Terry Mullen became one of the most popular American DJs of the 1990s, spinning everywhere from Midwest rave parties to his residency at San Francisco's Spundae club night. He rose to prominence through the underground, mostly through his DJ sets and a multitude of mix tapes rather than more commercial tactics like label affiliations and commercially released mix CDs. Born in suburban Chicago, Mullen grew up listening to '70s rock music before discovering hip-hop in the early '80s. He began spinning hip-hop around 1983 or so, and then once Chicago's house movement gained steam in the mid- to late-'80s, he converted from hip-hop to house. In the '90s, he began integrating techno into his sets and relocated to the West Coast. He began experimenting with production in the late '90s, releasing a few of his tracks. For the most part, however, he continued concentrating on his DJ career. ~ Jason Birchmeier