Mash Up Heaven

I have fallen in love again with music! Thanks to some creative mash up artists, I have rediscovered why I love rock/metal - all by mixing with lectro or any other thing that comes to hand for that matter. And it works! You see that is the beauty of mash ups, from the cheesy and smirk inducing AC/DC go mashing with Ray Parker Junior (Ghostbusters), to The Chemical Brothers meet the Empire (Star Wars not Bush & Co.) and Bloc Party can take on the Pussy Cat Dolls (I loathe PCD but this mix is sublime!) With most of the mixes at first I was incredulous but then I had a huge smile creep across my face. It has introduced me to artists like CSS and reintroduced me to Depeche Mode and Frankie Goes to Hollywood (who go rather well with Iron Maiden!!!!!!)

Unfortunately many of the labels try and suppress this innate creativity and to be honest I see no reason. These tunes are free, there is no profit involved and they are if anything doing a far better service than the stale radio stations we are subjected to these days (Kerrang! being a fine example where a metal/rock magazine play mainstream indie all fucking day long and the hardest thing you will feel is the off button after you have heard the Kaisers for the umpteenth time). Mash Ups make me more likely to buy/download the work of an artist than being force fed some bland, soulless piffle or the dirge of hip hop artists with nothing to say beyond their obvious penile deficiencies, misogynistic overtones and the now passé fixation with violence. Mash Up artists have reaffirmed my faith in music and introduced me to a mixture of new artists and classic tracks that had passed me by! Go spread the word!

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There are so many 'outlets' I could recommend but I will restrict it to the following:

The Bootie series compiles the best mash ups of the year and is a great place to start from (scroll down the page top the best of bootie section).

Mash Up Town provide a selection news and the finest mash ups on the web. The extensive archives are a very rewarding place to search through to find some mash-up nuggets.


Plus there is:

Aggro1 mixes hardcore electro/d&b beats and other insanity with the likes of AC/DC, Judas Priest & Oasis. The Led Zeppelin vs. Kelly Clarkson 'Behind these Immigrant Eyes' is truly masterful.

'AudioPorn Central is a music blog, dedicated to hot, sweaty, juicy sounds and tools. The site is updated daily, we have about 12 new posts at weekdays, 6 new posts at Saturdays and Sundays....What is supposed to be free (mashups, free legal downloads, promo mixes etc) we give away free to download.' Nuff Said!

Divide & Kreate - cruel and unusual punishment from this Swedish mash up artist and his ego- I particularly like the Jamelia vs The Killers mash 'Killing Jamelia'. If you have a favourite tune he will most likely already have ruined it.

LeeDM101 a.k.a Audio Lego, demolishes and then reassembles offering up an eclectic mix of mash ups, remixes and original material. His mash up of Reign in my Awakening Eye (Depeche Mode vs Unkle vs Dead Can Dance) is total aural pleasure.

San Francisco based Party Ben provides fun times and is also the "The Dumbest Name in Showbiz". He spotted the similarity between Oasis's 'Wonderwall' and Green Day's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' even before Noel Galagher did. The resulting mash up "Boulevard of Broken Songs" (2004) received a fair bit of airplay and he's appeared in both the music and tabloid press for his efforts. Is it silly or is it just parody? Who cares it's fun!

Wax Audio not only mashes but includes some rather concise political commentary too. The cut and paste versions of speeches by Bush & Howard are enlightening, however it's the cutting up of what the rabid media that just shows what the people in charge are like [see Imagine This post for more info]. Overall WA provides a good broad mix that will make you laugh, cry and hurl - especially when Metallica go to the Punjab!

These are excellent places to start and you will find all the links you need for more mash up mayhem from there.