M Is FOR MASHUP - February 17th, 2010
Five Swell New Mashers
By DJ Useo
Mashups must be doing something right. There's a high attrition rate for posting mashup-makers, possibly because it can be tough coming up with working pairings, especially after a while. Many is the time I've heard a track that technically works, but just doesn't have that extra 'thing' that makes a track memorable. When you've run out of ideas, it's hard to mix new mashups. That problem holds steady, but the tracks that are memorable seem to inspire new people with new ideas to pick up the software and try their hand at mashing.
This week in 'M Is For Mashups' I'll introduce you to five new mixers that seem to really have 'it'.
First up is DJ MAGGIE ( djmaggie.blogspot.com/ ). Coming from who knows where comes a top mixer with excellent production skills. From DJ Maggie's first track to the latest, these releases match just about anybody elses mixing & now we find out Maggie has top video-making skills as well. This is an artist to keep up with.
5 Tracks by DJ Maggie
01 - Just F*** You (Lily Allen vs Lady Gaga vs Blondie)
02 - Freestyle 3 (Freestyle vs Britney)
03 - Halfway Earthquake (Black Eyed Peas vs Little Boots)
04 - Amy's Whole Story (Britney vs Sunrise)
05 - Just F*** You (Clean Edit)
Next we have the up and coming mixer BONUS MOSH ( bonusmosh.wordpress.com/ ). I like his stuff because it has an extra bit of energy that keeps his tracks in your mind. Also he uses artists others tend not to. He's just just getting started too, so imagine what he'll be posting in a year!
5 tracks by BONUS MOSH
01 - Judas Priest vs Aphex Twin
02 - Darkest Hour vs Rammstein
03 - Lacuna Coil vs Phace
04 - 3 Doors Down vs Ian Brown
05 - Rage v. All Leather
Thirdly, I present to you CERVIN ( www.cervin.nu/ ). Cervin has come on strong & had fast success. No doubt, with tracks of the caliber posted. I see videos are Cervin's forte also. I can only imagine where he'll go from here! Certainly up!
3 Cervin tracks
01 - Gimme Battle (Rolling Stones vs Model 500 vs Kraftwerk)
02 - Everything But The Girl-Wrong (Cervin Mashup)(EBTG vs Sufjan Stevens vs Funkadelic vs Marco Giardina vs The Congos)
03 - Bizarre Mashup Triangle (Michael Jackson vs New Order)
Moving on we reach MOJO ELECTRO ( brokensoundfl.blogspot.com/ ) Clearly a mixer with ideas a'plenty, Mojo is releasing plenty of hot tracks in fast succession. He displays a strong mastery of production combined with a good familiarity of what makes fine clubbing mixing.
5 tracks by Mojo Electro
01 - Release Yo Battlefield (Method Man vs Pat Benetar)
02 - Warzone (Dead Prez vs Force Of Habit)
03 - Woo Hah (Busta Rhtymes vs Billy Idol)
04 - Superman (Eminem vs Evil Nine)
05 - Nasty (Notorious B.I.G. vs Metallica)
Last, but not least is Roaxx J ( roaxxj.blogspot.com ). Roaxx J demonstrates a strong mastery of Pop & isn't afraid to show it. He makes a fantastic impression with his lively mixes, & I expect he won't be stopping soon.
5 Roaxx J tracks
01 - Meet me Halfway In This Love Story (Black Eyed Peas vs Taylor Swift)
02 - Shake And Beat It Up (Ian Carey Project vs Michael Jackson)
03 - Caro Emerald Goes Old Skool (Caro Emerald vs Queen Latifa vs Missy Eliott)
04 - Shake Things Up (The Ian Carey Project vs Black Power)
05 - Agnes vs Bon Jovi ft. Lily Allen ft. Was not Was
I hope y'all enjoy meeting these new mixers through their work. I know I did.
Mix Of The Week
B00mB0X ( www.bmbx.org/2010/02/ten/ ), the long mix site celebrates their 10th anniversary with 'TEN', a 7-hour mix featuring over 20 incredible mixers. This is the perfect party mix. Coming from B00mB0X over the next week will be the individual sections posted singly.
Don't miss out on this DJ extravaganza. It's a one of a kind experience you'll never forget!
www.bmbx.org/2010/02/ten/
Mashup Tip : Never sleep with your source tracks before mixing. It removes all the mystery.
DJ Useo This Week
Club Car Re-Ed (The Electric Love Muffin vs Rise Against) pairs up 80's alt-rock with modern metal for your audio pleasure. I firmly believe you'll enjoy it.
DJ Useo's Podcast
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
RICHARD ROEPER: Airline seats stay small while people get wider (suntimes.com)
One of the great things about the Twitter/Facebook/blog/podcast world is you sometimes get entertaining, unfiltered commentary from the celebrity world.
So when writer/director/actor Kevin Smith was pulled off a Southwest Airlines flight last Saturday evening for being too big, we heard about it from the "Clerks" man himself, via Twitter and his own "smodcast," for which his wife joined him.
JOHN R. MILLER: George Washington's Tear-Jerker (nytimes.com)
CIVILIAN control of the military is a cherished principle in American government. ... The military advises, but the civilian leadership decides.
Germaine Greer: It was a stunning work of art - so why is the Wall hanging in a Las Vegas loo? (guardian.co.uk)
The Berlin Wall is one of the most stupendous artefacts created - and we destroyed it .
Francis's books were certain to thrill (timesonline.co.uk)
Simon Barnes says Dick Francis wrote novel after novel with a predictable narrative yet each was utterly compelling.
Interview by Gaby Wood: "This much I know: Joshua Ferris" (guardian.co.uk)
I come from a very illustrious line of divorcees. We love to get divorced in my family. My mother and father have been married four times each - eight ceremonies with the best of intentions.
Cate Plys and Robert Leighton: All Presidents Are Above Average (slate.com)
In biographies for children, presidents are great even before they become president.
Reed Johnson: Mining hard times for humor is the American way (latimes.com)
Layoffs, bailouts. It's not the Great Depression, but people take comfort in laughter.
Chris Mann: Signature moments at The Hollywood Show (latimes.com)
Fans catch up with the likes of 'Dr. Kildare' Richard Chamberlain, Jane Russell and 'Baywatch's' Gena Lee Nolin at the memorabilia show in Bubank.
HANNAH SAYLE: Mothers of Invention (memphisflyer.com)
Documentary finds defiant spirit of female artists.
David Bruce: Composition Project: Writing a Resume, List of References, and Job-Application Letter (lulu.com)
Free download. This short pdf document describes a composition project that I have successfully used at Ohio University. Teachers are welcome to download this pdf document to see if they wish to use this assignment in their courses.
Public Service Announcement From Damone (youtube.com)
Please help a real rock band.
Sara Marcus and Marisa Meltzer: Exile from Grrrlville (slate.com)
What happened to all the angry, powerful women in '90s rock?
Rick Bentley: The Song remains the same for Joan Baez (McClatchy Newspapers)
Joan Baez was an important, albeit late, addition to Thursday night's "In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement." Few singers are as closely associated with the music of that era than Baez.
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The 'Executive Orders, Part Deux' Edition
WASHINGTON - With much of his legislative agenda stalled in Congress, President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities... Obama Making Plans to Use Executive Power - NYTimes.com
Last November after Obama was elected, I asked about what Executive Orders you'd like 'The Man' to make. Puzzlingly, he did not utilize that option in any significant way, to my thinkin'... Now, however, with his "agenda stalled", he's decided to get 'Froggy' and make that leap... So, once again, I ask...
What specific issues would you like 'The Man' to address with Executive Orders?
Send your response to
wrote:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Gary's Malware
It is premature to wipe the hard drive and potentially lose all the stuff you never got around to backing up. I just dealt with this problem at the office and here is how I fixed it.
How to get rid of the fake antivirus software (malware)
Turn off the computer. When it finishes turn it back on and hit the F8 key, ignoring the beeps, until you get a screen that gives you Windows start options like this: Safe Mode, Safe mode with network support, etc.
Pick "safe mode with network support."
Once it boots up it will have a black background and the screen will say "safe mode" around the edges.
Fire up the old web browser and go to
When it is finished downloading, install and run it.
Go have a coffee, do some shopping, whatever you do while you wait for things to ramble through their process here. When it is done, follow the instructions to remove the infections permanently. Then you can reboot.
As Windows security evolves and improves, the crooks will have to increasingly depend on finding new ways to snooker people out of their money, and taking your computer hostage with a drive by download like the fake antivirus scam is just the newest twist on internet fraud.
There are lots of free softwares that can increase your protection from crummy internet hassles. I use the free Superantispyware ( download.cnet.com/SuperAntiSpyware-Free-Edition/3000-8022_4-10523889.html ) and AVG free antivirus and link scanner ( tinyurl.com/yjbeb76 ) to minimize hassles from viruses, trojans, malware and rootkits. I also recommend Firefox 3.6 (getfirefox.com) for browsing the internet. Good luck.
Erik
Thanks, Erik!
BadtotheboneBob
Link from RJ
Minack Theatre
Hi there
Something a little unusual today - thanks for taking a look!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Another warm, sunny day, and the kid's allergies are in full bloom.
NY Tribute
Ted Kennedy
Tony Award winners Fritz Weaver and Tammy Grimes will be among those reading at a tribute to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Selections from Robert Frost, Walt Whitman and other poets whom Kennedy admired will be featured at the event at Saint Peter's Church in midtown Manhattan on Feb. 22. That would have been Kennedy's 78th birthday.
The event is free and is sponsored by the nonprofit organization Toward International Peace through the Arts.
Ted Kennedy
UK's Grammys
Brit Awards
Flamboyant chanteuse Lady Gaga swept the U.K.'s Brit Awards Tuesday winning three categories and offering an emotional tribute to Alexander McQueen, the British fashion designer who died last week.
Gaga collected awards for best international female artist, best international breakthrough act and best international album for "The Fame," and performed at the ceremony wearing a towering white wig and lace veil - complete with ornate lace eyebrows.
The awards are the British equivalent of the Grammys, with most winners selected by a vote of more than 1,000 industry members.
U.S. rapper Jay-Z also claimed an award, for best international male, during a ceremony at London Earl's Court arena. Other international nominees had included Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Jay-Z, Michael Buble and Shakira.
Brit Awards
Looking To Leave Leno
Kevin Eubanks
Jay Leno's longtime bandleader, Kevin Eubanks, may not play very long once the Leno troupe returns to "The Tonight Show."
NBC said Tuesday that Eubanks has expressed interest in personal touring and recording. The network says he will be part of the show when it reoccupies late night March 1, but his continued involvement is uncertain.
The 52-year-old Eubanks, whose duties include comic sideman to Leno as well as guitarist, has been a fixture since Leno took the reins of "The Tonight Show" in 1992. He became musical director when Branford Marsalis left in 1995.
Eubanks was also part of "The Jay Leno Show," the NBC prime-time flop that just ended.
Kevin Eubanks
Palin Seeks More Publicity
`Family Guy'
Sarah Palin is lashing out at the portrayal of a character with Down syndrome on the Fox Rupert animated comedy "Family Guy."
In a Facebook posting headlined "Fox Rupert Hollywood - What a Disappointment," the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and current Fox Rupert News contributor called Sunday night's episode "another kick in the gut." Palin's youngest son, and favorite prop, Trig, has Down syndrome.
Palin's oldest daughter, abstinence-only poster child Bristol, also was quoted on her mommy's Facebook page, calling the show's writers "heartless jerks."
`Family Guy'
Obviously, the Palins didn't see the episode. Only thing they saw was an opportunity to make cheap hay, reality be damned. Ick.
2010 Inductees
Blues Hall of Fame
Singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, Chicago bluesman Lonnie Brooks and harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite are among the artists selected to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Raitt, whose 1989 album "Nick of Time" rose to the top of pop charts, has had far more commercial success outside the blues. But the Blues Hall of Fame committee said Tuesday it was recognizing her for her devotion to the genre and its musicians.
Raitt shared a Grammy award with John Lee Hooker for their duet "I'm in the Mood." She also co-founded the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, an organization that provides financial and medical assistance to blues artists.
The induction ceremony will be May 5 in Memphis, the evening before the Blues Music Awards.
Blues Hall of Fame
2010 Inductees
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Among those up for enshrinement in the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year are Leonard Cohen, key members of Earth, Wind & Fire, and producer-composer David Foster.
The hall made the announcement of its inductees on Tuesday. Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White, Philip Bailey and Verdine (vuhr-DEEN') White are being honored in addition to Foster and Cohen.
Also up for honors are Johnny Mandel, Jackie DeShannon, Larry Dunn and Al McKay.
The Hall of Fame celebrates composers and lyricists. The ceremony is set for June 17 in New York City.
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Esquire Interview
Roger Ebert
Film critic Roger Ebert has opened a window on his life since losing his ability to speak four years ago, telling Esquire magazine he communicates through Post-it notes but there is "no need to pity" him.
The magazine also shows a new photo of Ebert revealing the effects of drastic reconstructive surgeries on his jaw since his diagnosis with thyroid cancer in 2002.
Ebert, one of America's most influential film critics, writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. But he is best known for reviewing movies on TV, creating the trademark "two thumbs up" with late film critic Gene Siskel until Ebert lost the ability to speak in 2006.
Since then, he has continued to write, reviewing films, keeping an online journal and publishing books. He communicates with friends and family using Post-it notes and a computer program that turns text into speech.
Roger Ebert
Studio For Sale
Abbey Road
Cash-strapped music company EMI Group Ltd. is seeking a buyer for Abbey Road studios, where The Beatles recorded some of their most famous songs, a person familiar with the situation said Tuesday.
EMI, whose artists include Coldplay, Lily Allen and Robbie Williams, has struggled financially since it was bought in 2007 for 2.4 billion pounds by private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners.
Several big-name acts, including Radiohead and the Rolling Stones, quit the label amid the cutbacks and restructuring that followed Terra Firma's takeover.
An audited report released last week revealed that Terra Firma needs a huge cash infusion by June to avoid defaulting on its loans from Citigroup Inc. and may require more than $165 million to last through this year.
Abbey Road
Righting A Wrong
John Crawford
He was convicted of a crime more than half a century ago, but what he did in 1959 - have consensual sex with another man - would be perfectly legal today.
So John Crawford, 70, wants his criminal record cleaned up for good, so that he doesn't have to disclose his conviction when he seeks volunteer work, and because of a deeply held belief that he should not be punished for his sexual orientation.
"I came into this world without a criminal record and I'd like to leave this world without one," said Crawford, a retired butler. "The police beat me and beat me and forced me to confess to being gay, but I know in my heart I did nothing wrong."
Crawford's bid to clean up his record is backed by gay organizations looking to help others who were convicted under Britain's once draconian anti-homosexuality laws, which began to be eased in 1967 as social values changed and sex acts between consenting adults began to be decriminalized.
John Crawford
Warner Bros. 28-Day Delay
Redbox
DVD rental kiosk chain Redbox has agreed to wait 28 days after Warner Bros. releases new movies for sale before offering to rent them for $1 a night.
The agreement announced Tuesday ends a lawsuit Redbox, a subsidiary of Coinstar Inc., filed against Warner Bros.' home video unit last August. That was its third such suit against a studio that wanted to delay cheap rentals to boost sales of DVDs, a significant moneymaker for movie studios.
Redbox said in the lawsuit that it was being unfairly prevented from buying discs from wholesalers. The company had resorted to buying new-release DVDs from retailers at higher prices to keep its kiosks stocked with new titles.
The two-year deal with Warner Bros., a division of Time Warner Inc., will lower the cost Redbox has to pay to stock its machines - in part because Redbox has agreed to destroy used DVDs after their popularity in the kiosks wanes instead of selling them for $7.
Redbox
LA Mayor Making Soap Appearance
Antonio Villaraigosa
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D - Horndog) is moving from the soap box to a soap opera.
The mayor's cameo on the ABC daytime drama "All My Children" is scheduled to air Wednesday. ABC says the mayor, playing himself, will meet Susan Lucci's character, Erica Kane, at a hot spot.
Villaraigosa filmed the scene last month to welcome the show, which moved production from New York to Los Angeles.
Antonio Villaraigosa
DNA Testing
King Tutankhamun
Egypt's famed King Tutankhamun suffered from a cleft palate and club foot, likely forcing him to walk with a cane, and died from complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria, according to the most extensive study ever of his more than 3,300-year-old mummy.
The findings were from two years of DNA testing and CT scans on 16 mummies, including those of Tutankhamun and his family, the team that carried out the study said in an article to be published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
It also established the clearest yet family tree for Tut, indicating for the first time that he was the child of a brother-sister union.
The study said his father was most likely Akhenaten, the pharaoh who tried to revolutionize ancient Egyptian religion and force his people to worship one god. The mummy shown by DNA to be that of Tut's mother also turned out to be a sister of Akhenaten, though she has not yet been identified.
King Tutankhamun
Two Speech Request
Oscars
Academy Award organizers have come up with a novel idea for avoiding those boring Oscar acceptance speeches filled with "thank yous." Their solution: have the winners give two speeches.
Contenders for the world's top film honors including George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges gathered on Monday for the annual Oscar nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills, and as is tradition, the show's producers offered tips on giving the 45-second acceptance speeches.
Typically, that advice is to keep them short and avoid a long list of "thank yous" to agents, directors, spouses and family. Oscar co-producer Bill Mechanic called those often teary-eyed thanks "the single most-hated thing on the show."
Instead, he and co-producer Adam Shankman will have winners give two speeches: one onstage telling audiences what winning an Oscar means to them, and a second backstage for a "Thank You Cam" where winners can say "Thanks" to whomever they want.
Oscars
Socialist Bank
North Dakota
It has no automatic tellers or drive-up windows, doesn't issue credit cards, and tends only a few thousand checking and savings accounts. Its only location is a glass, steamboat-shaped headquarters near the Missouri River, where the business moved from its original 1919 home in a former auto assembly plant.
The Bank of North Dakota - the nation's only state-owned bank - might seem to be a relic. It was the brainchild of a failed flax farmer and one-time Socialist Party organizer during World War I.
The Bank of North Dakota serves as an economic development agency and "banker's bank" that lessens the loan risks of private banks and helps them finance larger projects. It offers cheap loans to farmers, students and businesses.
The bank had almost $4 billion in assets and a $2.67 billion loan portfolio at the end of last year, according to its most recent quarterly financial report. It made $58.1 million in profits in 2009, setting a record for the sixth straight year. During the last decade, the bank funneled almost $300 million in profits to North Dakota's treasury.
North Dakota
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