If you've ever listened to Girl Talk or other mashup artists, you may have wondered which samples are used in each track. While Girl Talk publishes the set of tracks he samples, that still only gets you part of the way to knowing the details of those samples. When does each sample come in? What does the sampled song sound like on its own? Where can I listen to the sampled song? Where can I buy the sampled song?

Ellie sent me this really cool website that answers all of those questions by showing the samples used in Girl Talk's album "Feed the Animals" as they are played. You will see the name of the artist, track and album and be able to listen to a clip of most of the sampled songs. 

It's cool seeing the sampled songs pop up. There were a bunch of "those songs" that I knew, but had no idea who it was written and performed by. I could get lost for hours listening to the sampled songs, but have resisted the urge so far. I've got too much work to do right now! 

My respect for Girl Talk has grown. He put together a ton of diverse content. Anyone who thinks mashups aren't real art should take a look at this site.

I really enjoyed "It Might Get Loud," a film I watched this afternoon that brings three of the biggest guitar legends from three different generations together for a documentary that is part biography and part music video. The music in the film is great and the behind the scenes footage is revealing.

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page meets with U2's Edge and Jack White of the White Stripes and Raconteurs. Each talks about his background, honing his craft and song writing. The film criss-crosses the globe retraces 50 years of guitar rock history. They also take turns discussing music and playing some impromptu songs. 

These are three of my favorite artists and the music is awesome. But I almost liked the behind-the-scenes and biography parts more. After all, you can listen to any of their songs whenever you want; it's not every day that you get to hear rock gods discussing their craft.

See reviews and read a synopsis on Rotten Tomatoes (80% rating).

Watch the trailer:

Last week I shared what may be the best video ever made. Watch on YouTube (warning, definitely not safe for work). One of my favorite parts of "Miracles" is that it is so ridiculous that it seems like it would be impossible to parody. How do you parody something that is already a parody of itself? Saturday Night Live actually did a pretty good job. I laughed out loud a couple of times. 

Has it been a month already? Almost! I haven't blogged in a while for a couple of good reasons. First, I have been working hard on some creations in my mad scientist lair. Second, I have been busy going out and listening to music. I know, the sacrifices I make for you!
 
About a month ago a friend told me about a mashup compilation called "Best of Bootie." My first thought was skepticism. After all, what kind of site would willingly self-apply a name like "bootie?" Thankfully I ignored those doubts and listened to their best of 2009 compilation. I was hooked after listening to just a few of these very catchy mashups. There is a definite emphasis on danceability. They combine pop, rock, hip-hop, new, old, whatever. As long as it makes you move, it's in there.
 
While looking around the Bootie website I noticed a column listing parties they hosted. One of the parties happened to be in Portland in just a couple of weeks. I immediately contacted my fiancee and friends: we needed to check out the Best of Bootie in person!
 

Since we've been talking about sampling, mixing and mashups lately, I decided to bring in an expert on the subject: DJ and my friend, Alex Nieto.

Alex recently made a ridiculously fun, highly danceable, Prince-meets-electro-house mashup called "When Doves Get Scared."

Listen to the podcast to:

• hear "When Doves Get Scared"
• find out how he made it
• find out how you can make mashups

Listen to the podcast.

To fully appreciate the mix, make sure to listen to the two pieces he combined.

Prince - When Doves Cry