mixtape maestro (2.0)

There’s no better way to kick off the beginnings of better weather (and the arrival of spring break!!!!) than to have the good-times guitar strummings of Weezer’s “Island In The Sun” expertly merged with the locker-door slams and debaucherous dialogue of J-Kwon’s 2004 lone hit, “Tipsy”.

When listening to this excellent mash-up, the latest great achievement from the The White Panda crew, you can damn near hear jumbo sized sleeves of red plastic cups being ripped into all across the country.

“Tipsy In The Sun”:

DL: “Tipsy In The Sun (Weezer vs. J-Kwon Mash-Up)” (alt)

…And, just to keep this whole “Island”-meets-hip hop vibe going, enjoy D.C./ Maryland/ Virginia-based quartet The Five One’s 2009 music blog-circuit fave “L.A. Girl”, which uses the same Weezer track (as well as lyrics…ahem, borrowed from Kanye West’s “Robocop”) as foundation for a tribute to spoiled lil’ Cali babes.

Currently featured, amongst a few other great remixes/ cover songs, on The Five One’s newest mixtape, Road To SXSW.

“L.A. Girl”:

DL: The Five One “L.A. Girl” (alt)

Uncategorized j-kwon, kanye west, maryland, mash-up, mixtape, the five one, the white panda, virginia, washington d.c., weezer

Oh look, it’s in-box cleaning out time again.

Wale & Just Jack “Embers/ Good Girls (Phillip Martell Mash-Up Remix)”

For it’s first two-thirds, this mash-up concoction by ATL DJ Phillip Martell emerges quite effective in it’s enchanting blend of the acapella from Wale’s 2007 track “Good Girls” with a hyper-speed orchestral loop and sampled vocal snippets swiped from Just Jack’s ‘09 UK hit “Embers”, but it’s in it’s final minute-and-a-half when the project truly blooms, thanks to Martell completely doing away with the JJ instrumental for a killer assault of electro-house pomp.

DL: “Embers/ Good Girls (Phillip Martell Mash-Up Remix)” (alt)

Aaliyah “One In A Million (Belief Remix)”

The third installment in L.A.-based producer Belief’s on-going Aaliyah remix project
finds him taking on the late singer’s 1996 classic “One In A Million”, and while nothing could really come close to topping the way-ahead-of-it’s-time Y3K sonics Timbaland cooked up for the original, we’re digging the languid, neo-soul-ish incense vibe Belief brings here.

DL: “One In A Million (Belief Remix)” (alt)

Private “My Secret Lover”

First things first: Thomas Troelson, the main producer and lead singer dude of this Dutch dance-pop trio, looks a little bit freaky.

Once you get past his physical creepiness, though, you’ll likely be swept away by the pure ’80’s pop infectiousness on display in this single, an irresistible sugar packet of helium-voice mackadelics (“Girl take off your dress/ Let’s make this place a mess!!”), warped old-school B-boy-isms and glossy bubblegum-funk carved from the guilty pleasure-filled catalogue of Wham!.

DL: “My Secret Lover” (alt)

Tayma Loren featuring The-Dream “Tipsy”

This Detroit-born R&B newcomer’s real-life brother Carlos “Los Da Mystro” McKinney has co-helmed some of the best The-Dream jams (“Shawty Is A 10″, “Rockin’ That Thing”, “Walkin On The Moon”, “My Love”), as well as hits for Usher (“Trading Places”), Trey Songz (“I Invented Sex”) and J. Holiday (“Bed”), so it’s only right that he would hook up his sister with a joint that’s just as smash-worthy.

Tayma’s debut single “Tipsy” oozes that signature Dream/ Mystro radio magic, from it’s light and lazy piano bounce to the quirky, echo vocal mini-hooks speckled throughout it. It’s most entertaining factor, however, lies in the humorous honesty of it lyrics’, which detail how a drunken, post-nightclub one night stand usually ends up being a regrettable moment in one’s life rather than the mind-blowing sexcapades event most R&B acts blow it up to be (“When you wake up/ It’s all fucked up”).

DL: “Tipsy” (alt)

Uncategorized aaliyah, belief, denmark, detroit, just jack, los angeles, los da mystro, mash-up, odds n ends, private, tayma loren, the-dream, wale

British electro-pop singer/ songwriter/ producer Dan Black shook up the music blog scene back in 2008 with his mash-up-to-the-next-level “HYPNTZ”, a half-sung cover of Notorious BIG’s “Hypnotize” backed by an entrancing beat that merged bits of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” with parts of the soundtrack to John Carpenter’s 1984 sci-fi flick Starman. In short, the aural patchwork was utterly brilliant, the kind of stop-you-in-your-tracks introductory record that instantly had you eager to hear more of what this genre-blurring newbie (a sort of modern-day Beck) had to offer in the future.

Two years later, on the eve of the U.S. premiere of his all-originals debut UN (due February 16th, and featuring the Kid Cudi-featured remix of his non-Biggie-”borrowing” “HYPNTZ” rewrite “Symphonies”), Black has put together six more of these dope mix-and-match creations for his new (and free!!) mixtape Weird Science.

You can fnd the entire set here, but check out a couple of our highlights, the Madonna & Kate Bush-fusing “Gimme Into The Cloudbusting” and “Slave To Paper” (a gorgeous synthesis of some hazy 80’s pop number, Dizzee Rascal’s “Stand Up Tall” and a teeny-weeny drum snippet of Missy Elliott’s “Beep Me 911″) below:

DL: “Gimme Into The Cloudbusting” (alt)

DL: “Slave To Paper” (alt)

…And for your viewing pleasure, here’s the video to the “Symphonies (Remix)”:

Uncategorized cover song, dan black, dizzee rascal, kate bush, madonna, mash-up, missy elliott, mixtape, UK

“It sounds like ABBA’s ‘Fernando’”.

“No, I hear Madonna’s ‘La Isla Bonita’”.

Ever since it’s premiere a couple months back, “Alejandro”, Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster-housed ode to letting go of old Latin lovers, has inspired plenty of giddy “This reminds me of…” chatter amongst her ever-growing fanbase, with many targeting those two aforementioned records.

But for anyone who kept their ears glued to Top 40 radio in the early ’90’s, “Alejandro” read the best as a tribute of sorts to ABBA via the slow, pseudo-reggae lope and weighty, Euro-dance-pop galumph relied on by that other mega-selling Swedish quartet Ace of Base, an idea succinctly proved through this inevitable mash-up of “Alejandro” and Ace of Base’s fifteen-year-old sound-alike “Don’t Turn Around” spliced together by award-winning Vegas DJ/ producer Morningstar.

Not only do both tracks own virtually the same backing track and melodic structure, allowing for near-seamless back-and-forth transitioning, but the concluding relationships depicted in both numbers nicely compliment eachother, the combined requests of “Don’t turn around/ Cause you’re gonna see my heart breaking” and “Don’t call my name/ Don’t call my name, Alejandro” helping add an entire new layer of brilliance to this appreciated novelty.

DL: “Alejandro/ Don’t Turn Around (Morningstar Mash-Up)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, ace of base, dance pop, lady gaga, las vegas, mash-up, morningstar, sweden

Many have tried to fill in the gap left in R&B in the eight years since Aaliyah’s passing (and you know the ones we’re referring to), but none have been able to really match the angelic-voiced singer’s always intriguing display of mysterious tomboy sex appeal and understated vocal grace or her excellent ability in complimenting Timbaland’s manic beats rather than being swallowed up and made irrelevant by them.

Listening to some of her and Timbaland’s best collaborations now-the hip hop tip-toe “Are You That Somebody?”, the serpentine seducer “We Need A Resolution”, “More Than A Woman”’s superhero synth funk, “Try Again”’s Matrix-esque digi-soul-you can still grasp onto brand new things to adore amongst their complex rhythm patterns, smooved out vocal melodies and compelling (and shamefully oft-overlooked) lyrical sketches, bringing one once again to wonder how many more different ways she would have blown our minds musically by now had she not moved on.

That question will never be answered, but such a frustration won’t ever stop us from always celebrating the greatness she produced the short time she was with us.

Below, check out three recent tributes to the much-missed “Baby Girl” that planted major smiles on our faces: sick electro-soul covers of “4 Page Letter” (by Cali producer AFTA-1 and vocalist Nikko Gray) and “Rock The Boat” (by UK songstress/ Basement Jaxx collaborator Vula) from urban culture webzine SoulCulture’s fantastic new covers EP, Aaliyah Revisited (grab it FOR FREE here); And DJ Benzi and Skratch Bastid’s “dope X infinity” blend of “Rock The Boat” and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s deathless, triple-degree weather classic “Summertime”.

DL: AFTA-1 featuring Nikko Gray “4 Page Letter” (Aaliyah Cover)” (alt)

DL: Vula “Rock The Boat (Aaliyah Cover)” (alt)

DL: “Rock The Boat (Benzi & Skratch Bastid’s ‘Summertime’ Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, aaliyah, afta-1, cover song, dj benzi, mash-up, nikko gray, remix, skratch bastid, timbaland, vula

Though it took a minute to fully swallow the seemingly bizarro reality of Degrassi: The Next Generation’s “Jimmy Brooks” being heaped with praise as hip hop’s next great thing, after a couple months living with (and soon, obsessing over) Drake’s mixtape So Far Gone, a 16-track collection of heart-poured, twenty-something introspection set to an amazingly versatile soundtrack that owes as much to slick Southern rap swagger and 808’s moody digi-soul-pop as it does Hype Machine’s popular ranking charts (cameos include blogger faves Lil’ Wayne, Lykke Li, Santigold and Peter Bjorn and John), let’s just say the Drake hype bandwagon needed to make room for one more.

This latest helping of Drake-mania sees popular So Far Gone cut “Best I Ever Had” getting a Ted Smooth twist, and while it’s beat-jacking of the naughty Akinyele classic “Put In Your Mouth” never quite fits in comfortably behind Drake’s “shawty” Valentine letter, the remix isn’t a complete throwaway, due in part to a tabloid-baiting guest appearance from Swizz Beatz.

“Wake up in the morning and my baby cooked me breakfast/ Ass naked, nothing on but a necklace,” rhymes Beatz. What’s so spectacular about that, you might ask? Fast forward a bit to when he unleashes this key line: “She gave me a party at the Guggenheim”. That’s right, he’s speaking on current boo Alicia Keys, who earned plenty of front page gossip rag coverage last year from this event (reportedly, it was the place where Alicia first publicly “out”-ed her romantic relationship with the then-still-married Swizz, all while his wife Mashonda was still under the impression that her and her hubby were going to work things out).

DL: “Best I Ever Had (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized drake, mash-up, remix, swizz beatz, ted smooth

Here’s a couple random goodies that have pierced the Maestro’s eardrums in a good way recently:

First up, the great DJ Ted Smooth gives Lady GaGa’s breakout smash “Just Dance” a nice hip hop tone, throwing in those beloved skittering drum patterns from Jay Z’s “Jigga What, Jigga Who” and a Busta Rhymes verse (“I’m back on my bullshit so much/ My bowel movement’s fucked up”) as backup to GaGa’s drunken exclamations (still love the WTF randomness of that “Where are my keys?/ I lost my phone” line).

Our lone complaint? Not enough Buss.

DL: “Just Dance (Ted Smooth Remix)” (alt)

Next, from the fingertips of DJ Fabian, comes a summer-ready blend of Jamie Foxx’ deathless “Blame It” atop the always-BBQ-friendly grooves of Arrested Development’s “Everyday People”.

Thank you Fabian, for being all too aware that you can never go wrong with a lil’ 90’s throwback vibe.

DL: “Blame It On The People (Jamie Foxx Vs. Arrested Development)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, arrested development, busta rhymes, dj fabian, jamie foxx, jay-z, lady gaga, mash-up, remix, ted smooth

A sprinkling of Chic-y glitter all over the then-Santogold’s ridiculously lovable dub daydream “Shove It” would seem to be needless (God knows we’ve heard this non-single favorite made over enough different ways), but Canadian DJ/ producer Grandtheft’s disco treatment ultimately pushes this version near the top of the “Shove It” remix heap, it’s festive swirl providing a surprisingly effective companion to Santi and Spank’s vocal contributions and making the record an even bigger club anthem.

DL: “Shove It (Grandtheft’s Disco Remix)” (alt)

Continuing the Ms. White love, check out this mash-up of Major Lazer’s “Hold The Line” over Soulja Boy’s still-fire “Turn My Swag On” beat (courtesy of Philly’s Emynd) below:

DL: “Hold The Line Vs. Turn My Swag On (Emynd Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized Canada, disco, emynd, grandtheft, major lazer, mash-up, philly, remix, santigold, santogold, soulja boy, spank rock

You could probably mash Jennifer Paige’s lone ’90’s hit “Crush” with damn near anything and achieve pop bliss perfection, but this pairing of the record’s summery instrumental with the vocals of Chris Cornell’s “Part of Me” (via Austrian DJ/ remixer DJ Schmolli) deserves some stand-out kudos.

Far more successful in fulfilling Cornell’s weird pop star ambitions than the entirety of the highly awkward, Timbaland-produced nightmare that is Scream, “Crush of Me”’s breezy backing groove serves a pleasant base for Cornell’s gritty dismissal of a naughty little PYT (a role now humorously fleshed out through spliced-in snippets of Paige’s sultry ad-libs). Even that horrid “That bitch ain’t a part of me” hook manages to find a comfortable home in this brilliantly pasted-together confection.

DL: “Crush of Me” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, austria, blue-eyed soul, chris cornell, dj schmolli, jennifer paige, mash-up, summertime, timbaland

Ever wondered how Passion Pit’s “I’ve Got Your Number” would sound if stripped of all it’s synth-pop quirk and given a more straight-forward acoustic ballad treatment? Probably not. But that hasn’t stopped Brooklyn unit Phone Tag from doing it anyway with some surprisingly well-achieved results.

Frail falsettos that give way into pleasant male harmonies and a sparse backing of lone guitar noodlings and distant handclaps project an eerie intimacy throughout this reading, perhaps a more complimenting framing to the lyrics’ pondering confessional than the distracting in-the-red sonic explosions and tinny 8-bit jubilation of the original.

Listen to their solid cover below, then head on over to Phone Tag’s MySpace and peep some of the band’s original material as well as their interesting mash-up of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and Röyksopp’s current summer-friendly single “Happy Up Here” that somehow manages to transcend being a disorienting mess to emerge a delightful web-pop curioso.

DL: “I’ve Got Your Number (Passion Pit Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized acoustic, brooklyn, cover song, mash-up, passion pit, phone tag