Slated as Miami's Future Super Producer by the New Times, Michael "Banger" Cadahia began his journey as a drummer for local hardcore/punk bands. Micing drums led him down the path of recording engineering. It wasn't long before he was on an AKAI MPC producing for half of Miami.

       When embarking on a professional engineering career, he interned at three recording studios simultaneously. One was the post-production facility Audacity where he landed a beat on U.M.'s football commercial ("All About The U"). Their late owner John Jay Martyn became Michael's music mentor. The second studio was Poe Boy Records where he worked with Rick Ross, Gunplay, Brisco, Jacki-O, and many others. His first brush with what would become Young Money was a Sqad Up session at the private Poe Boy studio. There, he also sat behind Lu Diaz who he credits for his mixing influence.

       The third facility, Studio Center, is where Mike met Lil Wayne while interning through the early Carter albums and mixtapes. A series of studio personnel and ownership changes landed him in Young Money's exclusive recording engineer position at the height of Lil Wayne's career in Criteria Recording Studios. Mike's signature use of delays dominated the industry for half a decade.

       When the creative chemistry is right, divine things happen. Michael once unintentionally engineered an entire recording session without speaking a word. The talkback system was found malfunctioning after the session; no one noticed. The button was not used once; every move was perfect. No questions asked.

       Dr. Dre was left in awe hovering over Mike’s shoulder during the infamously unreleased Detox sessions. Before Dre could finish explaining his extensively detailed mixing preferences, Mike was done and pressed play. Meek Mill never heard himself sound so good while recording with Mike for a mixtape and requested someone similar when Mike's schedule was blocked out. Michael's rough mixes have been released as final masters.

       Influencing more than just a sound, career path, or workflow; his lifestyle leaves behind bread crumbs. Most notably, the studio halfpipe. Michael has been an active advocate of South Florida skateboarding and street art since he was a kid. He got Lil Wayne on a skateboard after proving he can land a kickflip in the studio and introduced him to Fuel TV which resulted in a near replica of Banger's own backyard ramp being built at Criteria Studios by none other than Jay Ramps. Good times! In the midst of that chaos, Shake Junt's Shane Heyl gets featured on a song produced by Mike Banger and Lil Wayne becomes a playable character in the wildly successful Tony Hawk video game franchise. You can't make this shit up.

       Mike is the voice behind Lil Wayne's "I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING!" saving UMG from a sample clearance. His reference tracks are the stuff of legend behind studio walls. As an artist/song writer, he has been featured on songs with Trick Daddy, Thalia, Jacki-O, and more.

       Michael unfortunately left Young Money after being owed 2 full years of back pay. This resulted in another year of dispute resolution to recover lost wages. These 3 years plus the subsequent years it took to rebuild himself are a testament to his resilience and perseverance.

       A brief stint at his own project studio Bang Lab, built during times of industry turmoil, created the perfect storm of independent artist development at his residential property. This was another wild time of sessions occurring around the clock in Mike's house with guest rooms occupied by aspiring recording artists. He admits he did not know what he was doing but somehow landed his friends a placement featuring Rick Ross in his living room (watch). The industry tension eventually settled down and recordings returned back to the comfort of Criteria Recording Studios.

       Responsible, patient, understanding, and respectful, Michael ensures a comfortable recording environment where your vibe and privacy are prioritized for ideas to come to life seamlessly. He keeps the space safe for experimentation in our most vulnerable creative state. There has never been a song leaked in his presence. He has never lost a session file. He doesn't take many pictures. He does not work under the influence. His extensive network of other engineers, musicians, writers, and beat makers ensures nothing but great recordings. These are the Southeast's studio soldiers spearheading the industry directly from the belly of the beast. 

       Michael "Banger" Cadahia is an undeniable force of South Florida's modern day recording community. While technology advances toward convenience for the unskilled performer, Banger preserves the craft by honoring musical authenticity without AI assistance. Nowadays, he's booking sessions exclusively out of Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, FL.