The fight for diverse and conscious voices

Interesting watching the chatter stream light up as we felt the 5.9 quake that hit VA this afternoon.

http://www.last.fm/music/Kelly+Rowland/_/Work+(Freemasons+Radio+Edit)
Kelly Rowland has been doing pretty much the same style of music that she did with Destiny's Child since she left. That's not bad, but it hasn't raised to the level of notice. Her voice is OK, but it's autotuned a lot and she's trying too hard to get by on her considerable good looks. If you doubt, just watch the vid - she can't actually dance but she sure can pose. With all that, why link? Well this isn't just her tune, it's a Freemasons (http://www.myspace.com/freemasons) remix that takes a standard pop song and mixes in some interesting bhangra riffs at high BPM. Now that is interesting.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/08/miguel-migs-ft-evelyn-champagne-king-everybody-kid-who-italo-dub.html
A nice long-form tech-dub track from Miguel Migs. It's listed as "featuring Evelyn “Champagne” King" but she doesn't make that big of an appearance. This is good motivation music for playing in the background when you want to get chores done - moves without distracting.

http://bootiemashup.com/top10/jun2011/Express%20This%20Way%20Remix%20(Bootie%20Exclusive).mp3
A few days after Gaga released "Born This Way" DJ Tripp put out a remix of the track with the Madonna classic "Express Yourself". Now he's redone it with a little more thought and a few more effects. The basic formula is still the same - a duet that shows off some of the best bits of both tracks and shows just how much Gaga is copying. This one focuses less on the copy aspects and more on constructing a fuzz-edged disco stomper.

http://bootiemashup.com/top10/jun2011/dj-schmolli---sweet-sweet-dreams-eurythmics-vs.-recover-project-la-bouche.mp3
I've been hot and cold on Schmolli's efforts this year to break out of his signature style. This one is hot, building on two same-named tunes "Sweet Dreams." One is the Eurythmics standard - and we don't hear a lot of Eurythmics in mashes, sadly - and the other is a little-known Eurodance track. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aPTDxl37Vs - some nice eye candy there but not really the most memorable of musical efforts.

http://bootiemashup.com/top10/jun2011/the_reborn_identity_-_friday_night_in_a_and_e.mp3
The Reborn Identity do a really nice job mashing up a Smiths classic with a new track from Morning Parade, who are described as an "up and coming Brit indie band" - new to me anyway. Like the Eurythmics, the Smiths do not get used in a lot of mashes. Here they get sped up quite a bit and yet it still works.

http://bootiemashup.com/top10/jun2011/marc-johnce---word-up-this-way-lady-gaga-vs.-korn-vs.-cameo.mp3
Someone shoot me - I've linked to two Gaga mashes, in one post. I still want to be done with her, but this one deserves mention. Marc Johnce - who managed to make a palatable Perry mash, too - puts together Gaga and Korn. Yes, that Korn. I have no idea what he was drinking when he came up with this plan, but damned if it doesn't work. There's some Cameo thrown in there, but what you really have here is a metal-dance combo of the two main tracks. That shouldn't be possible, yet here it is.

Making up some hours I missed yesterday, waiting for a call, listening to tunes. Here, let me share:

http://viprhealthcare.typepad.com/files/dj-tripp---dynamite-pressure-queen-david-bowie-vs.-taio-cruz.mp3
I have a soft spot for mixes that use the original Bowie/Mercury "Under Pressure" track, and not just the hook. This one, from DJ Tripp, does a fine job using Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpGgBYeOgi0) which is a passable hip-hop dance tune on its own. The mix is superior, natch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OejYG4IEUl8
I've been meaning to blog this one for a while - I snatched it out of a DJ Steveboy mix some time ago. Cevin Fisher's track "We Re the Lucky Ones (Original Mix Edit)" is shamelessly ripping off Enya and blending it with some hard house thumps. But actually, that's OK. Enya on her own is sadly overdone and it's nice to see the tune re-freshened in a different context.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKczpz0RdQQ
Also in the beautiful vocals department is Zara Taylor (http://www.myspace.com/zarataylor) who appears hear on Sunlounger's "Lost (Dance Mix)". It's a standard vocal-trance track, but I like her voice enough that it has been on repeat play for a while and I'm going off to check out more of her work. Like a lot of vocal trance, it has lyrics that can verge on sappy, but I think they both carry it off well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15uFb2wjxjg&feature=player_embedded
While we're on the subject of sappy lyrics, here, have some male vocal/piano duet beauty. HURTS (http://www.myspace.com/ithurts) remind me of nothing so much as a modern Tears For Fears with the serious affect and the Euro-mod hair and clothing. That can be good or bad, I suppose, depending on your preferences. I recommend checking out some of their other videos from the Suggestions on the YouTube page. They appear to do a kicking live show.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Frankie_Rose/track/Candy_Le_Chev_Remix
Finally, a band that's harder to pin down. On the surface Frankie Rose owes a lot to the 'girl bands' that preceded them, including The Bangles, but they have an interesting style that both hearkens back to surf-rock and forward to hard punk girl rock like L7. Fun stuff.

OK, most of it is still "meh" but there are a few gems in here, mostly things based on tunes I like.

http://bootiemashup.com/top10/mp3s/tripp-papawasaghost.mp3
DJ Tripp mashes up "Poppa Was A Rolling Stone" - the Temptations classic - with a Deadmau5 track that I'll be damned if I can identify. It's beautiful and danceable with Deadmau5's trademark electronic riffs. If you're a Temps fan, by the way, you should definitely see if you can find the cover/update of "Poppa" done by Was (not Was).

http://viprhealthcare.typepad.com/files/mashup-germany---imagine-one-day-so-far-away.mp3
Mashup Germany does an amazing piece of work here, mixing five different vocalists' work in a mix I wouldn't mind slow-dancing to. (Matisyahu, John Lennon, Blink 182, Gentlemen - http://www.myspace.com/rockfromgentlemen - and Bob Marley.)

http://www.madmixmustang.nl/mp3/Take%20Me%20On%20The%20Crazy%20Train.mp3
Madmixmustang (http://www.madmixmustang.nl/) puts forth a scary tour-de-force by mashing up two acts with very different styles that anyone who listened to music in the 80s will recognize. And no, I'm not going to spoil it by telling you who. It's been a long time since I linked a brain-blending mix and you should enjoy it unspoiled.

http://viprhealthcare.typepad.com/files/major-lazer-vs.-harold-faltermeyer---pon-de-foley-ludachrist-remix.mp3
Ludachrist (http://www.myspace.com/worshipludachrist) takes two different decades' electronic performers and mixes them up with a special helping of his own weirdness. It's ridiculously catchy.

http://bootiemashup.com/top10/mp3s/Come%20See%20About%20Down%20%28Jay%20Sean%20vs.%20Supremes%29.mp3
Have I confessed to loving Motown yet? Yes. In this post? Oh, yes. Well, OK then. The Supremes were beautiful and their silky vocals with their R&B and gospel influences are still beautiful today. DJ Fox (http://www.foxsounds.net/Fox_Sounds.html) clearly feels the same way as he's putting those vocals up with Jay Sean's 2009 smash pop hit "Down". I like the way the mix treats them as equals rather than trying to make the women into backing vocalists.

http://viprhealthcare.typepad.com/files/kesha-vs.-queen---radio-tik-tok-djs-from-mars-bootleg-remix.mp3
The question still remains - is it possible to make something good from a Ke$ha tune? Here my new heroes DJs from Mars give it their honest best, putting "Tik Tok" against Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" which has to be one of the worst catchy tunes Queen ever released. Even Keith Richards' guitar licks make a guest appearance. The result is certainly danceable, but the basic question remains unanswered.