Biography
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Years Active
1993 – present (31 years)
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Founded In
San Francisco, California, United States
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Members
- Barrie Eves
- Josh Camacho
- Mikael Johnston
- Orpheos De Journette
As producers, engineers, and songwriters for the Warner Bros. act 'Mephisto Odyssey', Mikael, Josh (aka DJ Camacho), and Orpheos gained the reputation of being eclectics, pivotal in defining the nascent San Francisco house sound" (SF Weekly Sept. 6, 2000). After signing to Warner Bros. Records (1998-2002), Mephisto Odyssey (Which included friend, and co-conspirators, UK Transplant DJ Barrie of 'Primal Records'), built on this reputation by working with a diverse cross section of bands also signed to the label. They co-wrote, produced, and engineered the single "Crash" with the platinum selling metal band Static-X. Crash was made into a music video by director Len Wiseman (Underworld), for the full-length animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, which also aired on MTV2 and MTVx. The band did extensive remixing while at Warner, for artists such as Los Amigos Invisibles, Static-X, and Soul Coughing. A great success during this period was their work as co-producers, engineers, and remixers for the Jane's Addiction maxi single "So What," from the album Kettle Whistle. Mephisto Odyssey did the only remixes ever sanctioned and released by Jane's Addiction. The single, which featured their work on four of five mixes, charted in the Billboard maxi singles chart for 6 weeks.
Mikael got his musical start and influences from the rock and new wave scenes of the 1980s, which is how he first met long time collaborator and fellow producer Orpheos. During the early 90s the two decided to put aside their guitar and rock roots to check out the as-yet-uncharted territory of electronica. It proved to be a wise career move for both of them. The duo's first single, the self-released "Dream of the Black Dahlia," earned kudos from Bay Area promoters and the international underground scene. Mikael and Orpheos continued to release singles on the Mephisto label and eventually were signed to the progressive West Coast record label City of Angels, where they shared the talent roster with Uberzone, Simply Jeff, Christopher Lawrence, and future breakbeat kings The Crystal Method.
Fast forward to 2006 - Mikael, Orpheos and Josh continue to work with an eclectic and varied group of projects. Orpheos is currently working on his self titled solo project. Josh who is part of San Francisco's Disfunktion crew DJs at the hottest venues in the bay area, and the world. Mikael's engineering credits over the past year include Epitaph recording artists The Matches, Smash Mouth, and I am the World Trade Center. He also did a live mix of Rose Hill Drive, for San Francisco's 107.7 FM, and most recently, he worked as an engineer for Swedish band The Sounds latest album, Dying To Say This To You. Additionally, Mephisto Odyssey's music continues to appear in film and TV. In 2006, the song "Some Kinda Freak" was featured in the Quentin Tarantino production Hostel and "Crash" was licensed for the MTV show I want a Famous Face.
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