Paul D. Miller/ DJ Spooky (That Subliminal Kid) is the most noted (and notorious) proponent of turntablism, an approach to hip-hop and DJing whose philosophy merges avant-garde theories of musique concrète with the increased devotion paid to mixing techniques during the 1990s. DJ Spooky was a critical figure in spotlighting the DJ as a post-modern poet in his own right. Influenced equally by John Cage and Sun Ra as well as Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, few artists did more to mainstream the DJ-as-artist concept than him.

Miller was born in 1970 in Washington, D.C. His father was a lawyer and member of the faculty at Howard University, but died when Miller was three. He inherited his father's record collection which, along with frequent trips around the world (thanks to his mother's international fabric store), opened his eyes to a wide range of music. Growing up in the '80s saw Miller interested in D.C.'s hardcore punk scene and British ska-punk as well as go-go music. While attending college in Maine, Miller began mixing on his own radio show and attempted to introduce his KRS-One tapes into classroom discussions on deconstruction (an idea made quite conceivable just ten years later). After graduating with degrees in French literature and philosophy, he moved to New York.

As DJ Spooky, Miller first gained notoriety by helping establish a downtown New York City music style 'illbient' (etymologically derived from 'ambient,' a atmospheric genre of electronic music). The 'Illbient' movement utilizes the core of both Hip-Hop DJ culture, based on using or sampling bits of old LPs to form beats and rhythms, and 'ambient' soundscapes. 'Illbient' music sounds like a collage of background sounds and chopped up beats, making for a complex and enlightening listening experience.

After releasing a remix compilation album, Necropolis, on Knitting Factory Records, two records of original material on the cutting edge independent label Asphodel (1996's Songs of a Dead Dreamer LP and 1998's Synthetic Fury EP), and doing numerous remixes for artists such as Metallica, (For Whom the Bell Tolls from the Spawn soundtrack), Nick Cave (Red Right Hand from the Scream 2 soundtrack), Sublime, and Hooverphonic, DJ Spooky made his Outpost/Geffen debut with Riddim Warfare. Featuring cameo appearances by various hip-hop and alternative rock legends such as Kool Keith, Organized Konfusion, and Thurston Moore (from Sonic Youth), Riddim Warfare is a unique blend of experimental hip-hop, electronica, rock, jazz, and classical music, tied together by Spooky's brooding, layered soundscapes. In March of 1997, Miller created a sound installation for the Whitney Museum Biennial entitled Zona Rosa, which was accompanied by the CD Viral Sonata (Asphodel). In addition, he also composed the score for the Sundance and Cannes award winning film Slam.