Mash-ups is actually a musical term (think of it as fanfic for music). You'd take one song and use it as a backbone. Then, you edit samples of other songs into that backbone song. The end result is song that's completely different from the original. The problem with mash-ups is that they're illegal, which is why they're not not all over the radio. You either have to go into the clubs and hear it live, or you have to get it from the Internet.
How illegal are they? A bunch of mash-up artists decided to remake Green Day's American Idiot CD and released it on the Internet as American Edit. Now, Green Day itself heard American Edit and, according to Billy Joe Armstrong, they liked what they heard. However, they don't get a say in okaying the use of American Idiot in a mash-up. Their record company, despite the fact that Green Day said they liked the mash-up of their CD and had no problem with it being used that way, squashed it using a C&D, and the whole thing had to go underground (or as underground online as you can get if you're Google-fu is strong).
I have links to the American Edit album. I think those download links are still live, although the American Idiot download links are dead since they've expired. Here's the link on my LJ that'll get you to the American Edit mash-up: http://liz-marcs.livejournal.com/184684.html
That said, some artists (rap artists especially) have started releasing "street tapes" (i.e., CDs that are sold out of the trunk of someone's car at concerts) that are mash-up ready where the vocals and accompanying music are on separate tracks. Jay-Z did this, and someone put out a whole CD where Jay-Z was mashed-up with various Weezer tunes (that one is surprisingly good).
Another famous mash-up is The Grey Album by Dangermouse, which is a mash-up of the Beatles' White Album with various rap artists. Night at Hip-Hop Hopera by the Kleptones, which mashes up Queen's Night at the Opera with various rap artists and ambient noise is another high-profile mash-up and probably one of the earlier ones.
Party Ben, one of the best mash-up artists out there is constantly creating new mash-ups from different songs. (His download page is here: http://partyben.com/downloads/)
The musical form itself is highly addictive. The good stuff is really good. The stuff that's not so good is really, really just noise. Just like fanfic, really.
no subject
Mash-ups is actually a musical term (think of it as fanfic for music). You'd take one song and use it as a backbone. Then, you edit samples of other songs into that backbone song. The end result is song that's completely different from the original. The problem with mash-ups is that they're illegal, which is why they're not not all over the radio. You either have to go into the clubs and hear it live, or you have to get it from the Internet.
How illegal are they? A bunch of mash-up artists decided to remake Green Day's American Idiot CD and released it on the Internet as American Edit. Now, Green Day itself heard American Edit and, according to Billy Joe Armstrong, they liked what they heard. However, they don't get a say in okaying the use of American Idiot in a mash-up. Their record company, despite the fact that Green Day said they liked the mash-up of their CD and had no problem with it being used that way, squashed it using a C&D, and the whole thing had to go underground (or as underground online as you can get if you're Google-fu is strong).
I have links to the American Edit album. I think those download links are still live, although the American Idiot download links are dead since they've expired. Here's the link on my LJ that'll get you to the American Edit mash-up: http://liz-marcs.livejournal.com/184684.html
That said, some artists (rap artists especially) have started releasing "street tapes" (i.e., CDs that are sold out of the trunk of someone's car at concerts) that are mash-up ready where the vocals and accompanying music are on separate tracks. Jay-Z did this, and someone put out a whole CD where Jay-Z was mashed-up with various Weezer tunes (that one is surprisingly good).
Another famous mash-up is The Grey Album by Dangermouse, which is a mash-up of the Beatles' White Album with various rap artists. Night at Hip-Hop Hopera by the Kleptones, which mashes up Queen's Night at the Opera with various rap artists and ambient noise is another high-profile mash-up and probably one of the earlier ones.
Party Ben, one of the best mash-up artists out there is constantly creating new mash-ups from different songs. (His download page is here: http://partyben.com/downloads/)
The musical form itself is highly addictive. The good stuff is really good. The stuff that's not so good is really, really just noise. Just like fanfic, really.