Very much like the vanilla-and-chocolate frozen yogurt swirl, when a dj combines two different records together to make a new tune, that's a mashup. Sometimes the results are horrible, like peanut butter and fish, sometimes the results are beautiful, like The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" with the Beastie Boys "Body Movin'" (sped up really fast).
Because Indie 103 rules, they've given DJ Paul V. the "Mashup Of The Day" feature and his own Friday afternoon "Smash Mix" at 5:30pm to spin the latest mashups for the people.
On Saturday Bootie LA celebrates their one-year anniversary and DJ Paul V. was good enough to provide some answers about this whole mashup thing.
LAist: First off, what was the first really cool mashup that you ever heard?
DJ Paul V.: I heard the same track that many in the bootleg world cite as one of the touchstones of the concept breaking out. It was 2002's "A Stroke Of Genie-Us" by Freelance Hellraiser (Christina Aguilera's "Genie In A Bottle" vocal over The Strokes "Hard To Explain"). My jaw dropped the first time I heard it, and my crowds loved it immediately.
LAist: How have the music publishers reacted to mashups?
DJ Paul V.:Since the mashup/bootleg community basically doesn't sell their mixes, the artists, labels & publishers are generally chill, aside from a few 'cease & desist' demands. And actually, I'm pretty sure all involved are secretly thrilled their tracks got mashed, 'cuz it's totally free and new hype for the artists involved.
LAist: Do you think mashups are a fad, or something that will eventually be its own genre?
DJ Paul V.: Mashups are definitely not a fad, and are already their own genre. The pioneers planted this seed decades ago, and as long as new songs get made (which is never-ending), someone someplace will have the idea and skills to mash them up. The scene will always keep changing and evolving - just like the tracks themselves do.
LAist: Two of my favorite mashups is Eminem's "Guess Who's Back" over the hook of Billy Joel's "Allentown" and Snoop Dogg's "Drop it Like it's Hot" over Zep's "Whole Lotta Love" because it makes me not only totally love those songs again, but now for different reasons, in fact i now hear new things in the originals -- is that one of the points of mashups?
DJ Paul V.: You nailed it. That's a huge element of the excitement in hearing great mashups. For me, as a DJ who's spun songs in clubs for over 20 years, having constant reincarnations of every genre of music the crowds always love hearing is like a godsend. 'Cuz if I'm bored, so is the crowd! Plus, the best mixes/ideas prove how much current pop music keeps eating and swallowing the past. Mashups spit them back out with a brand new wardrobe.
LAist: Who are the mashup kings right now?
DJ Paul V.: Ooh, here's the hard question -- there's so much talent out there! But for always consistent, diverse, and extremely well crafted mixes, my top mashers would be Party Ben, Go Home Productions, Team 9, A+D, & Aggro1. Of the newer cats doing great stuff, I'd cite Arty Fufkin, DJ Moule, & DJ Schmolli. Oh, and that Girl Talk project that just came out is completely mind-blowing.
LAist: Name three really good mashups that are out right now and that you'll be spinning at the Echo on the first?
DJ Paul V.: I'm really digging DJ Schmolli's Gwen Stefani "Crash" vs. Blur "Song 2" mix, Party Ben's "Fascinated By Gold" (Yeah Yeah Yeah's vs. Company B). And Disfunctional DJ's "You're The One That I Want In The Next Episode" (Travolta + ONJ vs. Snoop + Dr. Dre) isn't brand new, but everyone at Bootie still loses their panties when we drop that. And that's what we do best at Bootie - spinning only the hottest, dancefloor, panty-drop tracks for the shaking masses!
