†FROM DJ PAUL V. In August 1987, Kurt Cobain was a 20-year-old living in Washington state, working at a Polynesian restaurant, and in his first band called Fecal Matter (which became Nirvana two years later). It's also when Rick Astley's ubiquitous, recently-exalted debut single was #1 on just about every pop chart. If Kurt heard the hit at the time, he probably would never imagine rolling with Rick Astley. Or maybe Rick was Kurt's favorite, ginger pop star? We'll never know, but we do know this: Smells Like Teen Spirit has been mashed more times than a farmer's crop of potatoes, yet it still kicks major ass. As for Astley, hearing Never Gonna Give You Up brings us back to a more happy-smiley era. So pairing Rick with Kurt is like striking cheesetastic bombastic gold: Kurt gets to roll and Rick gets to rock, and we all get to wear white trench coats and mousse our hair. And we can thank Bootie Berlin's DJ Morgoth for crafting this veritable internet sensation. Achtung, indeed!
PS to my LA peeps: Speaking of DJ Morgoth, he's our special guest DJ at Bootie LA, this Saturday, March 6th at The Echoplex. He'll be dropping his uniquely rockin' mashes along with myself, Adrian, & Mysterious D. We've got our dance crew R.A.I.D. whipping up another fabtastic dance routine - AND, you can win tickets to see Little Boots with Dragonette next week at The El Rey (I'll be DJing that show, too!) Come join us!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Looking back through rock 'n roll history, it's kind of shocking that David Bowie has never collaborated or worked with Roxy Music, and/or their singer Bryan Ferry. I mean, they're both all British-suave and eclectic, and sure love the use of horns in their music. The closest six degrees of separation would be Amanda Lear, who dated Ferry and appeared on the cover of Roxy Music's For Your Pleasure album. She then went on to date Bowie too and collaborate with him (out of the bedroom, I mean). So leave it to the fertile mind of NYC's DJ Lobsterdust to finally bring them together, using both of their biggest hits to create a glam-tastic blend where the dance is the drug. So go on ... put on your red shoes!
† Download DJ Lobsterdust's Dance Is The Drug† [.mp3 / 6.5mb / right click, save link as ...]
†FROM DJ PAUL V. If you come here to grab the new mashups, you probably noticed I don't feature many tracks with rap or hip-hop vocals. It's not because I don't like either, it's because many of them don't offer much artistry or push the mashup genre to another level. It doesn't mean they're bad, but I want y'all to hear the mashes that I think offer something a little bit extra. Now having said all that, this week's mashup features Yung Joc's It's Goin' Down rap set to Fireflies, the twee and sparkly breakout smash by Owl City. And that's what I love about this blend: that the super talented fellas of The White Panda used an unexpected pop hit and created something slick, sweet, 'n street. And I believe this is the first mashup to use this music, so extra points there, too. Enjoy more goodies from The White Panda here.
† Download The White Panda's Fireflies Goin' Down† [.mp3 / 8.2mb / right click, save link as ...]
†FROM DJ PAUL V. As you know, I've been around long enough to be a big fan of late 70's rock. At the time back in Jr. High, if I had disclosed my dual love of dance music during the Disco Sucks! backlash that was going on, I would've been walking around with perpetual wedgies. Before Foreigner ruled the Top 40 in the early-80's with their syrupy ballads, they were definitely one of the go-to bands on my hard rock list - so when I find a mashup with them, well, I must feature it! Double Vision was the title track of their 2nd album and a #2 charting single in 1978. Providing the rave-tastic music is Glasgow's Calvin Harris, with the aptly-titled Flashback track from his latest CD. Again, we feature Germany's Marc Johnce, who keeps flooring me with his butter-smooth mashing skills & eclectic artist/source choices.
† Download Marc Johnce's Double Flashback Vision† [.mp3 / 8.3mb / right click, save link as ...]
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Now that the dust has settled from the Grammy Awards, I think we can all agree: most of the awards are a total joke (or worse, a complete embarrassment). Lady Gaga was robbed of many she deserved, Jamie Foxx needs to stop singing period and Taylor Swift - who I can admire for her young talent and knack for banal pop songs - owes Stevie Nicks an in-key apology! But having said that, some of the other performances completely wowed me! So I'm gonna throw some props to Beyoncé, 'cuz girlfriend turned it OUT on stage. And when I discovered this new mashup featuring an 80's gem - A-Ha's Take On Me and Mrs. Hova's Halo, I knew it would be perfect this week. The French bootleggers continue their winning streak, this time courtesy of Mighty Mike - and a mighty fine mash this is!
† Download Mighty Mike's A-Halo† [.mp3 / 9.4mb / right click, save link as ...]
PS to my LA peeps: It's time for Bootie LA at The Echoplex, this Saturday night, Feb. 6th. I'm spinning the hottest mashups with Adrian & Mysterious D, we have special guest DJs Slash/Fiction, R.A.I.D. will do another fab dance routine, and we'll be welcoming back Shunda K (of Yo! Majesty fame) to perform TWO live mashups - Come dance 'n party!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. We all know how well the Germans are at making cars, beer, bratwurst and apple strudel. Add to the list - great mashups! Between them (and their Austrian neighbors), we're up to our teeth with enough great bootlegs to fill Anne Frank's diary. This week's mash is a mega combo featuring Daft Punk, Lenny Kravitz, Jet, Hard-Fi, Maroon 5, Fort Minor, and Boomfunk MC's - whew! But not to worry, as the mix is as shiny 'n tight as Lederhosen. It comes from our Bootie Berlin boys known as Mashup-Germany, and more exactly a guy named Ben Stilller (yes, with 3 L's). Turn it up and spread your wings!
† Download Mashup-Germany's I Want To Get Away† [.mp3 / 7.6mb / right click, save link as ...]
†FROM DJ PAUL V. This week's mashup is a smokin' hot blend that dropped right around Christmas, and I think with my own holiday distraction going on, I missed posting it. D'oh! But we can all consider this the best gift we got, just a little late. It's also been way too long since we featured something new from topcat mashmaker Party Ben. This little jam begs for you to feel the hot pants electro-funk by pairing up Simian Mobile Disco with classic Rufus. On the mic for SMD is the one and only Beth Ditto (from The Gossip) on their last single called Cruel Intentions, and of course, Miss Chaka Khan holding it down with Rufus on Ain't Nobody. The results make for a fierce, rarin' to go rump shaker!
† Download Party Ben's Nobody's Intentions† [.mp3 / 8.4mb / right click, save link as ...]
†FROM DJ PAUL V. This week we post the very first mashup of who looks to be the first breakout pop star of 2010 - Ke$ha. She's been everywhere lately, with her first number one single, and a debut CD that moved a boatload of copies last week! That's not to say she's without her detractors, especially in the press - who've noted she's totally copped Uffie's rhyming style and will do anything to get noticed. Some have dubbed her style "skank pop" and it doesn't help that her idea of having fun is brushing her teeth with 'Jack Daniels'. Back in the more innocent early 80's, Cyndi Lauper had some partytime fun, too - but her biggest sin was infuriating some over-protective parents with her misguided fashion sense. So the dichotomy of then vs. now is interesting, and DJ Jay R (aka C.H.A.O.S. Productions) gets extra points for clocking this new generation gap into a fabulous, smile-inducing jam!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Happy 2010, y'all! Sorry for being tardy for the party with this week's mashup, but I'm knee-deep in details about my other party, Dragstrip 66 (more on that below). But we're gonna kick off the new year & new decade with a superb mashup that mixes something a little old, and something kind of new. And luckily for me, it features two bands I adore. The old part is from KISS, and their rump-shaking I Was Made For Loving You (which when released in late 1978, some fans feared they'd 'jumped the shark' by hopping on the disco fever bandwagon.) Me, I dug it then and I dug it now. And the new part comes from one of my all-time fave current bands The Gossip, and their fierce Heavy Cross. Sweden's Copycat draws perfect parallel lines from the disco-rock of yore, to the indie-dance of now. Check this more on the very tasty Culture Bully2009 Mashed collection.
PS to my LA peeps: I mentioned my club Dragstrip 66, which has been going on in the LA underground for 17 years now! Each one has a theme, folks dress in drag and masquerade, and it's super fun. But this Saturday, it's the final one - and the theme is Hats All, Folks! We've also got two great drag shows, with Jackie Beat at 12:30AM. The LA Times wrote a really fantastic sendoff for us, so check it out it out here. And a great gallery is here.
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Well, here we are - mashing it up on the last day of 2009. Not only do you get this brand new mashup (which is literally hot off the presses) but you get my picks for the best of the year, the best of the entire decade, and the link to download all 20+ tracks from the Best Of Bootie 2009 CD (see below) and you thought Christmas was last week - ha! But as for this last mashup of '09, how could it NOT feature Lady Gaga, who pretty much owned our collective asses all year - on the radio, on the dance floor, and in concert. She kept us on the edge of our seats in excitement, wondering: What's she gonna do next? And the answer was the instantly infectious Bad Romance - now made twice as fab when paired with the always-bitchin' Don't You Want Me from The Human League - whipped up by SF's Bootie club creators and masher extraordinaires, A plus D. Ra Ra, Ooh La La!
†MASHUP OF THE YEAR There were some pretty mofo fantastic mashups made in 2009. But I gotta tell ya, this melding of Boston with the Black Eyed Peas truly bowled everybody over - from fellow mashup makers to everyone on the dance floor. It actually - still - gives me goosebumps when I hear it. Major kudos to Dutch bootleger Mad Mix Mustang for this flawless mix!
†MASHUP OF THE DECADE
You're probably thinking how could someone possibly pick the best mashup of an entire
decade - because trust me, there's 100's and 100's of bootlegs that blew me away over
the last 10 years. But interestingly enough, it was one of very first mashups ever that totes
wears the crown: The Freelance Hellraiser's A Stroke Of Genie-Us, which is Christina Aguilera vs. The Strokes. Personally, I got this track on a promo CD in the Fall of 2001 (the word 'mashup' wasn't even coined yet) and while my jaw kind of dropped over its odd musicality, I loved it! I played it at various DJ gigs, and everyone danced to it. And it inspired me - and seriously 1000's of other people - to dive head-first into this exciting new phenomenon known as 'bastard pop' or 'mashups'. But, it also proved how completely opposite bands or artists can be digitally married, with a result that's way better than the sums of its parts - which all great mashups achieve. I'm definitely not alone in citing this track, and in fact, the Guardian UK was shrewd enough to do the same. So from this 2001 classic, to mashups now ruling Glee - let's all salute The Freelance Hellraiser!
And now, just 'cuz I loves ya - here's the link to download the Best Of Bootie 2009
CD & artwork, featuring 20+ of the most awesomest mashups created this year, including Mad Mix Mustang's, and the best of the rest that shook dance floors across the globe for the past 365 days. Pop this continuous-mix CD on at your next party, and you'll be a star!
Speaking of packed dance floors that shake to mashups, if you're in Los Angeles, please
come join us tonight - New Year's Eve - for Bootie LA at The Echoplex! I'm spinning with DJ Shyboy & DJ Axel, R.A.I.D. & Purple Crush are performing, we'll have a great photo-booth to snap you. AND cover is only $10 till 10pm, then only $20 after that. Plus, free copies of the Bootie CD for the first 300 through the door. I'd love to see you there!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. I guess we've been kind of lax doing holiday themed mashups this season, eh? Truth is, 2009 saw a lack of new but classic Christmas mashes. But it's cool, 'cuz it means we can link to a track that still has that Santastic aura to it, and somehow feels even more poignant this year. Hard to believe, but we lost John Lennon 29 years ago this month, and of course our biggest loss of this, well, decade - Michael Jackson. For sure, both of them sought peace through their words and their actions. John's personal greeting at the top of this, and Michael's soaring voice throughout, just makes for a truly special listen. Many kudos to DJ BC for this perennial warm & beautiful blend. Enjoy the video too.
PS Next week, we'll post the last new - and hot of the presses - mashup for 2009, my pick for Mashup Of The Year, and a bigger nod to the Mashup Of The Decade! Plus links to free downloads from the Best Of Bootie 2009 CD. Be here!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Depending on where you live (unless you're in Australia), you're most likely wishing to be in a warmer locale during these cold winter months. How about Cancun - sipping piña coladas and wearing some flip-flops? Or perhaps Louboutins? 'Cuz here's Jennifer Lopez on the island, still trying to prove she's just Jenny from the block. Paul McCartney is here, too - leading the children with his Wonderful Christmastime and Pipes Of Peace. It's Blondie's version of The Tide Is High that adds the warm-as-roasted-chestnuts backbeat, whisking us off to some sunshine! Even if Go Home Productions made this last year, we didn't get to feature it then - plus it's included on the new Very Bootie Christmas 2 CD, which you can grab here. As a bonus stocking stuffer, Santa delivered the video, too!
PS TO MY LA PEEPS If you wanna experience an end of 2009 blowout mashup party, we decided to do Bootie LA on New Years Eve this year with a Bootleg Ball! I'm spinning, along with DJ Shyboy and DJ Axel, plus performances from R.A.I.D. and Purple Crush!
So please come join us at The Echoplex on Thursday 12/31/09 ... as we mash you into 2010!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. Is anyone feeling the new Rihanna CD? I'm kinda not - at least from what I've heard so far. And while I don't wanna hold her up to the scrutiny of the mega Good Girl Gone Bad, there's no denying how superior those tracks were. Which leads me to this week's dilemma: I have two fabulous mashups, both featuring Sniff 'N The Tears' Driver's Seat (a longtime fave track of mine from since 1978, and now covered in the Lincoln car commercials), and Rihanna! Except it's two different Rihanna tracks - and both Disturbia and Please Don't Stop The Music work flawlessly. Marc Johnce (a Popbytes regular) made Driver's Disturbia and Mash2Mix made Don't Stop Apologize (which features some One Republic and a bit of Oasis). So here they, are all revved up together!
†FROM DJ PAUL V. It's so cool that great mashups come from literally every corner of this big blue marble we live on. This week, Brazil is in the house with DJ Faroff, who always surprises us with his diverse source material and ease of mixing skills. He's got so many great bootlegs to choose from, but I picked my fave simple one. It's The Beatles' Get Back, made all indie-chunky with LCD Soundsystem's Daft Punk Is Playing At My House. Thrown in for good measure is a little taste of The Kinks too. It's the kind of era-meshing jam you and your parents can dig together - as long as they're as hip to the cowbell as you are.
PS to my LA peeps: DJ Faroff will be making his Bootie LA debut this Saturday 12/5 at The Echoplex, with an all-video mashup set! It's our Holiday Mashup Party too, and we've got our dance crew R.A.I.D. at Midnight, and lots of free CDs for you! Join us & wear a Santa hat! Click here to see a patron's crazy fun review of Bootie LA!
†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.
