Mike Shannon

by Jason BirchmeierMike Shannon begun his techno career in the Toronto area as a DJ before eventually moving to Montreal, where he flourished as a producer during the early 2000s. Shannon grew up in Kitchener, Ontario, and began DJing at age 12 when his father bought him his first mixer. Occasional excursions to nearby Detroit, where he would buy records and attend parties, spurned his interest in techno as a teenager. Shannon became a professional techno DJ around 1993 or so and began promoting events as well as performing at them. Toward the late '90s he broadened his reach from Kitchener to Toronto, where he landed a Friday-night residency at the fabled Industry club in 1999 and launched Cynosure Recordings that same year. He re-located to Montreal soon afterward to join the city's burgeoning glitch-techno scene fostered by the annual Mutek festival. There he befriended Jeff Milligan (Algorithm), with whom he toured Europe in 2000, and continued his transition from DJ to producer. His efforts were rewarded in 2002 when Force Inc released his debut album, Slight of Hand, and included him on the Montreal Smoked Meat compilation.