by Mike DaRoncoFirst gaining underground recognition during his high school years as a guitar player for the D.C. band Backlash, Hive would eventually jump from playing hardcore punk to composing drum'n'bass hip-hop mixes upon his move to Los Angeles in 1992. But it wasn't until 1997 when Hive (also known as Michael Petrie) would release his first full-length, Working With Sound, on his own Mandala Recordings after five years of spinning and producing various hip-hop projects in L.A. Not only would this release sell out the first pressing of 500 copies, but it also received underground critical acclaim from both sides of the coast (courtesy of its smooth jazz tracks layered with drum, bass, and jungle overtones). A major-label bidding war would soon follow in 1998, resulting in a contract with London Recordings. During that same year, the apocalyptic sounds of Devious Methods were soon released under the non-musical inspirations of the Willia...