†FROM DJ PAUL V. This week we bend the rules a little. But it's a teaching moment, about pop culture zeitgeist. In this case, we can only be talking about Lady Gaga, whose Bad Romancemusic video was everywhere last week. And let's face it: We would be lost without our friends posting cool-ass links and videos on our Facebook walls. Plus nowadays, pop culture moves at warp speed, and if you can imagine it, chances are it'll be viral within days. So this story goes like this: First, there was Christopher Walken's spoken-word interprolation of Poker Face from UK TV (already remixed), then Cartman's sweet Rock Band rendition on South Park. And just as I was wishing someone would make a mega money-shot collaboration of all three, Mastgrr & HatPerson got to mashin' and mixin' on not only a great track, but a seriously fetching video. And I'm gaga over it!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. One of the joys in finding a great bootleg is when it uses an artist or singer you love, who doesn't get mashed all that often. It makes the pairing all the more heightened. That artist this week is Bob Marley, whose always uplifting Is This Love? works like an absolute charm paired with another fave, Kids by MGMT. You'd probably never envision reggae meeting electro-indie rock, but producer Xaphoon Jones (mastermind of Philly's Chiddy Bang crew, who themselves dropped their original rap over Kids earlier this year) takes these two disparate sources and jams it irie. You can peep this and other mashes with Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Clipse & more on his new mixtape.
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Last night, I got to see one of my new wave hero bands - DEVO - play their seminal 1980 Freedom Of Choice album, live in its entirety. And they were beyond fun and amazing. Before they came on, they played three of their ground-breaking videos from the disc, including their biggest hit, Whip It. And I sat there thinking: 'This was like so totally subversive for early 80's MTV' - yet we all remember that video by heart. So in honor of Devo and club Bootie creators A plus D, it's a double-whammy of a mashup this week. You get to satiate your desire to pogo around the room to Devo, and do the stanky leg with GS Boyz. Watch just how silly Akron, OH meeting the Dirty South can be in the video, too:
PS to my LA peeps: Speaking of Bootie LA, I'm DJing with A+D this Saturday night, November 7th at The Echoplex. And for the first time ever, it's 'Mashup Request Night' - where you can write down your favorite mashups or artists on our clipboard, and we'll play your request. Or, you can twitter requests live from the dancefloor to @clubbootie!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. A couple years ago, when I was making my Smash-O-Ween mixes, I got an email from a guy named Steve Heffner, saying - 'I made a Halloween megamix. Hope ya like it'. Not only did I like it, I was totally floored by how amazing it was! It turns out Steve is a professional film sound editor and he does remixes and mashups as a hobby. But with those pro skills he was able to craft a mix that not only sounds impeccable, it literally features the creme de la creme of scary movies: The Exorcist, Carrie, The Fog, Halloween, Psycho and dozens more, with both dialogue and music. So ... can you name them all?
†FROM DJ PAUL V. I have two confessions: 1) I pretty much can't stand Miley Cyrus 2) I wanna kill myself every time I find myself singing along to Party In The USA when it comes on in the car! Luckily, no one has caught me doing this yet, so my cred is spared. But aw hell - a hit song is a hit song, right? So I was immediately thrilled when this Hathbanger mashup featuring the late, great Notorious B.I.G. started buzzing around the internets this week. They're probably the last two people who would ever collaborate in real life, which makes it even more delicious. Along with Biggie's NSFW rap dirtying up the teen tart's squeaky clean image. All I know is, I want everyone to catch me crankin' this one loud in my car!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. It was quite a summer for concerts here in Los Angeles, especially when it came to female icons: Grace Jones, Liza Minnelli, and capping it all off last weekend - Kylie Minogue in her first-ever US tour! So this week's mashup gets you dancing with Love At First Sight, but also tips its hat to UK upstarts La Roux, and even a little bit of Gwen Stefani (who celebrated her 40th birthday last weekend). See how it all ties together? This disco-worthy nugget was spit-polished by Danish bootlegger Marc Johnce, who updated the original mashup by his pal, Deep/Blk. Nice teamwork, fellas!
PS to my LA peeps: This Saturday night October 10th, Dragstrip 66 officially kicks off the Halloween season with All About Evil Dead at The Echoplex. I'm DJing, and our living-dead idols will drag you to hell! And speaking of La Roux, we're giving away their CD along with the fabulous new disc from Noisettes. Check the invite on Facebook here.
†FROM DJ PAUL V. As you all know, I've been a part of the club called Bootie LA, but this past weekend, I got to make my DJ debut where it all started, at Bootie in San Francisco. And when I tell ya it was off the hook, amazing, unbelievable, and beyond wild - it's an understatement! So this week we give extra kudos to the club's creators, Adrian & Mysterious D (A+D), who've just concocted a brand new party-starter called Krazy Day 'N Nite. And y'all know when Pitbull and Lil' Jon get on the mic, everyone's poppin' and going crazy. Throw in the very hot Kid Cudi - as remixed by Crookers - and you've sealed the dance floor deal!
PS to my LA peeps: Come experience the blast known as Bootie LA, this Saturday October 3rd at The Echoplex in Echo Park. I'm on the decks with A+D, R.A.I.D. is in the Midnight Mashup Show, & electro-indie DJ's The Illuminoids are our special guests!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. OK, we've featured some fantastic mashups in the past. The best of the best, really. But I think I can honestly say that this week's track is approaching amazeballs and features three stellar artists. Kings Of Leon's Sex On Fire will never stop burning bright unto itself but meshed with Spaceman from The Killers, and snatches of T-Rex's Bang A Gong, it becomes a whole new beast of jump-in-the-air rock goodness. Much kudos to Indy's Lasso The Moon for crafting such a smooth & fiercely infectious blend. You can find this (along with more A+ mashups) in the Top 10 on the Bootie Blog.
PS to my SF peeps: Y'all know that the Bootie club brand was born in San Francisco, and this Saturday (September 26th) it's a special Folsom St. Fair edition of Bootie SF (at DNA Lounge) and I'll be making my DJ debut! Along with A+D, LA's DJ Shyboy & Rawburt, & Seattle's King Of Pants. Plus the awesome Smash Up Derby, live. Join me!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. This week's mashup is a 'lighters up' moment. Back in the day, I would stare at the flaming guitar spaceship artwork of Boston's debut album, and get totally lost in the soaring heights of singer Brad Delp's pipes (RIP). Yes, I was most likely kinda high, but it wouldn't have mattered, 'cuz More Than A Feeling is still a guilty pleasure of awesomeness. And who knows ... maybe Will.I.Am did the same thing in his dad's crib, as I Got A Feeling sure sounds more than inspired by those classic chords. Dutch producer Mad Mix Mustang drops yet another fierce blend, cutting up Boston's classic rock hit and pairing it with Black Eyed Peas' ubiquitous summer hit - It's a masterpiece of epic, danceable proportions!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. I'm so happy this week, because I FINALLY buckled down and made my own new mashup! I am totally in love with the new Amanda Blank CD, and when I stumbled across the acapella of Might Like You Better online, I knew I had to get to work on something. Then I found an old acapella of a UK group called Bad Cabbage, whose only claim to fame was a '03 single called You're Rude, Get F*cked. Now, I don't find Amanda Blank rude at all, but her lyrics about wanting to sleep around made for a dirty little call and response with the Bad Cabbage. I set it all the electrolicious smash music of Ghosts 'N Stuff by Deadmau5 (pronounced Deadmouse). Play it loud & horny but it's definitely NSFW!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. This week's mashup is all about the dance floor, and gettin' the party started! Los Angeles' own DJ Axel was last featured here with his awesome Push It Fergasonic track (which has
since gone on to be a legally sanctioned mashup used on the 17 Again film soundtrack). This time, Cheryl Lynn's always smile-inducing Got To Be Real gets to lean back with Fat Joe and Nelly, making for a streetwise, pop-locking, bum-shakin' good time! Both these mashups can be found on Axel's fantastic Breakin' The Law mix CD.
PS I've got two great DJ gigs going on this weekend. First, this Saturday September 5th it's Bootie LA at The Echoplex, featuring DJ Axel and Anna Konda as Lady Gaga! Then on Sunday September 6th, Swagger relaunches at El Cid in Silver Lake. Come on down!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. We've featured the extremely talented DJ Earworm many times here in the past, and it looks like he's headed for even bigger things. Annie Lennox herself commissioned him to dive deep into her solo tracks, and construct something beautiful, flawless and fierce. And since he was able to use her actual multi-tracks, she got all that and more! With bits of Annie faves like Why, Walking On Broken Glass, Little Bird and Sing (among others), Earworm has constructed a veritable seamless and soulful potpourri of her wonderful musical output, sounding as if she recorded the mix herself! It's all pretty danceable, too. Also catch the video below!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. This week's mashup is for all my indie rock peeps. My love for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is very deep, as is my love for Metronomy - a UK band that's yet to really make their mark here in America. But if you love melodic, and sometimes quirky rock with strings and nice beats, you should check them out. One of their most beautiful songs was their single Heartbreaker, and mixer Clive$ter upped its swoon factor 1000% by mashing it up with the always-gorgeous Maps. It's swirling yet dancey, and I'm sure Karen O. would approve! Enjoy!
PS The Sunset Junction Street Fair is this weekend, and I'm throwing a big, bangin' dance party afterwards this Saturday night 8/22 with Neon Noise - which is now at The Echoplex. I'll also be DJing the Chavolot party at El Chavo restaurant on
Sunday 8/23, from 6:30-8:30pm. If you're in my hood, come join me for some great tunes!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Fasten your seatbelts - it's gonna be a wild ride this week! I just love finding mashups like this, where a mixer seamlessly blends together so many different parts of songs - it's like punching the buttons of your favorite radio stations! Madonna, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland anchor the entire mix, but they're joined by everyone from Men At Work, Duran Duran, to Duffy and even The Muppets - plus an astounding 46 more artists & samples! Yes, there's 50 in all ... but trust me, it's all put together with sharp precision by Chris Fletcher. Not only that, he kept the track length to - you guessed it - four minutes. Listen first and see if you can ID everyone, then go peep the track listing at his website. And be sure to get Madonna a card ... she turns 51 this Sunday!
PS Speaking of Madonna's birthday (Sunday August 16th) we're going to celebrate her 'Madgesty' at Swagger with Happy Birthday, Madonna Dearest! We'll be dropping tons of Madonna's hits, and we've got Luna & Ginsburg performing as Madonna & Lourdes ... they must be seen to be believed! It all starts at 4PM at Barbarella Bar over in Silver Lake!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Let's just get this out of the way: Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'N Roll will never suck. In fact, it's clearly one of the all-time greatest songs in rock history (and it's a cover by the way, from an obscure group called The Arrows). And even though you can can mash that raw, unmistakable guitar riff and those thwacking drums with just about anything, it takes some real skills to create a whole new party-starter. And leave it to NY's Lobsterdust to do just that. As an added bonus, he went totally old-school with vocals from the first Beastie Boys disc. Speaking of which, we wish the BB's Adam "MCA" Yauch a speedy recover with his throat cancer treatment. Soon enough, he'll be able to shout this one from the rooftops, too!
PS And speaking of great cover tunes, I've got a fun bar night dedicated to playing only cover songs! It's called The Cover Up and it's every Thursday night at the very funky Stinker's Truckstop in Silver Lake. There's no cover charge, $3 shots all night, and
covered up songs from every genre and every era. Come check it out tonight!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Ya know, with so many great mashups to choose from, it's impossible to get to all of them sometimes. Plus, after tipping the glove to Michael Jackson for a few weeks back there, some boots I've been wanting to post got bumped. So now I can finally give some love to this veritable mega melange of divas from Titus Jones - who I think is the most famous (if perhaps only?) mash maker from Arkansas! Titus loves his sassy girls in the mix, and they're all here: Pat Benatar, Beyoncé, Britney, Christina Aguilera, M.I.A., and the sole appearance of some boys (3OH!3). It's a frenetic, fun, and quite rockin' affair!
PS It's time to get you LA peeps dancin' to mashups this Saturday night, as Bootie LA is back at The Echoplex. Our amazing dance troupe R.A.I.D. will be featured on stage all through the night, rockin' impromptu costumes and choreography to your fave tracks! Check them out doing Daft Prayer from last month: click here!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. It's by pure coincidence that this week's mashup is another Go Home Productions blend. But seeing as the pioneering mashup giant just released his first proper record of original tracks for free (and after taking a much too long break from bootlegging) I say he deserves the love. He did, however, also find time to whip up this brand new, absolutely bananas mash. But, back in the day he made a fantastic boot featuring Nelly Furtado and the one and only Grace Jones, and, well - I'm a slave to his rhythms. Indeed, Los Angeles is buzzing about Grace's show at The Hollywood Bowl this Sunday. I'll be there, MK will be there - along with everybody else who adores this truly pioneering artist, musician, fashionista, & diva!
PS Last week I told you about my Sunday event called SWAGGER, and this week, we're all about Grace Jones, too! Come join us at Barbarella Bar for some cocktails and hear all your favorite Grace songs before you head over to the Bowl. Anytime from 4pm on!
PPS After lots of online searching, I finally found the original version of Michael Jackson vs. Queen mashup (featured on popbytes two weeks ago) here's that .mp3.
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Remember the scene in Boogie Nights when Dirk Diggler's porn career has exploded and there's an amazing montage of all the crazy sex, drugs, 70's fashions, rollerskating, fake news interviews etc. going on? Well, they picked a perfect song to go with it ... Machine Gun by The Commodores. This instrumental slice of dirty funk (once sampled in the Beastie Boys' Hey Ladies) still boogies hard. Mixmaster Party Ben noticed it might just be inspired by the Rolling Stones' own classic, Gimme Shelter - so he decided to make a proper mashup of the two, and once again - he strikes gold! Even the Stones' dark, urgent lyrics get totally transformed into a bump-thumpin' rollerskate jam.
PS I've got a super cool new Sunday afternoon event going on called SWAGGER. It's a very Silver Lake-vibed gay/mixed affair, with cocktails, chit-chat, sweet sounds, & no cover!
It all starts at 4pm at Barbarella Bar, and this week we have those saucy, Latina crime-fighters known as Chico's Angels singing a few songs at 7:00pm. Come check it out!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. This is our last Michael Jackson mashup for awhile, but it's still one of my all-time favorite blends, created by Go Home Productions. It's one of Michael's most wonderful and joyous songs - Rock With You - set to one of Queen's most beloved and beautiful songs - Under Pressure. Yet combined, they take on a whole new meaning and poignancy, especially with some of the Queen lyrics. This week, just enjoy the video and remember Michael in that insanely sequined outfit - boots 'n all - before the pressure ensued. - RIP -
And when the groove is dead and gone, you know that love survives - Michael Jackson
And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves. This is our last dance - Queen & David Bowie
†FROM DJ PAUL V. I thought the news and current events were pretty damn crazy before the tragic and sad death of Michael Jackson, but wow ... nothing will ever top the news from June 25th. And even with MJ ruling all cable and news shows 24/7, I would be remiss to not feature him this week. While he has so many amazing, classic songs - he has almost as many mashups, it was very hard to pick just one. But I chose one featuring Britney Spears (courtesy of POMATIC) because it seems to say so much, and the pararells between these two won't go unnoticed. We all want more & more from our pop stars, almost to the point of killing them - or them slowly killing themselves. From the enablers to the drugs to the pressure of the press that picks them clean like vultures, I hope Michael's finally found his much-deserved peace.
PS It's Bootie LA at The Echoplex this Saturday, July 4th. If you're looking for some mashup fireworks on the dance floor, come join us! I'm spinning along with special guest DJ Shyboy, R.A.I.D. has another amazing dance routine at Midnight, and we'll be featuring plenty of fantastic mashes featuring Michael Jackson through the night.
