M Is FOR MASHUP - August 19th, 2009
Sparks Twenty-One Albums Later-Time To Mash!
By DJ Useo
When I heard my first Sparks record with the Mael Brothers, Ron and Russell, I liked them immediately. They have always been among my top favorite musical acts, despite the constantly-shifting musical forms their art manifests as.From Glam Rock to electro-house to whatever label you want to apply to them currently, Sparks have been a very satisfying pop act over the 21 studio albums they've granted us. No doubt the live concert reaction is a large part of their allure, as they do a crowd-pleaser of a show. I personally saw them rock crowds mightily, & I even saw Ron levitate a baby to roars of acclaim! Now it's time to laud their creativity in the current bootleg way with 'Sparks For Sparks Sake: A Bootleg Tribute To Sparks', my new collection that applies the lessons of Sparks to the current & recent electro tunes that inspire record-purchasing in the modern day.
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For me it began when I did a bootleg remix of the track 'Aeroflot' from their album 'Balls'. I dropped it in a mixing program & through several adjustments got the track to play the same forward as backwards, thus the name 'AeroFlot/tolForeA (DJ Useo Palindrome Remix). After a very good response, & some not subtle requests for more, I became enamored with the idea of a full bootleg record of Sparks material. Not to be selfish, I decided to hoard the project all to myself allowing tracks to appear over the course of the next year. Every so often I'd check out some of the newer tracks I'd made with mixing pals just to see if the project was still viable. Sure enough, they to a man urged me to continue, & it became very easy for me to maintain the motivation to finish the thing.
Now the matter has resolved into the release of this new collection that you can listen to for the price of a right-click. Altogether there's fourteen new tracks that do different levels of mashing to the result of Sparks pairings with artists like Eric Prydz, Air, Juno Reactor, Altern8, Jamiroquai & even Everything But The Girl. I tinkered with some of the biggest Sparks hits like 'Music That I Can Dance To', & 'Cool Places', & also with obscure oddball gems like 'Biology 2' & 'Dick Around'. One track I wanted to do was 'Mickey Mouse' from their 'Angst In My Pants' album. But I stumbled upon a track I didn't know of theirs called 'Minnie Mouse'. Well, it fit so well with the Altern8 that I went with Minnie instead. Now it gets weird. Right after this record was posted , I saw in the news a fellow was convicted of groping Minnie Mouse at Disneyland. Not really anything about the mashup, but very weird, yes?
In the time since release of the Sparks mashup tribute album, I've had some strong, positive reaction like I don't often get. First,I got some glowing emails full of praise, but then it kicked up a notch. I got invites on the various e-chats I'm signed up for, which led to much fun sharing Sparks stories with like-minded people. Fans of Sparks are really into this collection. Man, is that satisfying. Of course the foolish dream of any mashup mixer is to hold out the hope of a back-slap from the source artists themselves. It's not unheard of, but is probably best kept in the realm of whimsy. I just hope they allow it to stay posted. :)
Get the Sparks mashup tribute here -
groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2009/08/sparks-for-sparks-sakea-bootleg-tribute.html
Thanks for reading my little spiel.
(I'll be playing the whole record & a few more Sparks mashups by others
August 20 2009 9:30 gmt 4:30 est on sound-unsound (
www.sound-unsound.com )> radio,
please drop by, no registration required)
Mix Of The Week - 'Sparks For Sparks Sake: A ChronoMix' is over an hour of Sparks tracks mixed in order of release by me. Here's the catch. It's only available by downloading the album mentioned above.^ There's a link included with the album that grants you free access to the mix. Then sit back (or dance like a maniac) to the ever-changing styles of Sparks through the years.
groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2009/08/sparks-for-sparks-sakea-bootleg-tribute.html
Mashup Tip : Make sure to get all pretty when you mash. That person you have a crush on might notice.
DJ Useo's Podcast
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
David Bruce: Wise Up! Food (athensnews.com)
Alexander Fleming became very famous as a result of his discovery of penicillin, and reporters occasionally besieged him. Once some reporters asked him questions as he was on his way to eat breakfast. One reporter asked him, "What are you thinking about at this moment? We want to know what a great scholar thinks about before breakfast." Mr. Fleming replied, "I was wondering whether I would have one egg for breakfast, or two."
Froma Harrop: Greedy Geezers Are Not Nice People (creators.com)
Let's talk about greedy geezers. The term displeases me because I find the vast majority of older people to be wonderfully generous and concerned for others. But there's a noisy minority of elders who spend all day obsessing over what they're owed and resenting any government program that's not about them. They are greedy geezers.
Bill Maher: New Rule: A-hole in One Shouldn't Be Obama's Game (huffingtonpost.com)
New Rule: President Obama must give up that awful habit that sets such a bad example for young people. I'm talking, of course ... about golf.
Sandy Banks: Nutritional facts on menus can be tough to swallow (latimes.com)
No longer can you enjoy your favorite meals at chain restaurants without having the calories and fat content shoved in your face -- a new requirement in California.
REYNOLD SPECTOR: Science and Pseudoscience in Adult Nutrition Research and Practice (csicop.org)
Human nutrition research and practice is plagued by pseudoscience and unsupported opinions.
Tina McCarthy: 11 Dirty Little Secrets Your Grocery Store Is Hiding (EcoSalon. Posted on alternet.org)
How can you beat them at their own game? Here's what you need to know.
"Walden and Civil Disobedience" (Penguin American Library) by Henry David Thoreau: A review by Doug Brown
One of the bookseller e-newsletters that I receive is called Shelf Awareness. They have a regular feature where they ask authors a set list of questions, one of which is to name a book they've faked reading.
Michael Paulson: The Book of Harry (boston.com)
How the boy wizard won over religious critics -- and the deeper meaning theologians now see in his tale.
Sarah Boxer: Is It Time To Burn This Book? (slate.com)
When Fahrenheit 451 becomes a comic book, it's time to worry.
Scott Burns: Kindle-nomics (assetbuilder.com)
Revolutions announce their arrival in subtle ways.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The "History's Mysteries' Edition
If you could find out the answers to three of the many historical mysteries that have puzzled and perplexed the world, what would they be?
1. ) ______________________
2. ) ______________________
3. ) ______________________
Send your response to
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
More like fall than the middle of August. Not that I'm complaining.
BAFTA Honors
Monty Python
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) will honor the Monty Python comedy team with a special award for their contribution to film and television at an event in New York on October 15.
BAFTA, which hands out Britain's equivalent of the Oscars each year, last honored the Monty Python team in 1987, when they were presented with the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.
"I believe these trinkets are more important than people think," said John Cleese, who formed the world-renowned troupe along with Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and the late Graham Chapman. The presentation will take place at the official 40th anniversary Monty Python reunion event co-hosted by the Independent Film Channel, and will follow a screening of "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)."
All five surviving members of Monty Python will attend the reunion at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City as well as a question and answer session following the screening.
Monty Python
Bollywood Star Will Cut Back On US Visits
Shah Rukh Khan
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said Tuesday he will cut back on visits to the United States, especially with his family, after he was questioned by immigration officials at a New York-area airport.
Khan was taken aside at Newark's Liberty International Airport on Friday for what officials said was routine questioning. They denied he was formally detained, saying the incident lasted barely more than an hour and was prolonged only because his bag had been lost by the airline.
The Muslim actor was promoting his latest film, "My Name is Khan," about racial profiling after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Khan told reporters Tuesday after returning to Mumbai that the incident had been "blown out of proportion." But he said the questioning - which included requests for the names of people who could vouch for him - embarrassed him.
Shah Rukh Khan
Crashed Site Restored
'Avatar'
The studio behind James Cameron's 3D sci-fi adventure "Avatar" has fixed its Web site, after fans seeking free tickets to a sneak-peek at the upcoming film crashed it Monday.
The Web site was down for several hours, with visitors receiving an error message instead of free tickets. By the time 20th Century Fox restored the site, some New York and Los Angeles showings of the 15-minute preview were already sold out.
The studio will unveil the film's trailer in theaters and online Friday, and fans who score tickets through the Web for special showings at 3D theaters across the globe will see extended previews.
'Avatar'
New Drummer
Smashing Pumpkins
Drum roll, please. The Smashing Pumpkins have a new member of the band.
The band posted on its Web site that 19-year-old Mike Byrne of Portland was chosen from the more than 1,000 drummers who responded to the group's open call to replace Jimmy Chamberlin.
Frontman Billy Corgan says Byrne has "that X-factor that all the great drummers have, a stunning blend of power, speed, and grace."
Byrne, who started the drums at 11, will play on the Grammy-winning alternative rock band's next album and go on tour. He saw the Pumpkins when they toured Portland two years ago and says the opportunity he's been given is a dream come true.
Smashing Pumpkins
Killed By Strep Infection?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
For more than two centuries, the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has endured - as has the speculation about what led to his sudden death at age 35 on Dec. 5, 1791.
Was the wunderkind composer poisoned by a jealous rival? Did he have an intestinal parasite from an undercooked pork chop? Could he have accidentally poisoned himself with mercury used to treat an alleged bout of syphilis?
A report in Tuesday's Annals of Internal Medicine suggests the exalted Austrian composer might have succumbed to something far more commonplace: a streptococcal infection - possibly strep throat - that led to kidney failure.
"We saw that at the time of Mozart's death there was a minor epidemic in deaths involving edema (swelling), which also happened to be the hallmark of Mozart's final disease," said Dr. Richard Zegers of the University of Amsterdam, one of the study's authors.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"Pledge This!"
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton's movie "Pledge This!" was a colossal flop, but a Miami judge says she won't have to pay more than $8 million because of it.
A lawsuit by investors in the film sought that amount, blaming the 2006 movie's poor showing on Hilton's failure to promote the film. Hilton claims she did everything she could to plug it.
U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno says Hilton could still have to repay some of the $1 million she was paid to make the film. The judge on Tuesday ordered lawyers to file more legal papers in the coming weeks on that issue.
Paris Hilton
Double Standard
Guns
About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday - the latest incident in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president.
Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen.
Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday's event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, didn't need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested.
The man with the rifle declined to be identified but told The Arizona Republic that he was carrying the assault weapon because he could. "In Arizona, I still have some freedoms," he said.
Guns
Not The Happiest Place
Disney World
Walt Disney World cancelled a stunt show Tuesday after an employee died during practice, the theme park's third worker killed on the job this summer.
Disney said the deaths weren't related and federal investigators were treating them as separate accidents.
Anislav Varbanov suffered a head injury late Monday while rehearsing an acrobatic move in the "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular" and died a short time later. The move required Varbanov to jump into the air, dive over another performer and land in a tuck and roll onto a mat.
Disney World cancelled Tuesday's performance in memory of the 30-year-old performer, who had only been with the show a week.
Earlier this month, 47-year-old Mark Priest died four days after being injured in a Magic Kingdom show. He was sword-fighting in "Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial" when he slipped and hit his head on a wall.
Disney World
2 Years Probation
Collector Doctor
A Tampa doctor has received two years probation after pleading no contest to charges he lied to investigators and kept a bullet removed from a fugitive shot by U.S. Marshals.
David J. Ciesla didn't speak with reporters Monday after a judge withheld adjudication, and the lawyer for the trauma head at Tampa General Hospital would only say his client apologized and wanted to move on.
A medical student reported Ciesla after both saw the .40-caliber bullet in an April surgery. The student said Ciesla told him he didn't see anything, slipped the slug in a surgical glove and lied to waiting investigators.
Ciesla was charged with giving false statements to officers and obstructing without violence.
Collector Doctor
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Aug. 10-16. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.
1. (12) "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday), NBC, 12.88 million viewers.
2. (15) "60 Minutes," CBS, 12.03 million viewers.
3. (20) "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), NBC, 11.79 million viewers.
4. (6) "NCIS," CBS, 9.15 million viewers.
5. (11) "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 8.83 million viewers.
6. (38) "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 8.64 million viewers.
7. (8) "The Mentalist," CBS, 7.643 million viewers.
8. (76) "Big Brother 11" (Sunday), CBS, 7.636 million viewers.
9. (76) "Big Brother 11" (Thursday), CBS, 7.48 million viewers.
10. (X) "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" (Monday), ABC, 7.27 million viewers.
11. (X) "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" (Thursday), ABC, 7.24 million viewers.
12. (15) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 7.08 million viewers.
13. (X) "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" (Sunday), ABC, 7.02 million viewers.
14. (53) "Hell's Kitchen," Fox, 6.92 million viewers.
15. (7) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 6.79 million viewers.
16. (80) "Big Brother 11" (Tuesday), CBS, 6.78 million viewers.
17. (20) "CSI: NY," CBS, 6.75 million viewers.
18. (X) "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" (Wednesday), ABC, 6.52 million viewers.
19. (95) "Dateline NBC" (Monday), NBC, 6.34 million viewers.
20. (65) "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday, 8 p.m.), NBC, 6.27 million viewers.
Ratings
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