In one of the craziest cases of separated-at-birth we’ve ever seen, DJ Topsider brings together three long lost siblings — CHVRCHES (“Recover”), Taylor Swift (“We Are Never Getting Back Together”) and Monsieur Adi (Lana Del Rey “Born To Die” remix) — on “Stay.” After one listen to this amazing mash-up, you’ll wonder how they were ever apart. Download it below.
At first glance, one might assume that Beirut and Katy Perry go together about as well as lamb and tuna fish, yet Rostam (of Vampire Weekend and Discovery fame) somehow finds a way to make them the perfect couple with his mash-up of Beirut’s jubilant “Scenic World” and Perry’s “Hot n Cold.” Rostam has apparently been playing the track at his solo DJ shows, and a brief visit to his Soundcloud page reveals his other attempts at iconic pop blends, including a particularly spirited Carly Rae Jepson/Annie Lennox combo, though none are as seamless as “Scenic Cold.” The D.C. native clearly understands what it takes to make a listenable mash-up, and “Scenic Cold” is just that. Grab it below.
STREAM: Rostam – “Scenic Cold (Beirut x Katy Perry)”
The Hood Internet is Chicago DJs Aaron Brink (ABX) and Steve Reidell (STV) who’ve single handedly created/redefined/perfected the mash-up genre. In fact, if you searched “mash-ups” on Urban Dictionary it would come up with “The Hood Internet”. Actually I don’t know that but that’s what it should say. ABX and STV have a knack for seamlessly combining songs from some of the biggest artists in indie and hip hop to create a completely new sound that sometimes is arguably better than both of the two individual tracks. Ratatat’s “Wildcat” with Michael Jackson’s “Bille Jean”?’ VEGA’s “No Reasons” overlaid with Amanda Blank? Yeah. Magic happens sometimes.
I had the chance to chat with STV in high anticipation for their set at ALL THINGS GOLD 004 next Thursday at U Street Music Hall. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
All Things Go and Brenton Duvall are a match made in heaven. We were both born and raised in the district (or thereabouts), we both love the Washington Redskins, and we all share an appreciation for infectious pop melodies and anthemic hip-hop. We differ in one area, however–talent: Brenton has it, and we don’t. Rather than put a picture of his face on a dartboard and express our jealousy by hurling darts at it (which we wont do simply because our aim sucks), we’ve come to accept his keen ear for cutting edge indie-pop/hip-hop mash-ups and his innovative productions. His collaborations with another DMV favorite, Beau Young Prince, as well as previously-discussed Philadelphian Tayyib Ali, have consistently climbed to the top of the hype machine popular lists and have been blasted into the ears of frat kids and hipsters across the nation.
Lucky for us, we were able to secure Brenton for our first ever All Things Go + Neon Gold club night this Thursday, July 21st at U St. Music Hall. Tickets are still available (HERE) so come on by and catch Brenton on the one’s and two’s alongside live acts Penguin Prison and Reptar, and fellow DJ/producers RAC.
STREAM: Young Prince – “Strange Times (Prod. Brenton Duvall)”
STREAM: Brenton Duvall – “Blow the Skrilla (Too $hort)”
What do you get when you splice an experimental indie-darling with a successful, yet still credible, rapper? Philly DJs Bombé and Mr. Caribbean showed us that the results are tasty with their James Drake Mixtape, a nearly-30-minute ambient journey through the catalogs of Drake and James Blake. The mixtape literally oozes sexy, feeling surprisingly natural on tracks like “Wilhelm’s Fucking Best” and “Find Your Limit.” It’s got a certain Frank Oceanesque nostalgia that’s hard to quantify, but is easy on the ears.
D.Veloped is an quickly-rising producer/mash-up DJ from North Carolina who has been blowing up the Hype Machinez and the bloggerz and the series of tubez with his creative mash-ups, closer to Milkman than Girl Talk, but just as fun. Check out his flawless synthesis of Oh Land’s “Son of a Gun,” Nelly’s “#1″ and Kanye’s “Get ‘Em High” on “Son of a Nun,” as well as an awesome Blink/Rich Boy mash-up below. If you like what you hear, grab a bunch more for free over at his soundcloud. Also, as a note, the above picture in no way relates to D.Veloped, but I’m not going to NOT share a photo that awesome, right?
Everyone knows I’m a sucker for mashups. Nobody cares why. Everyone wants to hear the mixed up masterpieces. Nobody can dislike this gem–Drake, Kanye, and Weezy’s verses in “Forever” over some Jack Johnson track (they all sound the same)–courtesy of the Friendly Giant
The Hood Internet, hands down the most creative and talented remix/mash-up duo in the game right now, have just dropped the fifth installment of their Hood Internet Mixtape series. From Matt & Kim/Clipse collisions to a glorious Rihanna/Crystal Castles matrimony, the mixtape is a 60 minute demonstration of how mash-ups should be crafted; an hour long dance journey through the most interesting hip-hop and indie/electronic jams in recent memory. Check out my two favorites below, and grab the mixtape over at their website.
We’ve written about one half of Potomac Boys Club–Mr. Brenton Duvall–quite a bit here recently, but it’s time we show some love to the production duo of Duvall and Patrick McKelvy. The two effortlessly lace the Waka Flocka Flame/Wale jam “No Hands” over a chopped up remix of Ellie Goulding’s “Lights” (hey, didn’t we just share a “Lights” remix?). Something about the Wale line “she said look ma, no hands” gets me every time, and the drum- and synth-backed Goulding retake serves as the perfect backdrop. Wale, Ellie Goulding, and Potomac Boys Club? It’s like a combination of all my favorite things.
