MIKE D

Mike Diamond (Mike D) grew up in Manhattan as an idiosyncratic and curious boy, surrounded by music. As a child, he secretly swiped records from, among others, The Jackson Five, The Beatles, and Motown artists from his older brothers. When he finally bought his first own album ( Fly Like An Eagle by Steve Miller), he started playing drums himself. Not much later he discovered punk and that changed everything. Until he encountered hip-hop via mixtapes, and then also learned to know reggae via bands like The Clash. Every time again he found something that completely absorbed him. In the early 80s, he founded the Beastie Boys together with Adam Yauch (MCA). What started from punk quickly grew into a unique mix with rap, where they continued to combine their influences. That led to a long career full of successful albums, awards, and international recognition, culminating in their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Mike D is now bringing his very first series of “Mike D 5 D” headline shows to Europe, with an exclusive stop in Kortrijk. After two instantly sold-out, intimate shows in Los Angeles, he is traveling this summer along a select number of atypical venues and festivals in Europe. With his recent single ‘Switch Up’ — his first new music since Beastie Boys’ ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part Two’ — Mike D is heading in a new direction: raw, energetic, and uncompromising. Rolling Stone described his recent live shows as a return to the punk energy of the early Beastie Boys days.