People are goin' nuts all over Mix Master Mike's 1998 full-length album, Anti-Theft Device. Everyone except me. Sure, the guy's a phenomenal DJ-- one of the best in the business-- but the album was just too out there. It catered to the extra-short attention span crowd, with most of its tracks lasting less than two minutes. This isn't normally such a bad thing; Money Mark pulled it off on Mark's Keyboard Repair with ease. But what Anti-Theft Device lacked was any real cohesion.

The album did have its high points, though, and "Surprize Packidge" was one of 'em. Now, lucky for us, we're slapped with three remixes of it on this EP, along with three new tracks. The record's leadoff is, as always with short remix EPs, the most accessible and ear-catching. It's also the "Radio Edit." In just under three minutes, the Beastie Boys' DJ of choice-- remixed here by the Automator, a San Francisco new-schooler whose work appeared on Dr. Octagon's Octagonecolygist and a recent release of '70s brownsploitation film soundtracks, Bombay the Hard Way-- lays down a smooth, dark orchestral sample and an ass-whuppin' drum track, topped with old, tinny horns and tire squeals. The other remixes simply offer slight variations on the song, making for a good listen, but offering no real impact.

Where it gets really fun is when the new tracks kick in. "Audio Mass" is laidback, eerie spacefunk, complete with '60s and '70s sci-fi sound effects; "Monster Eye Land" is a strange stomp through deserted, radioactive territory where the only living things are animated slime, slippery bass grooves, and some of the craziest turntable action you've ever heard; "Grudge Match" is, aside from the radio edit of "Suprize Packidge," the album's highlight, with its wacked video game noises, heavy onslaught of Casio beats, and scratching on R2D2 sound bytes.

So, have I changed my mind about Mix Master Mike? Well, I haven't decided yet. I'm certainly gonna go back and give Anti-Theft Device another shot. If I like it the next time around, I'll be reviewing his next record. If not, I'm sticking with this fine remix disc.

-Ryan Schreiber