September 13, 2005
bring the muzik back
9/13/05
I know I have nearly missed the boat on the cultural phenomenon known as "mash-ups" or This Artist VS. That Artist, but in case you were listening to the Aubrey/Maturin novels for the last three months like I have, it's a fascinating new genre where immensely talented Djs take two well-known songs and literally mash them together, creating something altogether different and, in some cases, gorgeous.
I heard my first mash-up when I downloaded "Sexual High" off Kent's page, a sublime pairing of Radiohead and Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing." Then I was in this coffee place last week and realized that the new iTunes allows for music sharing. In other words, if you're sitting near somebody with iTunes, chances are good you can listen to their entire music library without them knowing. I made a new invisible friend Aaron, not more than 50 feet away, who had the most incredible collection of mash-ups I'd ever fathomed.
Immediately, I began downloading some of my favorites, which really have to be heard to be appreciated. There's one in particular by the amazing Mark Vidler called Wrapped Detective, which combines "Watching the Detectives" by Elvis Costello with "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by the Police, with the backbone of "Exodus" by Bob Marley with an inspired dash of Peggy Lee's "Fever" and Led Zep thrown in. Sean, download this.
It's addicting to peruse the various download sites for your favorite artists surgically conjoined at the hip with your other favorite artists - but for you musicologists, it's also vindication for all those years you've been saying that there are really only five pop songs. Lately, I kvetched about Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" being basically the same song as "Wonderwall" by Oasis, and VOILA! There's a mash-up to prove it.
I can't imagine most of you won't like DJ Prince's Hey We Will Rock Ya mix of Outkast and Queen, I Hate Music featuring the Hives and Madonna, and even a nice one like the Monkees/Beatles' Paperback Believer.
But it's when the DJs actually add artistry to the specific blend of groups - like ABBA and the Bunnymen or a simply beautiful idea like Crazy Fool, which is "Fool on the Hill" mixed with "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - that you can see how amazing these guys are.
My absolute favorite is a mash-up with the haunting title I Just Wasn't Made For the Back Seat of My Car, which colludes the heartbreaking song by Brian Wilson with one of my old McCartney favorites. "Back Seat of My Car" is Paul's lush, utterly twee and unabashedly pretty album-ender for "Ram," a song you'd only know if you were a total Beatles nutjob like I was. When you hear a DJ taking a cue from a song like this, you get the share a moment with him or her that is unlike anything else in art: a wink across the room that lets you know they get it too.
Are these mash-ups sacrilege? Probably. Do they run the risk of ruining your favorite songs? Absolutely. But each time you find a good one, you become in on the joke that all music is so utterly related, that goth chicks and metalheads and fey dancers and electronic hipsters all pray to different angles of the same God.
Posted by Ian Williams at September 13, 2005 11:10 PMThe Kleptones "A Night at the Hip-Hopera" made my head explode with different hip hop vocals on top of Queen's music. Particularly funny is "Ice Ice Baby" on top of "Under Pressure"
I don't know if it's sacrilege, but I think these things need to be dealt with on a federal level.
I've always enjoyed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" + "Bootylicious," artfully mashed by Soulwax.
Result?
"Smells Like Booty!"
It rocks.
Given the crap kid music rotation in my car, and an ipod with more 80's than anything else, I'm so far removed from what is "hip" in music these days. Will have to check it out (though not at work as every link you've included pulls up our big, black "ACCESS DENIED...you will be reported" page. Sounds like the last time such a crazy combination was successful, people were tripping with their chocolate bars and landing into vats of peanut butter!
Check DJ Earworm (http://www.djearworm.com/), especially his masterpiece "No One Takes Your Freedom" (Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama vs. The Beatles - For No One vs. George Michael - Freedom '90 vs. Aretha Franklin - Think.) Genius.
One of my favorite Mash Up DJs is 2 MANY DJS from the UK (I think they are from Belgium). I have about 25 CDs of their show, Radio Soulwax My favorite mash up they do is a mix between "RockIT," "Intergalactic" (Beasties), "Need You Tonight" (INXS), and "You Shook Me" (AC/DC)...it's absolutely brilliant.
http://www.2manydjs.org/v2/frameset.htm for their official site and you can go to Amazon or eBay and get copies of some of the Radio Soulwax shows...they are zee best.
Also, I did a post a while back on mashups and included a link to Party Ben (http://www.partyben.com/), the DJ who does a great MUP of The Killers and The Clash called "Somebody Rock Me"
Overall, I'm a huge friend to Mash Ups. They take songs I already love, but am somewhat tired of and make them new again.
I'm a fan of DJ Zebra - he's from France so this whole site is in French, but he does some great work, including my workout favorite, "Are you gonna be my Motherfucker?" (aka Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" vs. Prince's "Sexy Motherfucker") It's a rocking good time. DJ Zebra has a bunch of other cool stuff here: http://djzebra.free.fr/productions.html
Very cool. Reminds me of the DJ Danger Mouse’s “The Grey Album”.
Back in the late ’80s I used to hone the fine edge between FM radio stations to do this analog, and record to cassette tapes; I never had a name for it. But, it did have the added thrill of chasing a synchronous random moment.
I was chasing the ultimate mix of marching band or street jazz wafting in the window, symphony on the stereo, and rock and roll on the radio.
One of the best mixes was and still is on a cassette tape labelled “fIREHOSE: Ragin’ Full-On & NC Radio” the tape begins with two stations that I could pick up from my Greenboro High Street Apt. playing “Pappa Was a Rolling Stone” overlapped with another soul song. Might’ve been “Heard it Through the Grape Vine” I’ll have to dig it out and listen to it again.
Great post Ian. Killer links. Thanks, eveyone.
Banned Music: Hippocamp Ruins Pet Sounds, The Double Black Album, The Grey Album; all aparently being dealt with at federal levels.
aparentl advisory warning
One of my favorite mashup finds was The Beastles: