What does it take to make mashups and remixes good?
I've pondered that question a couple times since starting this blog a year and a half ago. As a general rule I haven't been a fan of either form of twisting a song. When it comes to remixes, too often I feel like they go on too long and end up being a lame way for some overactive GarageBand user to get his name on the internet. These remixes often only seem to use about a minute of the song it claims to remix, and the remaining 8 minutes are taken up by absurd beats and weird techno sounds that turn my brain into mush. Remixes too often, in my mind, don't stay true to the original intent and meaning of the song, and just grab something in the public eye at present as a means of seeming in touch with the mainstream while in reality ignoring it. In my mind the best remixes contain most of the original track, but with some twist or unexpected element added in.
Mashups are a slightly different story. They tend to use the entirety of the song in question, but just slap a different song underneath it. Too often mashups just end up being sloppy cut and paste jobs that sound hasty and messy, which in effect makes the project less enjoyable. A good mashup acknowledges both halves of a song, but only those which the mash-artist wants to recognize. Below are examples of a good and bad mashup.
Fall Out Boy and Kanye West - I Don't Care I Still Love Her
("Dance, Dance" and "Gold Digger")
Paramore and Panic! At The Disco - The Only Difference (Misery Remix)
("Misery Business" and "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage")
Notice that in the latter one, the instrumental from "Misery Business" is a hasty rip from another copy, and the backing vocals are still present and stick out rather ugly when matched to Panic's lyrics. On the other hand, the Kanye/FOB mash is very precise, only offering specific, detailed sections of songs, which makes for a very clean, more enjoyable listen. I realize I'm not being fair here (the Kanye mash is professionally made, whereas the Paramore one was made by Flipboitamidles), but that's the thing; it's so hard to do a GOOD mashup, that there are a bunch of subpar ones which turn me off to the style.
Which brings me to yesterday's Album A Day: Dean Gray's American Edit mixtape, a series of mashups centered on Green Day's American Idiot record. American Edit is an example of a fantastic, well-thought out series of mashups. This is what mashups and remixes are supposed to be about; mixing elements you wouldn't think to combine, while still keeping both of said elements distinct and unhindered by ridiculous beats. American Edit is a terrific album, the kind of thing I could legitimately envision listening to again and again.
("Whatsername" mashed with "Manic Monday")
Since hearing this, I've been on a hunt for good remixes. This means searching the Hype Machine and subjecting my roommates to all manner of dance music to mixed results. I'm not going to subject you to my findings, since I intend to keep VLM a strictly mainstream music blog, and remixes fall outside that category for the most part. But let it be known that there's been a shift in attitude, so they who claim that I'm as elitist and snobby as those blogs I rail against, consider yourselves wrong.
Except I do love this track
I'll return you to normal posting and music discussions later today.
==TJ==
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