Freelance Hellrasier/The Strokes/Christina Aguilera, “Stroke of Genius”
Danger Mouse featuring Jay-Z and the Beatles
Christian Marclay on “Night Music”
William S. Burroughs, “Origin and Theory of the Tape Cut-Ups”
James Tenney, “Collage #1 (Blue Suede)”
John Oswald, “Birth”
John Oswald, from “Grayfolded”
Hugh Atkin, “Will the Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up”
Gregory Bros., “Final Debate Songified”
Caught in the Middle of a 3-Way Mix
A short while after Beastie Boy Adam Yauch died in May, British DJs Moneyshot, Cheeba and Food unveiled a creative re-cut of “Paul’s Boutique,” the Beasties’ 1989 pastiche masterpiece. The mix unpacks and highlights the many samples that the group and the record’s producers, the Dust Bros., used in the original creation.
Freelance Hellrasier/The Strokes/Christina Aguilera, “Stroke of Genius”
In 2001, a British DJ named Freelance Hellraiser mixed songs by the Strokes and Christina Aguilera to create “Stroke of Genius,”one of the first break-out “mash-ups.”
Danger Mouse featuring Jay-Z and the Beatles
Danger Mouse’s 2004 album-length mash-up of Jay-Z’s “The Black Album” and the Beatles self-titled “White Album” was a key mutation in the evolution of mash-up culture.
Christian Marclay on “Night Music”
The artist and experimental disc jockey Christian Marclay’s early performances for turntables evolved into his 2010 “supercut,” the 24-hour film “The Clock.”
William S. Burroughs, “Origin and Theory of the Tape Cut-Ups”
In this clip, writer William S. Burroughs discusses the theories of his peer Brion Gysin and their work on sound collages.
James Tenney, “Collage #1 (Blue Suede)”
One of the most important early works in so-called mash-up culture was this early experiment by James Tenney, who in 1961 took a razor and editing tape to Elvis Presley’s version of “Blue Suede Shoes” on “Collage #1 (Blue Suede).”
John Oswald, “Birth”
Canadian purveyor of “plunderphonics,” John Oswald, first started gaining attention for his mash-ups in the 1980s — and was sued by Michael Jackson’s legal team soon thereafter. This clip features Oswald plundering the work of Paul McCartney.
John Oswald, from “Grayfolded”
Oswald is best known for his two-hour collage of the Grateful Dead’s song “Dark Star.” The artist was given access to dozens of live Dead recordings of the song from over the years, and wove them all into one grand “super mix” that he released in two parts in 1994-95.
Hugh Atkin, “Will the Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up”
Who cares what the candidates actually say when their words can be so easily manipulated. YouTube user Hugh Atkin uses both Barack Obama’s and Mitt Romney’s own words in service of this edit.
Gregory Bros., “Final Debate Songified”
This manipulation by the innovative team the Gregory Bros. “songifies” the final presidential debate.
