Beastie Boys Prep New Album, Tour

Dec. 1 -- The Beastie Boys have been keeping a low profile the past few months, but don’t mistake that silence for a lack of work.

The hip-hop giants are out with a two-DVD anthology of their music videos, to be followed by new recordings that could take on a far more serious tone than one might expect for a bunch of guys who got their start proclaiming they had to fight for their right to party.

The rhyming fiends have been branching out, experimenting with jazz instrumentals on their 1998 release Hello Nasty.

Curried Raps to GoNow sounds from India are the style of choice, their DJ, MixMaster Mike, told ABCNEWS.com. He and the Beasties — drummer Mike Diamond, guitarist Adam Horovitz and bassist Adam “MCA” Yauch — have been kept busy by a number of projects.

“I’m doing a yoga album with Mike D … me and Ad Rock [Horovitz] are working on a drum record with all beats and sounds for DJs to cut up,” says MixMaster Mike, né Mike Schwartz.

“We’re working on a lot of music right now, but we don’t know if it’s a Beastie album … [but] we’re working on it,” says the San Francisco native.

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The Beasties are also planning a full-scale tour, probably in March, to make up for their summer outing, which was squashed when Mike D broke his shoulder.

Turntables Turn in the Spotlight

Wearing the title as resident DJ for the Beastie Boys is a sweet gig, and came as a surprise for the 30-year-old, who went from having a guest spot during the recording of Hello Nasty to becoming the trio’s de-facto fourth member. “[They’re] my crew,” says MixMaster Mike.

“I’ve been wanting to take this performing arts type thing to like, probably Carnegie Hall and what not, and it’s going to different areas now … You see rock bands with DJs, it’s just spread like wildfire now.”

With or without a rock band, a DJ with some clout can easily rake in the crowds for a gig of his own. MixMaster Mike still takes time for solo shows, using the turntable to mix and spin vinyl recordings and create rhythms and sounds all his own.