M Is FOR MASHUP - February 26th, 2014
Forward Into The Mashed
By By DJ Konrad Useo, M.W.Y.F.S. ( Masher Wrecking Your Favorite Songs )
Today, I will recount a generalized version of my online mashup experience. To begin, I discovered mashups when I was searching for novelty music and found an excellent mashup instead. It was at the end of 2003, or thereabouts. At the time, I hastily regarded them as novelty music. I was certain that as much as I enjoyed them, they were only going to be a temporary commodity. Many of the mixers themselves were very nervous about posting their creations, since the copyright part hadn't been worked out at that stage. I could only find mashups at one blog that was constantly going down, and then returning.
Well, the musical excitement the early mashups stirred up soon had a small community of dj's and home producers gathering at a forum. The forum picked up such steam that the mixers themselves quickly spread out into their own sites. I soon worked out the software to make my own tracks, and I joined a large social community site and began my time as a mashup dj. I joined the mashup forum, and they banned me after a bit. Something about having "transgressed the unwritten law", or a version thereof. What could I do, but open my own forum with some pals. That worked out very well, but the forum was closed unexpectedly. Akk! What could I do but open another mashup forum with some pals?
After about six months I also returned to the forum that had started the scene. ( I was urged to return by people I couldn't refuse ) Next I was banned from the second forum that I'd been involved with. How could I have known the forum I helped create would also have secret rules that one mustn't violate? LMAO! So next I started a forum with some pals. This new one had an online radio station. It was so great to play live to people who typed right to you on the radios' chat box. I hope it sounds like I'd been having a fine time so far, because I had. After all, I was mashing solely for fun. My dj slogan has always been "Not Mandatory".
So, I fell out with the folks I started that forum with. Lol! A power struggle behind the scenes as I recall. For me, since it's all about the fun, I just left with little regret. The place that had banned me last invited me back, along with a huge apology. I can respect admitting and correcting a mistake, and I'm not one to hold grudges. Plus, they also added a radio station! So, I was at two major mashup forums concurrently, when I was asked to help create a new one as well. In the spirit of the mashup community, I said yes. ( Plus, they offered me MONEY!! ) I didn't last long at the new forum as I took offense when they never paid me. Instead, I stayed at the other two major forums. I almost forgot to mention, I'd been at a mashup forum devoted to just one band for most of this mentioned time period as well. I'd been posting long mixes at another treasured long mix site in addition to that.
The thing that strikes me as funny is, I get most of my traffic from people who come directly to my GROOVY TIME site. Next, I get people coming from Twitter. After that, I get people coming from forums. It sure keeps me hopping providing hosting for all those digital transfers. Nowadays, there's a small batch of mashup forums. ( Most of which I frequent) New ones appear often. People try variations on the forum style, but I prefer that type, as it "feels" like a community. There's also tons and tons of blog-style mashup pages. So many, in fact, that the mashup mixer population has really exploded! I can in no way stay up on all the fine new producers. The stuff I do find though, is really excellent. In the old days, I'd often notice mistakes that would soon be corrected, but in the last many years, every track seems good to go immediately.
I'm heading into my eleventh year now as a mashup producer. I look back and discover I've made hundreds of tracks. I've released and have been involved with releasing over seventy albums of mashups. I must've been having a great time, or I'd have been watching football instead. Lol.
If all the forums, the blogs, and the social sites vanished, I'd still be mixing tunes for myself. I suppose the only thing to do next would be to open another mashup forum with some pals! ROFL.
Mix Of The Week
Jess Marquis' "Radio Free Marquis Ep. 15: Guest DJ Mix From Fat & EZ" is all that you could long for in a great modern dance mix. It's chock full of Marquis mashups plus a far out section from DJ Fat & EZ. A mix in a mix! Zarjaz!
Stream, or d/l here
( soundcloud.com/djjessmarquis/radio-free-marquis-ep-15-guest )
Mashup Tip
Save the files you used to create your tracks from. Years later, you might want to update them, and you can't do that without the "stems".
Latest Useo Thing
I posted three tracks of various styles solely to see which one did best. It's kind of like fishing, and discovering which lure works best. The three tracks are
01-'Lucy In The Black Rain With Diamonds' (Beatles vs Soundgarden )
( www.groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2014/02/beatles-vs-soundgarden.html )
02-'Love Of My Fight Test ' ( Queen vs Flaming Lips )
( hearthis.at/vXMfxz7w/love-of-my-fight-test-queen-vs-flaming-lips/ )
03-'S-E-X-X-Y Panic Station ( Muse vs They Might Be Giants vs Kendal Mintcake )
( www.hulkshare.com/3qu8p0o4fnsw )
So far the winner is #3 with a significant lead. #2 is doing well in second place after losing it's early lead.
#1 is way behind the others, having barely pulled in a handful of listeners.
I partially blame the hosting, which works great for me, but older browsers get pop upped a bit, I hear.
I love all three, but I think #1 is the best. Shows what I know. Lol.
Podgornio, The Mashup Psychic Predicts
You will buy me a drink at the DJ Tiesto show ( spoken while swinging watch ).
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Jessica Roy: Here Are the 50 States Ranked by How Happy Their Residents Are (Time Newsfeed)
See how your state stacks up.
Pete Cashmore: Alec Baldwin and the fine art of becoming unfamous (Guardian)
The actor has become the latest celebrity to retire less than gracefully, joining Shia LaBeouf in his very public break-up with fame.
Picasso and Mondrian: genius at work (Guardian)
Picasso hopped from place to place, while Mondrian made his life's work at one address. Charles Darwent on what their studios reveal about their art.
Mark Caro: Harold Ramis, Chicago actor, writer and director, dead at 69 (Chicago Tribune)
Best-known as an actor for 'Ghostbusters', 'Stripes', writer/director for 'Caddyshack', 'Groundhog Day.'
Roz Warren: The One Book Every Aging Person Needs To Read (Huffington Post)
"100 Simple Things" is a grab bag of advice to follow if you want to stop the big A [Alzheimer's] in its tracks, from the predictable ("Eat Antioxidant-Rich Foods") to the unexpected ("Consider Medical Marijuana.") (I'd be glad to! But first they've got to legalize it here in Pennsylvania.) Each recommendation is presented in a concise chapter which includes the science to back it up.
Phil Edwards: Stop Binge-Watching And Start Binge-Reading. I Read 300 Books Last Year And Am Smarter Because Of It (Huffington Post)
Over the past eight months, I've read more than 300 books on a wide range of subjects. It's not because I'm intellectually pure--I was conducting research for a trivia site, Trivia Happy, and original research was the best way to avoid regurgitating the internet's favorite facts. But a funny thing happened over the course of my bizarre experiment as I plunged into books about Liszt, Ben & Jerry's, and everything in between. I realized that bingeing on books is a better way to read.
Analee Newitz: Thinking positively could undermine your ability to succeed (io9)
It's become a truism to say that thinking good thoughts can lead to good things. Self-help gurus tell us to visualize success, and psychologists tout the "power of positive thinking." But some scientist have found that positive fantasies lead to bad things.
Rick Webb: The Economics of Star Trek (Medium)
The Proto-Post Scarcity Economy.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
is taking care of business.
wrote:
said:
Who Do You Think Will Win?
2014 Oscars
The Oscars are this coming Sunday, so now's the time to make your predictions of who will win what.
Send your guesses to Marty, by 11pm (est) , Saturday, 1 March, 2014.
Best Picture
"12 Years a Slave"
"American Hustle"
"Captain Phillips"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Gravity"
"Her"
"Nebraska"
"Philomena"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"
Actor
Christian Bale: "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern: "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio: "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Chiwetel Ejiofor: "12 Years a Slave"
Matthew McConaughey: "Dallas Buyers Club"
Actress
Amy Adams: "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett: "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock: "Gravity"
Judi Dench: "Philomena"
Meryl Streep: "August: Osage County"
Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi: "Captain Phillips"
Bradley Cooper: "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender: "12 Years a Slave"
Jonah Hill: "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Jared Leto: "Dallas Buyers Club"
Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins: "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence: "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong'o: "12 Years a Slave"
Julia Roberts: "August: Osage County"
June Squibb: "Nebraska"
Directing
David O. Russell: "American Hustle"
Alfonso Cuaron: "Gravity"
Alexander Payne: "Nebraska"
Steve McQueen: "12 Years a Slave"
Martin Scorsese: "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Original Song
Alone Yet Not Alone from "Alone Yet Not Alone" - Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel
Happy from "Despicable Me 2" - Pharrell Williams
Let It Go from "Frozen" - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
The Moon Song from "Her" - Karen O and Spike Jonze
Ordinary Love from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" - Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
marty's picks:
Best Picture - American Hustle
Actor - Leonard DiCaprio
Actress - Cate Blanchett
Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
Supporting Actress - Lupita Nyong'o
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Song - Let It Go (Frozen)
~
Marian's Oscar predictions
Picture - Twelve Years a Slave
Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Actress - Cate Blanchett
Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
Supporting Actress - Jennifer Lawrence
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Original Song - "Let it Go" from Frozen (my grandkids fav)
~
Dale o de Diamondy Springs's Oscar Picks:
Picture - 12 Years A Slave
Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Actress - Cate Blanchett
Supporting Actor - Jared Leto
Supporting Actress - Lupita Nyong'o
Director - Alfonso Cuaron
Original Song - Let It Go (Frozen)
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Team Coco
CONAN
Straight Arizonans! Are you tired of gays in your gay porn shop? We've got just the place for you!
Jack Dundee's All-Gay Straight-Only Adult Emporium
CONAN Highlight: Shop at Arizona's premier gay porn shop exclusively for God-fearing straight dudes.
(Available Worldwide.)
CONAN Monologue 02/25/14
Conan jokes about the Super Bowl, Delta Airlines, Khloe Kardashian, and more…
(Available in Select Nations Only.)
Submit Your Video For "Hey I Just Woke Up, Aren't I Talented?"
Showing off how you start your day is so easy, even Conan can do it.
(Available in Select Nations Only.)
Celebrity Survey: Larry King, Daniel Baldwin Edition
Conan asks his celeb buddies for the inside scoop on their thoughts, dreams, and deepest secrets.
(Available in Select Nations Only.)
Michelle Dockery Channels Lady Mary's Rage
When Michelle tried to quiet her hotel neighbors, she forgot she was rocking a Pink Floyd t-shirt.
(Available Worldwide.)
Michelle Dockery On "Downton Abbey's" Porn Parody
You might not think Michelle would appreciate "Down On Abby," but she's actually quite the fan.
(Available Worldwide.)
DJ Qualls Stole His $5000 Sneakers
DJ nabbed his new kicks on the set of his new movie. Hope they don't see this segment, DJ. That's grand larceny!
(Available in Select Nations Only.)
DJ Qualls Flipped Off His Yoga Teacher
DJ wasn't feeling very zen during his Bikram session, so he let his finger do the talking.
(Available in Select Nations Only.)
Schoolboy Q "Studio" 02/25/14
Schoolboy Q performs a track from his new album Oxymoron.
(Available in Select Nations Only.)
Favorite Things: Sona Movsesian
What do a post-it note, President Jimmy Carter & Harry Styles have in common? They're all a few of Sona's favorite things.
Conan's Full Schedule
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Comment
Laptops
What a run around from those liars at Target!
A laptop is all I've used since I bought my first one in the 1980s. I got my last one, a lovely little netbook that works well for my needs and is very portable when I travel--got it from Amazon. Delivered to me, good price, no hassle, all as promised. Generally I've found Toshiba to be the most reliable, best performing.
Linda >^..^<
We're all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
Yeah, I was really looking forward to the upgrade.
Guess I should have taken a clue when my credit card was hacked at Target, and realized that they were less than competent.
And, of course, they'd never engage in bait-and-switch tactics (cough, cough).
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny & breezy.
John Mercer Award
Gamble and Huff
Writing duo Gamble and Huff will receive the Johnny Mercer award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony.
The organization announced Tuesday that Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff will be honoured with the top prize June 12 in New York City. Elton John and Bernie Taupin earned the honour last year.
Philadelphia-based Gamble and Huff have written and produced many hits, including Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me by Now" and the O'Jays' "Love Train." They also wrote the "Soul Train" theme song, "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)."
Ray Davies, Donovan and songwriters Jim Weatherly, Graham Gouldman and Mark James make up the 2014 Songwriters Hall of Fame class.
Gamble and Huff
Donates $25 Million
George Lucas Family Foundation
Filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, are donating $25 million to a prestigious private school on Chicago's South Side.
The University of Chicago says Tuesday the grant from The George Lucas Family Foundation will pay for a new arts hall at the university's Laboratory Schools.
The 86,000-square-foot building will open in 2015 and will be named after Gordon Parks, a photographer, musician and social justice advocate.
Lucas says in a statement that art can "transform lives and communities" and says he hopes Parks' legacy will inspire future generations.
George Lucas Family Foundation
Western Michigan
Gilda's LaughFest
Organizers of an annual festival of laughter in western Michigan are seeking people to wear sunglasses at night for a record-setting attempt.
Gilda's LaughFest announced Tuesday that it will kick off this year's event March 6 in downtown Grand Rapids with an attempt to set a Guinness World Records mark for the most people wearing sunglasses in the dark. Participants will get official bright yellow LaughFest sunglasses.
Guinness World Records says the current mark was set in July 2012 by 1,642 people at Chicago's Wrigley Field.
The fourth annual Gilda's LaughFest takes place March 6-16. It honours the memory of comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989.
Gilda's LaughFest
Syfy Ending In April
'Being Human'
"Being Human" will end its run with a series finale on April 7, Syfy said Tuesday.
The series is set to start the second half of its fourth season.
The series, a remake of the British show of the same title, revolves around a trio of Boston roommates who happen to be a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf.
In a video to fans of the show, Sam Huntington, who plays Josh on the series, notes, "What I'll miss most about being on 'Being Human' is the fact that I - oh God, everything."
'Being Human'
Didn't Know Hacking Was Illegal?
Rupert
Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks (R-Lip Service) said Tuesday that she never sanctioned phone hacking, and was horrified when she learned the tabloid had targeted the cellphone of a missing teenager.
She said that as editor of the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid between 2000 and 2003 she didn't know phone hacking was against the law, but would have considered it a "serious breach of privacy."
Brooks said it was not until July 2011 that she discovered the paper had hacked the phone of 13-year-old Milly Dowler, who was abducted and murdered in 2002.
Brooks said she was on holiday for the period in 2002 when Dowler's phone was hacked. Her deputy and sometime lover, Andy Coulson, was in charge. Coulson, who went on to become Prime Minister David Cameron's communications chief, is also on trial.
Rupert
Goes Mainstream In US
Hate
The number of radical-right hate and militia-type "patriot" groups in the United States, which peaked in 2012 after four years of explosive growth, fell significantly last year due in part to the mainstreaming of right-wing ideas, a civil rights group said Tuesday.
The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center released its annual Year in Hate and Extremism report, which tallied 939 active hate groups and 1,096 patriot groups in 2013, for a total of 2,035, which the organization said remained a relatively high number historically. It represented a 14 percent decline over the 2,367 groups counted in 2012.
The drop came as mainstream politicians began co-opting more right-wing ideas into state legislation which face constitutional challenges, Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the center, said in a teleconference with reporters.
He cited as an example a law passed by the Republican Arizona state legislature last week which would allow businesses to discriminate against gay people or others on religious grounds. Republican Gov. Jan Brewer has until Saturday to decide whether to sign the bill into law and is under pressure to veto it.
The Southern Poverty Law Center defines hate groups as those with "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics."
Hate
Christian Singer Admits Seeking Wife's Murder
Timothy Lambesis
The lead singer of Grammy-nominated Christian metal band As I Lay Dying has pleaded guilty to trying to hire someone to kill his estranged wife.
Timothy Lambesis pleaded guilty to one count of solicitation of murder Tuesday in Vista Superior Court, near San Diego. He remains free on bond until his sentencing, which is set for May 2.
Prosecutors say the 32-year-old singer was recorded telling an undercover agent that he wanted his wife killed. He allegedly told a man at his gym that she was making it difficult for him to see their children and impossible to complete their divorce.
As I Lay Dying formed in San Diego in 2000 and has released six albums, including 2007's "An Ocean Between Us," which reached No. 8 on Billboard's charts.
Timothy Lambesis
Newspaper Publishes List
Uganda
A Ugandan newspaper published a list Tuesday of what it called the country's "200 top" gays, outing some Ugandans and raising fears of violence against those named just a day after the president enacted a severe anti-gay law.
Many on the list "are scared and they need help," said Pepe Julian Onziema, a prominent Ugandan gay activist who was named in in the Red Pepper tabloid. "Some want to leave the country and they are asking to be helped."
News editor Ben Byarabaha said the paper published the full names of only the well-known activists and tried to use nicknames for those not publicly gay. A popular Ugandan hip-hop star and a Catholic priest are among those on the list.
Byarabaha offered no details on how the names were compiled.
Uganda's new anti-gay law also creates the offences of "conspiracy to commit homosexuality" and "aiding and abetting homosexuality," both of which are punishable by seven years behind bars. Those convicted of "promoting homosexuality" face similar punishment.
Uganda
Case Dismissed
Tatted Junk
A man accused of texting an unsolicited picture of his tattooed genitals to a married mother of young children did not commit a crime under a Georgia state nudity law, the state's Supreme Court ruled on Monday.
Charles Lee Warren faced up to three years in prison after being indicted under a 1970 Georgia law that makes it illegal to send unsolicited nude photographs by mail without a proper warning on the outside of the envelope.
Prosecutors said he texted the picture of his tattooed penis in October 2012 to a woman who then complained to police. According to prosecutors, Warren's genitals were tattooed with the phrase, "STRONG E nuf 4 A MAN BUT Made 4 A WOMAN."
The Georgia Supreme Court said the state law did not cover photos sent electronically through a cell phone text message, and justices dismissed the criminal charge in a unanimous decision.
Tatted Junk
Buried Treasure
Bonanza
A Northern California couple out walking their dog on their property stumbled across a modern-day bonanza: $10 million in rare, mint-condition gold coins buried in the shadow of an old tree.
Nearly all of the 1,427 coins, dating from 1847 to 1894, are in uncirculated, mint condition, said David Hall, co-founder of Professional Coin Grading Service of Santa Ana, which recently authenticated them. Although the face value of the gold pieces only adds up to about $27,000, some of them are so rare that coin experts say they could fetch nearly $1 million apiece.
"I don't like to say once-in-a-lifetime for anything, but you don't get an opportunity to handle this kind of material, a treasure like this, ever," said veteran numismatist Don Kagin, who is representing the finders. "It's like they found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."
Kagin, whose family has been in the rare-coin business for 81 years, would say little about the couple other than that they are husband and wife, are middle-aged and have lived for several years on the rural property in California's Gold Country, where the coins were found. They have no idea who put them there, he said.
The pair are choosing to remain anonymous, Kagin said, in part to avoid a renewed gold rush to their property by modern-day prospectors armed with metal detectors.
Bonanza
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
A list of the top 20 prime-time programs in the Nielsen ratings for Feb. 17-23
1. Winter Olympics (Monday), NBC, 23.55 million.
2. Winter Olympics (Thursday), NBC, 20.29 million.
3. Winter Olympics (Wednesday), NBC, 20.19 million.
4. Winter Olympics (Tuesday), NBC, 18.93 million.
5. Winter Olympics Closing Ceremonies, NBC, 15.18 million.
6. Winter Olympics (Friday), NBC, 14.93 million.
7. Winter Olympics (Saturday), NBC, 13.28 million.
8. "The Walking Dead," AMC, 13.12 million.
9. "Sochi Gold" (Sunday), NBC, 12.72 million.
10. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 10.16 million.
11. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 10.06 million.
12. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 9.95 million.
13. "NCIS," CBS, 9.90 million.
14. "CSI," CBS, 9.77 million.
15. "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox, 9.73 million.
16. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 9.36 million.
17. "60 Minutes," CBS, 8.99 million.
18. "Growing Up Fisher," NBC, 8.86 million.
19. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 7.93 million.
20. "Castle," ABC, 7.75 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Franny Beecher
Franny Beecher, lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets, which helped kick off the rock and roll era with the hit "Rock Around the Clock" in 1955, has died. He was 92.
Beecher died in his sleep Monday night at a nursing home near Philadelphia, daughter Pauline Grinstead said Tuesday.
The Comets, whose hits also included "See You Later, Alligator," are credited by some music historians with having recorded the first rock and roll song in 1953 with "Crazy Man, Crazy," the group's biography on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website says.
Beecher, born Francis Beecher in 1921 in Norristown, started playing guitar before crowds when he was 17 and continued until he was 90; before the Comets, he performed with Buddy Greco and Benny Goodman, Grinstead said.
"My dad didn't play music for money. He was no businessman," she said. "He played music for music."
Although Philadelphia session musician Danny Cedrone played on the original recording of "Rock Around the Clock" before his death in 1954, Beecher played the signature song for the first time on national television in 1955 and also played with the group in films.
"Rock Around the Clock" became a hit again nearly 20 years after its release when it was included on the soundtrack of "American Graffiti."
The Comets broke up in 1962, but in the 1980s, Beecher and some of the original members reunited and played tour dates around the United States and internationally for years.
Grinstead said her father also is survived by two sons and six grandchildren.
Franny Beecher
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