performed in the national and international clubbling scene.^[1] The Redrum Squad came to an end in 2005, and its members started focusing on solo projects.

Redman started the independent record label Redrum Recordz in 1999. Dutch artists from several music genres (such as hiphop, jungle, drum-and-bass and metal) are attached to the label.^[2] Moreover, Redrum Recordz has worked with international artists such as Guru, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Ice-T and Big Daddy Kane.^[3] In 2005 the label reached the Dutch charts with 'Ik wil een meisje' ('I Want a Girl') by Spacekees & Terilekst.^[4] In 2011, Redrum Recordz was voted 'one of the 100 leading record labels of Belgium and the Netherlands' by Gonzo Circus Magazine.^[5]

Special Effects

When he was a teenager, Redman also experimented with special make-up effects in videos. In 1994, a Dutch television station made an item on the making of Redmans 30-minute horror movie Ritual of the Damned.^[6] After seeing teenage Redman, Dutch DJ Paul Elstak asked him to direct the video for his song 'Don't Leave me Alone'. The single reached a number 2 position in the Dutch charts^[7] and sold over 50,000 copies. A Dutch magazine voted 'Don't Leave Me Alone' Best Music Video of 1995. Meanwhile, Redman made the special effects for Paul Elstak's shows and various house parties. He also started working as a prop maker for Dutch television.

Between 1996 and 2000 Redman worked with the special effects and hair studio Sjoerd Didden.^[8] He was a special make-up effects specialist and made the effects for motion pictures, television series and theatrical productions, including Jackie Chan's Who Am I.^[9] In 2000 Redman left Sjoerd Didden. In the years following, he still worked as a special effects artist, most notably on the album cover for singer Anouk's record For Bitter or Worse (three times platinum) in 2009.

Documentaries and Television

In 2001 Mike Redman made the independent movie Walkmen.^[10] This full-length documentary tells the story of the hiphop culture in Rotterdam between 1979 and 2001. In the years following, Redman also made several music videos and directed a children series for Dutch television.

In 2008 Redman made his second documentary named Anagram. This film explores the work and vision of Dutch artist Diet Wiegman. There is no spoken word in the film, only a soundtrack, composed by Redman. The main focus of the movie is on the visual art.^[11] The documentary was screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2009.^[12] Redman won two international awards for Anagram: ‘Best Art Documentary 2009’ at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival in Los Angeles and ‘Best International Director of a Short Documentary 2010’ at the NYIIFVF^[13] in New York.

In 2009 Redman made a documentary, Nighttown, about the history of a Rotterdam nightclub with the same name. That same year, he also made the music for a television series about the Rotterdam-based museum Boijmans van Beuningen.^[14]

In 2012 Redman completed his most ambitious film project to date, the documentary Sample: Not For Sale.^[15] This film explores the relationship between various musical generations, focusing on the sampling culture. Due to lack of funds, Redman financed this project himself, from the camerawork to the editing process. In the film, Redman interviews various internationally well-known artists, such as Chuck D, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Marly Marl, KRS-One. Redman travelled between the US and Europe to approach them guerrilla style, over a period of seven years. Redman wrote a book about his experiences during the making of the film entitled The Sample Diary.^[16]

Deformer and Wormskull

Other than Redrum, Mike Redman was involved with many more musical projects. In 2003 he started working with breakcore producer Bong-Ra. Together they made several albums. Redman also collaborated with Neophyte, DJ Paul Elstak and Evil Activities.

In 1992 Redman started the project Deformer, a collective with several members of the Redrum Squad and Redman himself. Deformer makes progressive electronic music. The group produces demos and performs in the international clubbing scene.^[17] The cover for the maxi single Meatcleaver was banned in several countries; it shows a monkey's head composed of pornographic images. In 2006 Deformer won a prize for Best Dance Act^[18] and in 2008 they released a record with American rap group Public Enemy.^[19] The group performed at pop festival Lowlands in the Netherlands in 2008. In 2011, Deformer developed an audiovisual project called Videopacolypz and released an accompanying album. Videopacolypz was created with the minimal sounds of the Videopac computer of 1978.^[20]

In 2011 Deformer formed a co-operation with Bong-Ra, named Wormskull. The band Wormskull combines live music with electronica.

Art and Other Projects

Redman is involved in the international art scene as a multidisciplinary artist (interdisciplinary art, painting, video art, sculpture).^[21] In 2012 he took part in the group exhibition Faces with a collection of photos and videos. Faces was exhibited in New York and Rotterdam.^[22]

In 2012 he made a track for the compilation CD of an art project named Songs of Charcoal. He used a new alias; The Travel.^[23] He also designs and paints cd covers for various artists.

Redman has started producing music for films and documentaries.