I haven’t posted any mash-ups in ages. Haven’t had any news ones for quite a while.
I’m sort of out of the loop on the whole scene, but I suspect it’s still going along. There’s a D.C. radio station that plays them late on Saturday nights and you can certainly find them on the Net. Girl Talk has gotten a bit of attention in the last year.
I still find the mash-up a very valid artform, but I find a lot of them don’t strike at the essence of the approach, at least as I see it. Possibly, you know the basics: you take Song A and combine it with Song B to create combination Song C. Mixing and matching has been going on for quite a while, but I think what made mash-ups take off around 2001 was a very specific technique. You take the vocals of Song A and lay it over the music of Song B. But you try to use two diametrically opposed songs. You don’t match Radiohead and Pulp, you match Radiohead and the Beatles. Or better yet, Britney Spears.
There are some technical considerations. You must match the beats. Often there are pitch problems with the vocals. And there are always the creative concerns of finding the pairing that not only works, but does so in a surprising fashion.
Let me point out here that, despite the fact that mash-ups utilize wholesale sampling, it’s not done in the same way that hip-hop does. First, it’s a matter of quantity. A hip-hop producer will typically use a short sample (or multiple samples) to build a new composition, and then original lyrics go on top. A mash-up producer uses only samples and combines them to create collages. They may use entire songs in the course of this construction. Second, the hip-hop producer probably doesn’t want you to know the source of the sample (as I touched on in this post). In contrast, the main reason the mash-up works is because you recognize both songs, but never thought you’d hear them combined.
For example, can you get a more disparate pairing than any hip-hop song and any Paul McCartney tune? It would be difficult. And yet, here are two examples. The first is the B-side from the new single by D.J. P, which combines Notorious B.I.G.’s “Kick in the Door” with Wings’ 1976 single “Let Em’ In.” P is known for the Uneasy Listening project he did with DJ Z-Trip. The second is an 2002 song from Go Home Productions, one of the first tracks he ever released, which puts Eminem’s “Without Me” over Wings’ “Silly Love Songs.”
In particular, note how “A Slim McShady” enhances both songs. It makes the 31-year-old McCartney composition seem more contemporary and highlights Eminem’s pop sensibilities. Great horn section, sweet melody, obscene lyrics — a recipe for magic. (By the way, both Wings songs are from the same album, Wings at the Speed of Sound. Pure craftsmanship by McCartney, without any substance. Isn’t that enough?)
Also, the Notorious B.I.G. song itself uses a sample of “I Put A Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, but you see how you’re not supposed to notice that usage specifically? Stealth mode versus in-your-face obvious.
For more on mash-ups, see this post.
D.J. P – Biggie Vs. Wings
Go Home Productions – A Slim McShady
Tags: D.J. P, Go Home Productions, Notorious B.I.G., Eminem, Paul McCartney, Wings, mash-ups