The fight for diverse and conscious voices

Bootie Blog continues to publish best-of lists infrequently and mostly I am not that fond of what they pick but there are good things now and then. Herewith a pretty random selection from the last few months of "Bootie Best-of" lists. All these are direct MP3 links and being Booty they tend to be pretty direct mash-ups. Still, a good sampling of styles here.

http://www.bootiemashup.com/top10/09-2015/05%20-%20Madonna%20vs.%20Led%20Zeppelin%20-%20Justify%20a%20Whole%20Lotta%20Love%20%5BWax%20Audio%5D.mp3
Wax Audio gives us two music icons - Led Zeppelin and Madonna - in an interesting mix, particularly if you think of Madonna as being mostly pop and uptempo. The original of "Justify My Love" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np_Y740aReI) is not your typical pop by any means.

http://www.bootiemashup.com/top10/09-2015/DJ%20Mario%20Santiago%20-%20Lilly%20Wood%20And%20The%20Prick%20(Robin%20Schulz%20Remix)%20vs.%20Red%20Hot%20Chili%20Peppers%20-%20Prayer%20In%20C%20vs.%20Otherside.mp3
DJ Mario Santiago does a great job picking the best bits of two fine tunes and putting them together. I enjoy the RHCP track and the Lilly Wood track is one I thought was underrated when it came out, largely because the mixing is so spare and thin. The mash does a little better but I still feel there's more to be done with this material.

http://www.bootiemashup.com/top10/09-2015/10%20Major%20Lazer%20%26%20Dj%20Snake%20feat.%20M%F9%20Vs%20Knife%20Party%20-%20Lean%20On%20Vs%20Bonfire%20(Djs%20From%20Mars%20Club%20Bootleg).mp3
The DJs from Mars take the much-used "Lean On" and run it through the blender with some more RHCP and a little leavening of Tears for Fears. What comes out is a chop-mixed chair-dancing piece of ear candy. As you'd expect with the DJs it rocks pretty hard, but only near the end. I would rather have had the full energy throughout.

http://www.bootiemashup.com/top10/10-2015/13%20-%20Walk%20The%20Moon%20vs.%20Bryan%20Adams%20-%20Shut%20Up%20+%20Dance%2069%20%5BRysonRemix%5D.mp3
If you've had enough of "Shut up and dance with me" then you should skip this one. I'm not done with it yet and it's interesting to see how much my subconscious remembers of Bryan Adams and how well Ryson makes the two fit together. They really are kin, however many decades separate them. Like most of the mixes in this post, this one is short and I really notice it here.

http://www.bootiemashup.com/top10/09-2015/We%20Will%20Rock%20You%20Mama%20(David%20Guetta%20ft.%20Nicki%20Minaj%2C%20Bebe%20Rexha%20%26%20Afrojack%20vs.%20Queen%20vs.%20The%20Black%20Eyed%20Peas)%20-%20Entyme.mp3
It's really hard to go wrong with a "We Will Rock You" mash and it's also hard to something even a little new. Here I think we have something at least a bit new, as Queen appears against three other tracks. It's mostly Nicki Minaj but you can hear other bits here and there. Still, any WWRY mix rises or falls on the signature boom-boom-clap and this one works exceptionally well.

http://www.bootiemashup.com/top10/07-08-2015/DJs%20From%20Mars%20vs.%20PH%20Electro%20-%20The%20Reason%20(Club%20Mix)%20(Hoobastank%20Bootleg%20Remix)%20.mp3
Another DJs from Mars entry (the Booties like them as much as I do), this one built around Hoobastank's "The Reason". I had fairly completely forgotten about the innocent male-rock track until I heard this and it's fun to hear how it's powered up to modern EDM speeds.

http://www.bootiemashup.com/top10/09-2015/15%20-%20Placebo%20vs.%20Kate%20Bush%20vs.%20Marilyn%20Manson%20vs.%20Ministry%20vs.%20Eurythmics%20-%20Running%20Dreams%20%5BLeeDM101%5D.mp3
And finally, one I promised Otherjill (who has no LJ): Placebo doing Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" versus Marilyn Manson doing Eurythmics. Yeah, I have no idea who thinks this stuff up, either. In this case it's LeeDM101 but I have to wonder what he was on at the time.

The joy of having the last meeting of the day canceled is that I can try to close out a few more music tabs and share with you the most ROCKING mix to hit my headphones in a while.

http://viprhealthcare.typepad.com/files/linkin-park-vs.-carl-orff---the-catalyst-vs.-carmina-burana-djs-from-mars-remix.mp3
Rather than make you wait I'm just going to start off with the best and hope you aren't disappointed. So, go load that up, listen and if it doesn't move you then I do not know what to say. DJs from Mars remain my new heroes as this mix does things that should be impossible and gods does it rock.

First of all, Carmina Burana is overdone. You'll find classicists who hate it - it's bombastic and it mixes (dare I say mashes up) orchestral and choral styles in ways that set some people's teeth on edge. It has also been used by rockers from Ray Manzarek to lesser lights. But the way it's blended here with Linkin Park's "The Caralyst" turns bombast to thunder. Really, guys, play this one VERY loud.

http://www.mashup-industries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=334&Itemid=27
Also in the realm of things designed to be played loud is Clivester's latest "Hello DJ." It's a heavy thump house mix of Martin Solveig's "Hello" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Na85fPGYCM) with Alphabeat's "DJ (I Could Be Dancing)". Solveig is a French DJ and the tune is pop-dance style; Alphabeat contributes more dance and disco stylings. Clivester plays up the scratch, speeds things up a bit, but mostly lets the underlying tracks carry things.

http://audioporncentral.com/2010/10/wax-audio-maiden-goes-to-bollywood.html
I'm certain I blogged "Maiden Goes to Bollywood" before, and my memory says that I couldn't identify the Bollywood bit before. Well, now Wax Audio has given us a video mash-up to go with the MP3 track, and I've pinpointed the Bollywood source. I feel so much better now. Oh, you want to see it? It's "Crazy kia re" from the flick Dhoom 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0smZGU2VxA). That's nice (especially the eye-candy) but I prefer the mash-up to the original song.

http://www.metrolyrics.com/caged-bird-video-unkle.html
UNKLE sounded familiar to me - they've been around for 15+ years - but I had to go look it up to remember that DJ Shadow used to be with them. This track, "Caged Bird", features Katrina Ford, who is somewhat known for doing cabaret-style rock. I can hear the influences, but they're buried in what I'd call a pretty classic eerie trip-hop style. Ford's voice is lovely, though I can't tell whether the backing is her, redubbed, or another singer.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Groove_Armada/track/History_feat_Will_Young_Still_Going_Remix_
This is not your typical Groove Armada; in my mind the duo is always associated with some heavy funk influences and the three tracks here are mostly funk-free, but still excellent. The first one is a high-BPM dance number, but it then segues into a moodier, more down-tempo backing track that features the throaty and wistful vocals of Bryan Ferry. The final remix is straight-up riddim house number, which I reviewed back in January. "Crank it op!" yeah.

All three tracks are from Groove Armada's upcoming release of remixes, and this bodes extremely well.

Lots of tabs have hung about open for a while. Herewith an attempt to close the first half dozen of them. I'll save the real brain-twister for last, I promise.

http://soundcloud.com/groups/glitch-mob-remix-it-like-you-stole-it-competion/tracks?page=1
A while back the Glitch Mob announced a competition in which people would remix their "Drive It Like You Stole It" track, the remixes would be posted on Soundcloud, and people would vote for their favorite. The winner is now up, a high-hard fast scratch mix by mirkokosmos. It's not my favorite personally, but it's quite good.

I've only listened to three pages of entries so far. The Soundcloud set-up is nice in that you can just push play on the first track and it'll stream all the entries on that page. I don't recommend doing more than a few a day, or you'll get seriously earwormed, but the variety of styles and influences brought to bear shows there's some awesome talent out there just waiting to break through.

http://www.kleptones.com/blog/2010/10/08/much-better-you-than-i
Speaking of talent, The Kleptones have another beauty of a mash-up posted on their blog. "Vicarious Devil" puts together Tool's disturbing "Vicarious" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hii17sjSwfA) with Laura Marling's "Devil's Spoke". I confess I'd never heard Marling before and I must now immediately remedy this. Both tracks have a dark energy that makes them work extremely well together.

http://audioporncentral.com/2010/09/duck-sauce-barbara-streisand.html
http://audioporncentral.com/2010/09/duck-sauce-barbra-streisand-the-video.html
I admit I wasn't that taken with the Duck Sauce (http://www.myspace.com/ducksaucenyc) "Barbara Streisand" track when I first heard it. It's a bit of a dance-pop confection but it didn't seem worth calling out. The video made me change my mind - it makes so much more sense when it's not taken on its own but rather as the soundtrack to a video. And what a great vid - featuring Streisand herself - for anyone who loves or even likes New York a bit. The video shows the wild variety that makes the city so interesting, and features lots of fun short snips remixing the original, including a guest scratch from Armand Van Helden.

http://www.youtube.com/user/GravitonasLABORATORY#p/a/u/1/5d1FejZJ6cs
Sometimes things get blogged because I can't stop playing them until I do. About a month ago I posted about Gravitonas' (http://www.gravitonas.net/) "Religious". That track is remixed a bunch of times on their YouTube channel, and more and more of them are being blocked by copyright claims, which is just a damned shame. The song, both the original and the remixes they've got up, remains beautiful and haunting and something I play over and over because I like the way the sounds wash over me, and move me.

http://audioporncentral.com/2010/09/jamie-woon-night-air-ramadanman-refix.html
This extended remix by Ramadanman (http://www.myspace.com/ramadanman) is another one I'm loving for the lush soundscape. It's an extended remix of Jamie Woon's beautiful "Night Air" (http://www.youtube.com/user/jamiewoon). Unfortunately there are only short bits from the original online, but you can still get a sense for it. There are blues, jazz, and definite soul influences permeating this track, and yeah, it's perfect to stream out the open window after dark when you're stargazing.

http://audioporncentral.com/2010/10/wax-audio-stayin-alive-in-the-wall.html
OK, I promised a brain-twister to close this out and here it is. Wax Audio (http://www.waxaudio.com.au/) have done A Bad Thing. They've taken The Bee Gees' "Stayin’ Alive" and mashed it with Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall Pt. II". Yes, really. Go listen. What's even more frightening is the video - both of these songs are not just aurally famous, but have appeared prominently in iconic movies (Saturday Night Fever and The Wall).

It's even more personally disturbing for me, as those movies both have drwex stories associated with them and both are reminders of a long-ago time when I was a very different person, who is also me today.