DJ President Ike

DJ President Ike began DJing as a host of his college radio show, 'The Presidential Address' at The State University of New York at New Paltz mixing underground hip-hop, and allowing for local artists and aspiring rappers to perform love for audiences out of reach of NYC radio where acccess to such material was easier before the age of the Internet as access to music. Some listeners and friends would refer to him as "Prez Ike" hence the oft used shorter alias. At New Paltz, without samplers started producing simple tracks using early computer production software recording and sampling productions and usng Reel to Reel tapes for 8 Track cassette tapes then used for hosts to play promos or their own drops on shows. After exposure to SUNY New Paltz's community of underground NY DJs & Turntablists in this era given New Paltz's proximity to NYC, post-grad co-hosting another show on Vassar College's larger, WVKR and his own background in classically trained violin and singing as a child interest grew in DJing and producing. Soon as a member of the then Public Enemy internet forum The EnemyBoard an mp3 album was proposed and to be created by posters contributions. This idea came from heavy influence from Chuck D's vocal stance supporting use of mp3 technology as a means of democratizing the corporate big label music industry and direct outspoken support of peer to peer music sharing software app, Napster, leading to public debates with Lars Ulrich, member of Metallica. President Ike's 1st official production and song featuring his scratches, 'The Sensationalist Scratch' included humorously intended scratching of conversation on a record intended to explain sex for children via an adult's imitated child's voice. This was then released as an mp3 on The Enemyboard Album Vol. 1 that Chuck D later played with other tracks from the EnemyBoard album on his own Rapstation hosted radio show. Following a challenge made to Chuck D from a member on The EnemyBoard after some backlash from his featuring on a song with Vanilla Ice, this eventually led to hs agreement and eventually The Impossebulls a group DJ President Ike became a core member of. Chuck labeled The Impossebulls the "World's First Virtual Rapp Squadd" as an mp3 track 'We Don't Need You,' a song speaking directly to the control of the major record labels using mp3 technology, was to be released on the online version of his label Slam Jamz, an independent mp3 record label offering free mp3 downloads. 'We Don't Need U' featured Chuck D, Professor Griff, Kyle Jason, and some EnemyBoard members from around the world, including DJ President Ike to provide scratches, and produced by Bill The Pharmacizt. Following complications with creation of the original where several EnemyBoard members verses were removed; C-Doc (The Warhammer) created a remix 'We Don't Need You Pt 2' featuring EnemyBoard posters who had contributed many who became the long term early core of The Impossebulls: C-Doc, Tirade, Marcus J Gilligan, Pvt Militant, Old School 76, Def Chad & DJ President Ike. Work with The Impossebulls led to Ike's multiple collaborations with C-Doc (The Warhammer), including the group Illegal Thought Proccess, and C-Doc & Tirade's vintage boom bap style group LowDOWN, along with several contributed scratches for Impossebills releases and those C-Doc produced for Public Enemy, including 'Superman's Black In The Building' and 'Supermixx is Back' that was later featured on the Stomp The Yard Soundtrack (2007). Ike's scratches are also on The Impossebulls track 'B-Boy Joint' featured on Eric Andre's prank documentary 'Bad Trip' (2021). Ike also hosted a DJ mix podcast in the early days of this content from 2005-2009, 'Indelible Beats' labeled as "Fresh beats for your head nodd and body move cravings..." a sort of fusion of uptempo, rhythm-oriented music meant primarily for the dance floor. As Ike moved more into producing, he returned to more consistent use of his real name, Isaac Basker, to be associated with electronic music productions and DJing of house, deep house, techno, etc. released on his own label Play It Say What and Thema.