Smash Up Derby are the House Band At Bootie (A Mashup Dance Party) every 2nd and 4th Saturday in San Francisco.
Mashups (or Bootie or Bootmixes) are the blending of two or more songs to produce something that still sounds like the original components in some way; but also like something new. These can be frightening , freakish Frankenstein-like infernos, or they can be entertaining or amazing sometimes beautiful.
I imagine the easy criticism of a Mashup is that it is just a rip-off and mixing of someone else’s work. In many cases this is very true, simply laying lyrics from one accapella recording ont he melody of another song, no matter how novel isn’t really making something new out of it. However, sometimes a Mashup is simply something more.
The question of course that I’m heading towards is why I enjoy Mashups so much, it’s a form of nostalgia I imagine. I like the Mashup because I like the components the remind me of something, it’s perhaps a more relevant and entertaining of the “<adjective> movie” line of movies where the components are trotted out as if to say “remember this?” but in a way that doesn’t make you want to slap Kal Penn.
Here are a couple sites to check out MAshups
Youtube – Search for “Artist Name Mashup” you’ll find something.
Dev/Null links to some good stuff
Of course on “The Google” you can search for Mashups, Bootmixes, Bootlegs, etc…
Enjoy!