Mike Shannon

Mike Shannon launched his techno trajectory by working as a DJ in the Toronto vicinity, only later settling in Montreal and establishing himself there as a producer in the first years of the new millennium. Raised in Kitchener, Ontario, he received his first mixer from his father and started operating it at the age of twelve. As a teenager he made periodic trips to nearby Detroit to acquire records and experience parties, an activity that ignited his fascination with the genre. He turned professional around 1993, organizing events while also appearing on their bills. By the closing years of the decade he had extended his activities beyond Kitchener into Toronto, securing a weekly Friday-night slot at the celebrated Industry club in 1999 and founding Cynosure Recordings during that same twelve-month span. Shortly after this he moved to Montreal so he could participate in the expanding glitch-techno community nurtured by the yearly Mutek festival. In that setting he formed a friendship with Jeff Milligan of Algorithm; the two performed across Europe together in 2000 while Shannon kept developing his skills behind the console into those of a studio artist. The shift paid off in 2002 when Force Inc issued his first full-length release, Slight of Hand, and also placed a track from him on the Montreal Smoked Meat collection.