The Reborn Identity

Each time I put together an installment of my favourite mashups of 2008 it seems to get a little harder to pick out the final 10. This month I could easily put together 20 or 30 tracks I would have no qualms in recommending to the world. That would be cheating though, so after many revisions, here are my picks for July…

1. The Illuminoids - Funplex Pleasure Control
2. DJ Gauffie - I’m Yours vs No Scrubs
3. Colatron - Twin Hearts
4. Apollo Zero - Call Me Giorgio
5. Mighty Mike - Not Easy Yet
6. Supakon - Mercy Music
7. Divide & Kreate - Every Bleeding Breath
8. Martinn - Tears of a Stranger
9. Wax Audio - Enter You
10. Phil RetroSpector - Bluebird Blackout 

1. The Illuminoids - Funplex Pleasure Control
~ The B-52’s - Funplex (Peaches Pleasure Seeker Remix)
~ Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control
After 16 years between albums, The B-52’s are back to get the party moving with their latest LP, Funplex. The title track is a characteristically fun tongue-in-cheek number, but The Illuminoids have taken it to a whole new level with this inspired fusion of the Peaches mix and Gossip’s Standing in the Way of Control. The vocal effects work a treat to create a seamless fusion, which is sure to set a few dancefloors on fire.

2. DJ Gauffie - I’m Yours vs No Scrubs
~ Jason Mraz - I’m Yours
~ TLC - No Scrubs
Now that the hot and sticky weather has finally kicked in round our parts, laidback summer tracks are all the more welcome. DJ Gauffie’s little number cuts through the heat like a fresh ocean breeze with its gorgeous blend of the smooth Jason Mraz track with perfectly picked vocals from TLC. Sun lounger optional.

3. Colatron - Twin Hearts
~ Angelo Badalamenti - Dance of the Dream Man
~ Kylie Minogue - Two Hearts
Pretty much every aspect of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks series is iconic and haunting, but no element more so than Angelo Badalamenti’s sleazy jazz soundtrack. Colatron’s inspired Twin Hearts substitutes the dancing dwarf with the slinky sway of antipodean pop pixie Kylie Minogue, and makes Lynch fans like myself very, very happy.

4. Apollo Zero - Call Me Giorgio
~ Chromeo - Call Me Up
~ Giorgio Moroder - Night Drive (Theme from American Gigolo)
~ The Twin - Who Made You
~ Kraftwerk - The Telephone Call
~ Camouflage - Love is a Shield (William Orbit Mix)
Bootlegs that pull together a multitude of elements can sometimes come across unfocused and cluttered. Neither failing can be laid at Apollo Zero’s door, especially for the sharp and seamless Call Me Giorgio. Produced with a polish that Giorgio Moroder would be proud of, this is a flawless slice of electro goodness.

 5. Mighty Mike - Not Easy Yet
~ The Klaxons - Not Over Yet
~ The Commodores - Easy
The poster boys of New Rave and the smooth sounds of Lionel Richie and The Commodores don’t appear to have much in common. Put the two in the hands of Mighty Mike though, and you get a surprising and impressive fusion that takes both tracks in a completely new direction. Mighty indeed.

6. Supakon - Mercy Music
~ Duffy - Mercy
~ Madonna - Music
The vocals from Madonna’s Music seem to be one of the staples of the mashup scene, yet when spliced in with the sixties-charged backing from Duffy’s Mercy Supakon manages to make them sound as fresh as ever.

7. Divide & Kreate - Every Bleeding Breath
~ Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
~ The Police - Every Breath You Take
Over the past few weeks the Bleeding Love acapella has spawned a veritable bloodbath of new bootlegs. Three of this month’s offerings really stood out for me - 10,000 Spoons‘ Precious Bleeding Love (via Depeche Mode) and DJ Schmolli’s Smells Like Bleeding Spirit (sourcing Nirvana) almost made the cut but it’s this superb pop fusion from Divide & Kreate that best seduced my ears.

8. Martinn - Tears of a Stranger
~ Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Tears of a Clown
~ Madonna - Beautiful Stranger
Madonna and Smokey Robinson can be perfect partners, as my 4 Minute Miracles track hopefully proved. Martinn clearly agrees, as he’s taken different tracks from each artist and come up with something truly wonderful (and better than mine too - the cheek!) 

9. Wax Audio - Enter You
~ Bryan Adams - Run to You
~ Metallica - Enter Sandman
I can’t imagine Metallica would be terribly happy at being used in mashups at all, least of all paired with the soft rock of Bryan Adams. Wax Audio may just win them over though with this authentic and effective track, which also boasts my favourite artwork of the month.

 10. Phil RetroSpector - Bluebird Blackout
~ Charles Bukowski - Bluebird
~ Muse – Blackout
~ All Angels – Flower Duet
~ Bob Dylan – Man of Constant Sorrow
To anyone who questions whether mashups are an artform, I have two words for you - Phil RetroSpector. When working with other people’s music it can be hard to add your own signature to tracks, but this is something Phil does with ease in his gorgeously cinematic mashups. Bluebird Blackout is a prime example of his trademark style and is one of the most beautiful and haunting slices of music you’re likely to hear in a while. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 10:19 pm and is filed under Mashup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.