Wax Audio is Stayin' In Black (The Bee Gees + AC/DC)

Romney vs Eminem

Okay so it's not exactly a WTF moment but it made me smile and you have to appreciate the work by Hugh Atkin that went into creating this. 

If you liked this you may also like Imagine This by the superb WaxAudio 

Back in Hell - AC/DC Mashups

I appear somewhere in this video in a less evolved form. I may have been Slimer in a previous life. 

Maiden India

I came across this whilst channel flicking the other night. An Indian rock band with very strong Iron Maiden influence (listen to the solo at c.1.18). From what I can tell Jaan and Arya are pop stars, but I'll forgive them that if they do more of this:

or you could just try Antipodean master masher Wax Audio's take..Maiden Goes To Bollywood (Iron Maiden vs Dhoom 2) [mp3]

XXXX Fosters

I was saddened recently when I heard the Violent Femmes classic 'Blister in the Sun' on a Fosters advertisement. I had to do a double take and the Violent Femmes, an Alternative rock, underground band (that sold more than most underground bands) who were massively influential (their songs have appeared in tv shows, movies, video games and have been covered widely) greatly went down in my estimation as complete sell outs.
The Violent Femmes are not a struggling or emerging band and so having one of their songs used in a commercial reminded me of a Bill Hicks quote:
"Here's the deal, folks, you do a commercial, you're off the artistic roll call forever, end of story ... If you do a commercial, there's a price on your head, everything you say is suspect...You know, if you're young and struggling, OK, I'll look the other way. Still, you do a commercial and you're off the artistic roll call forever and that goes for everyone ... except Willie Nelson. With a $30 million dollar tax debt, Willie's pockets were a little deeper than the rest of ours."
I have included a video of the advert below for anyone reading this not in the UK who may not have the foggiest what I'm on about. For the rest of you - don't watch this shite (it's rammed down your throat anyway).

However despite my chagrin that the VF sold out and had climbed the ladder to become suckers of Satan's scaly black pecker (yes another Bill Hicks quote - I keep doing them but I can't help it, honestly) I then found out that the song had been used in a Wendy's (the burger chain) advert beforehand. Yet, just as I thought all hope was lost I saw a comment by Violent Femmes' bassist Brian Ritchie, in reply to a blog that shares my disgust  of such a great song being 'prostituted'.

Feb. 22, 2007, 1:51 a.m.
For the fans who rightfully are complaining about the Wendy's burger advertisement featuring Blister in the Sun. Gordon Gano is the publisher of the song and Warners is the record company. When they agree to use it there's nothing the rest of the band can do about it, because we don't own the song or the recording. That's showbiz. Therefore when you see dubious or in this case disgusting uses of our music you can thank the greed, insensitivity and poor taste of Gordon Gano. It is his karma that he lost his songwriting ability many years ago, probably due to his own lack of self-respect as his willingness to prostitute our songs demonstrates. Neither Gordon (vegetarian) nor me (gourmet) eat garbage like Wendy's burgers. I can't endorse them because I disagree with corporate food on culinary, political, health, economic and environmental grounds. However I see my life's work trivialized at the hands of my business partner over and over again, although I have raised my objections numerous times. As disgusted as you are I am moreso.
Sincerely,
Brian Ritchie

I could not have put it better.
Unfortunately whilst trying to locate the Fosters advert (above) I had the misfortune to view this complete piece of shite, which is trying to sell Fosters to the Aussie's (hint: they do not drink this fizzy piss water).

It is truly an utterly appalling advert. It tries to be all 'matey' but it's just an advertising exec trying to appeal to patriotic sensibilities and failing miserably. I was born Down Under and I'm offended by this bollocks. It starts by trying to dispel the myths of Aussie's being crocodile wrestling, Kangaroo pet owning and then tries to build into a patriotic fervour. Mash Up DJ Wax Audio who I have mentioned in previous posts commented:

We're not racist in Australia BUT... when we gather in drunken mobs of 5000 to bash "lebs and wogs" in "defence" of our beaches it's OK for Alan Jones (Sydney's number one shock-jock) to spur them on - especially when the country's top politicians back him up. The message to these "middle eastern grubs" is simple: "I come from the land down under, you better run, you better take cover".

After viewing this advert and the type of people it is trying to appeal to (despite the 'normal' looking bloke at the end) I would suggest that the drunken mob, could, very possibly have been drinking Fosters.
Is this the kind of Australia that John Howard created whilst he bent over to take George W's wiener?
No wonders Australians couldn't give a XXXX for Fosters!
Blister in the Sun

Imagine This

Just do yourself a favour and listen to this Mash-Up. Titled Imagine This 'sung' by none other than The Zealous Fanatical Chimp in the Whitehouse (a.k.a. George Dubbya Bush). It's a delightful mash up of Imagine and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon with cut speeches by the leader of the serf world. Yoko Ono even approves of this (I'm being serious here).The video is below:



I'd also recommend listening to WIPED OFF THE MAP which a year on is more apt than ever since the media are intent on us commiting mass genocide on another nation in the name of Operation Iranian Liberation.

Both tracks are by Wax Audio a Mash-Up artist who does a cracking mix of political stuff such as these examples and downright party mixes that are just amazing (Maiden Goes to Hollywood being an epic). At first you are incredulous at the absurdity and audacity but then it kicks in and you have a stupid grin creep up your face.
Anyway back to Iran, I'll leave it to Wax Audio to sum up:

'On October 26th, 2005, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad quoted the late Ayatollah Khomeini's statement: "this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the page of time", a comment that was immediately seized upon by the western media and wrongly translated as "Israel should be wiped off the map". Before long the story became everything from Iran is "the most dangerous country in the world " to "Ahmadinejad is the worst tyrant since Hitler " who plans to "kill every Jew in the Middle East" and "wipe Israel ...and frankly the United States off the map". And if all that ain't enough to get you behind Bush's plans to start yet another war, it seems that all this was prophesised in Ezekiel: 38 - "raining upon the enemies of Israel the fire and brimstone from Heaven".
News to you? Tune in and see what you've been missing . The track closes with the lonely voice of George Galloway MP, setting the record straight. Read more here.'

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.