RE:boots August - The best mashups of 2009
August has been another torrent of wind and rain, with barely a charcoal brickette burnt the whole month. Still, at least some blinding mashups have managed to shine through the clouds. Here’s my personal pick of the month’s brightest and best.
1. LeeDM101 - Radioactive Tubular Girls [MediaFire]
2. DJ Lobsterdust - I Will Survivor [MP3]
3. Copycat - Film Girls In Town [MP3]
4. Amoraboy - Uptight Bamba [HTTP]
5. Bynar - The Hunt for Orange Tacos [Album download page]
6. G4Gorilla - Knockin’ on the Sloop John B [Album download page]
7. Apollo Zero - Everyday Moments in Modern Love [MP3]
8. DJ Prince - I DeeLove It [MP3]
9. DJ Clive$ter - Heartbreaking Maps [MP3]
10. Mighty Mike - Not a Teen [MP3]
1. LeeDM101 - Radioactive Tubular Girls [MediaFire]
- Kraftwerk - Radioactivity
- Duran Duran - Girls on film (pella)
- Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
- Calvin Harris - The Girls
With Radioactive Tubular Girls LeeDM101 has crafted one of the most surprising and effective mashups of the year. The source elements are like pieces from four different jigsaws but somehow they all slot together to form an image that’s both weird and wonderful.
2. DJ Lobsterdust - I Will Survivor [MP3]
- Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
- Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
Two of the most recognisable nicknacks from the pop music mantlepiece melt together in this delightfully kitsch track from Lobsterdust.
3. Copycat - Film Girls In Town [MP3]
- Little Boots - New In Town (Fred Falke Remix)
- Duran Duran - Girls on Film
Duran Duran’s Girls on Film vocal has been all but worn out this month but it’s hard to mind too much when it’s resulted in some superb combinations. Copycat’s take on the ’80s classic pairs it up with one of 2009’s rising pop starlets to excellent effect.
4. Amoraboy - Uptight Bamba [HTTP]
- Stevie Wonder - Uptight
- Los Lobos - La Bamba
Despite being one of the simplest concoctions in this month’s round-up, Amoraboy’s Uptight Bamba is easily the most joyous track of the bunch. Its sizzling energy makes it a perfect soundtrack to the summer we haven’t had.
5. Bynar - The Hunt for Orange Tacos [Album download page]
- R.E.M. - Orange Crush
- Editors - Orange Crush
- Adam Freeland - Best Fish Tacos in Esplenada
Bynar torpedos the competition in the battle for the oddest mashup title of the month with this insane mix, which samples Sean Connery’s performance in The Hunt For Red October. The madcap blend of sources comes together surprisingly well, and it’s probably the best Orange Crush mash I’ve heard.
6. G4Gorilla - Knockin’ on the Sloop John B [Album download page]
- The Beach Boys - Sloop John B
- Guns N’ Roses - Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Like Bynar’s track above, G4Gorilla’s Knockin’ on the Sloop John B is another unusual genre clash from the recent MashStix Sample Hijack album. Here The Beach Boys’ Sloop John B is given a laidback summer festival feel with the help of the Guns N’ Roses ballad.
7. Apollo Zero - Everyday Moments in Modern Love [MP3]
- St. Etienne - Method of Modern Love
- Elvis Costello - Everyday I Write the Book
- Art of Noise - Moment in Love
It’s time for something a little more chilled now in the RE:boots countdown, courtesy of one of the most creative producers on the scene. Everyday Moments in Modern Love is a smooth summer cocktail, which gives the silky vocals of Sarah Cracknell the perfect pillow on which to swoon.
8. DJ Prince - I DeeLove It [MP3]
- Lalo Schifrin - Jim on the Move
- Deee-lite - Groove is in the Heart
- Ramsey Lewis - Respect
- Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren - Goodness Gracious Me
& much more besides
With I DeeLove It, DJ Prince transports us a few more stops down the line to Chillville. Drawing elements from a huge range of sources, it does a superb job of evoking the retro-future feel of “spaceage pop” and is a bewildering display of audio production talent.
9. DJ Clive$ter - Heartbreaking Maps [MP3]
- Metronomy - Heartbreak
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
DJ Clive$ter has been a regular visitor to the RE:boots top 10s this year, but Heartbreaking Maps is a different beast to the more dance-friendly fodder he usually serves up. It’s a very beautiful and personal track, and a real tear-jerker too.
10. Mighty Mike - Not a Teen [MP3]
- Calvin Harris - I’m Not Alone
- Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
The emergence of a studio quality vocal of Nirvana’s grunge anthem Smells Like Teen Spirit has set the mashup world into a feeding frenzy. You can bet your bottom dollar there will be a flood of Nirvana mashups over the next few weeks, but my favourite of the early worms is this effective little number from Mighty Mike.
