I usually get my inspiration for mashups by listening to DJs who are known for it and reverse-engineer what it
sounded like they did. Of course, never copy exactly what they mixed, but pay more attention to
how they mixed the tracks together. Some techniques are more obvious than others.
Some of the DJs I have tried this with include:
- DJ Z-Trip
- Lobsterdust
- A+D (and anybody on their monthly Top 10 on BootieBlogUSA)
- GirlTalk
- WaxAudio
I would start with some mismatched instrumentals and accapellas, otherwise called an "A+B mashup".
www.acapellas4u.co.uk is a good resource for vocals. A good example of this is
"Sad But Superstitious" by WaxAudio which is "Sad But True" by Metallica vs. an accapella of "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. In this example, a loop of the Metallica intro is used with the horn section from Stevie to create the beginning, then the Metallica intro is looped to provide background for Stevie. The rest seems to fall in place from there for the exception of a few extra samples here and there.
Lobsterdust has great pre-produced multi-mashes - mashups of 3 or more songs - to mix out at a live gig later. A great example is his "United States of Pop" versions 1 and 2. Each version takes 14+ pop hits from that year and crams them into 4 minutes or less.
Z-Trip is a better example of live mashups. Google him to grab a copy of any of his mixes on his website.
That should be enough to keep you busy for a while.
Wanna know more? Feel free to ask or message me.
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