We'll leave it to the critics to argue the finer points of the mashup on Wikipedia (even though we must say that we don't always agree with that particular article right there). But even the broadest definition accepts that the mashup is just about ten years old. So what a great time to be at the head of "Mashup Retro", a label we've just created right now! Here's just a taste to start you off.
After the jump, you'll see a bunch of really cool videos that cover a bunch of really cool styles, hopefully proving to you just what it is that we love about the glorious final boss of pop... the mashup!
Radiohead vs Dave Brubeck – Five Step (mashup by Overdub)
We start here to illustrate how mashups can work best when they're crossing genres, exploding the myth that music is made from easily marketable compartments and that the genres must be kept from touching at all costs, like the peas and mashed potatoes belonging to a small, fussy child. That's right, jazz snobs. You are the small fussy child in this scenario. Now eat your peas.
Rolling Stones vs. Mogwai & Tocodisco – Gimme Shelter Freaks ( DJ Earworm Mash-Up)
A band that started with blues and nearly ended with disco, the career of the (pre-Steel Wheels) Rolling Stones was practically a mashup spread over two decades anyway. It’s not too hard to imagine this song as the closer to one of their over-the-top stadium shows. And why isn’t the amazing Merry Clayton in sampled more often?
The B-52’s Vs. Donna Summer – I Feel Love Shack (Matt Mix)
Because dance music is the mashup’s natural element, it’s only fair we include at least one 100% pure party music song. We also believe that, if anyone had asked them, Donna Summer and the B-52s might have been happy to record this track themselves.
Let It Be Me – Shaggy Vs Beatles
Here we’ve got an example of how two pretty good pop songs can be assembled into something even better for both of them. Yes, yes, we know, many people feel the Beatles are sacred, but you’ll just have to accept that if hip hop had been around in the Sixties, it would have been featured on at least one track of the White Album.
Goldigger + Beethoven’s 5th Video Mashup
Of course, one of the strengths of the mashup is how it can actually bite the hand that feeds it. Something like this is almost an indictment of the original songs… and yet, it’s just so catchy!
Pjanoo Dance (Bowie vs Prydz) mashup by Dunproofin/video by Instamatic
Sharp, danceable, essentially well blended, and the videos even sync up. Can we go ahead and call this one the perfect mashup? Well, we were, until we found this…
Rick Astley vs Nine Inch Nails – The Hand That Gives You Up (BRAT Mashup)
As Louie Armstrong once said, "If you have to ask, you’ll never know."
In case you haven't guessed from previous posts, all of us Woot writers are music fiends, so we're always on the prowl for good mashups. Know any that we missed? Hook us up in the comments below!
