Cut Chemist
Lucas MacFadden (born October 4, 1972), better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He has collaborated with DJ Shadow on a number of projects.
Also recorded as Lucas MacFadden
Cut Chemist

Danielle Blue · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Cut Chemist
- Birth Name
- Lucas MacFadden
- Born
- 4 October 1972
- Birthplace
- New York, U.S.
- Died
- YYYY MM DD
- Occupation
- * DJ
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- hip-hop
- Education
- University of California and Los Angeles
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Documentary summary
Lucas MacFadden (born October 4, 1972), better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He has collaborated with DJ Shadow on a number of projects.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
gnd · 135485487 · wikidata · Q2658111 · wikipedia · Cut Chemist
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Cut Chemist • Birth Name — Lucas MacFadden • Born — 4 October 1972 • Birthplace — New York, U.S. • Origin — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Died — YYYY MM DD • Instrument — * Turntables • sampler • Genre — * Hip-hop • turntablism • Occupation — * DJ • record producer • Years Active — 1993–present • Label — * A Stable Sound • Warner Bros. Records • Website — www.cutchemist.com
Early life
Early life
Cut Chemist graduated from University of California, Los Angeles in 1997.
Career
Career
Cut Chemist became known through the Los Angeles-based rap group Unity Committee. The group merged with another group, Rebels of Rhythm, to form Jurassic 5. In 2004, Cut Chemist released The Litmus Test, which included his solo tracks, remixes, and Jurassic 5 tracks. He left Jurassic 5 in 2004. In a 2006 interview with Billboard, he stated that he had left the group in order to get his solo album finished. His first solo studio album, The Audience's Listening, was released on July 11, 2006. In 2015, it was listed by Vice as the 49th greatest dance album of all time. "The Audience Is Listening Theme Song," the song from the album, has been featured in an iPod Nano advertisement. In 2010, he released a DJ mix, Sound of the Police. It was recorded using a turntable, a mixer, and a loop pedal. His second solo studio album, Die Cut, was released on March 2, 2018. It featured guest appearances from Chali 2na, Biz Markie, Mr. Lif, and Myka 9, among others.
Studio albums
Studio albums
• The Audience's Listening (2006) • Die Cut (2018)
Compilation albums
Compilation albums
• The Audience's Following (2016) • Going Back to Cali: Cut Chemist's Colombian Crates Remixed (2017)
DJ mixes
DJ mixes
• Sick Experiment (1995) • Rare Equations / Cutin' Class (1995) • The Diabolical (1996) • Live at Future Primitive Sound Session (1998) (with Shortkut) • Brainfreeze (1999) (with DJ Shadow) • Product Placement (2001) (with DJ Shadow) • The Litmus Test (2004) • Lost and Found: Rockabilly and Jump Blues (2007) (with Keb Darge) • The Hard Sell (2007) (with DJ Shadow) • The Hard Sell (Encore) (2008) (with DJ Shadow) • Sound of the Police (2010) • Funk Off Megamix (2015)
EPs
EPs
• Madman EP (2017)
Singles
Singles
• "Bunky's Pick" (2001) • "Blind Man from L.A. Carnival" (2003) (with Medaphoar) • "The Audience Is Listening Theme Song" (2006) • "The Garden" / "Storm" (2006) • "What's the Altitude" (2006) • "The Audience Is Rural" (2006) • "Adidas to Addis" (2010) • "Outro (Revisited)" (2012)
Remixes
Remixes
• DJ Shadow - "The Number Song (Cut Chemist Party Mix)" (1996) • Liquid Liquid - "Cavern (Cut Chemist Rocks a Rave in a Missile Silo Remix)" (1999) • Ozomatli - Cut Chemist Suite (1999) • Major Force - "The Re-Return of the Original Art-Form (Reinterpreted By Cut Chemist)" (2000) • Ugly Duckling - "Eye on the Gold Chain (Cut Chemist Remix)" (2001) • Jem - "They (Cut Chemist Remix)" (2005) • Breakestra - "How Do They Really Feel (Cut Chemist Atkins Edit)" (2005) • Edan - "Torture Chamber (Cut Chemist Remix)" (2005) • Percee P - "Throwback Rap Attack (Cut Chemist Lucas Flipped a 1-Sided Tape He Found in 1987 into Stereo Remix)" (2006) • Roots Manuva - "Join The Dots (Cut Chemist Remix)" (2010) • Quantic and His Combo Barbaro - "Un Canto A Mi Tierra (Cut Chemist Remix)" (2011)
Productions
Productions
• Jurassic 5 - "Unified Rebelution" (1995) • Jurassic 5 - Jurassic 5 EP (1997) • Jurassic 5 - Jurassic 5 (1998) • Jurassic 5 - "Concrete Schoolyard" (1998) • Jurassic 5 - "Improvise" (1999) • Jurassic 5 - "Jayou" (1998) • Blackalicious - "Alphabet Aerobics (The Cut Chemist 2 1/2 Minute Workout)" from A2G (1999) • Jurassic 5 - "Quality Control" (2000) • Jurassic 5 - Quality Control (2000) • Blackalicious - "Chemical Calisthenics" from Blazing Arrow (2002) • Jurassic 5 - Power in Numbers (2002) • Jurassic 5 - "Ducky Boy" (2002) • Jurassic 5 - "I Am Somebody" / "Break" (2003) • Lyrics Born - "Do That There" from Later That Day (2003) • MED - "Blind Man" from Bang Ya Head (2005) • Jurassic 5 - "Acetate Prophets" / "Swing Set" (2005) • Teriyaki Boyz - "School of Rock" from Beef or Chicken (2005) • Mr. Lif - "Collapse the Walls" from I Heard It Today (2009)
Guest appearances
Guest appearances
• Peanut Butter Wolf - "Tale of Five Cities" from My Vinyl Weighs a Ton (1999) • Incubus - "Battlestar Scralatchtica" from Make Yourself (1999) • Mumbles - "Caution" (2000) • Kid Koala - "Here's a Little Story" from Got What You Need (2001) • Ozomatli - "Lo Que Dice" from Embrace the Chaos (2001) • Gretchen Lieberum - Brand New Morning (2002) • DJ Shadow - "Pushin' Buttons Live" from The Private Press (2002) • Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five - "The Sugarhill Suite" from Freestyle (2003) • Lyrics Born - "Do That There Medley" from The Lyrics Born Variety Show Season One (2005)
Compilation appearances
Compilation appearances
• "Lesson 4" on Return of the DJ (1995) • "Lesson 6: The Lecture" on Deep Concentration (1997) • "Layered Laird" on Audio Alchemy (Experiments in Beat Reconstruction) (1997) • "S.N.T. (Live at Peacepipe)" on The Funky Precedent (1999) • "Hidden Crate" on 2001: A Rhyme Odyssey (2000) • "Live at the 45 Session (Interlude)" on Urban Revolutions: The Future Primitive Sound Collective (2000) • "Caution" on No Categories 3: A Ubiquity Compilation (2000) • "Lesson 6: The Lecture (Original Unedited Version)" on The Ultimate Lessons (2002) • "Live Lesson E" on The Ultimate Lessons 2 (2002) • "Bunky's Pick" on Stones Throw 101 (2004) • "Day in Day Out" on Re: Generations (2009)
Filmography
Filmography
• Scratch (2001) • Juno (2007) • Up in the Air (2009) • Jennifer's Body (2009)
Identity
Identity
Cut Chemist is recorded as disc jockey, chemist and musician.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1995
Cut Chemist - Rare Equations ( 1995) (1995) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
1997
Cut Chemist - Theories Not Yet Proven Mixtape (1997) (1997) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
New York.
Birth place
Los Angeles.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Cut Chemist”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2658111: Cut Chemist
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 135485487, Cut Chemist.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 135485487, Cut Chemist.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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