Mike the Knife
Mike the Knife
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Masher, Go Home...

Posted over 4 years ago
The king of all mash-ups – Mark Vidler of Go Home Productions – is hanging up his crown. Rather than continuing the alchemy that has marked his reign as mash-up producer supreme, he is instead concentrating on original productions and, I would assume, club and radio DJ-ing. Our loss.Vidler is the canny Brit responsible for such amazing blends as Madonna vs. the Sex Pistols (“Ray of Gob”), Ian Dury vs. the Beastie Boys (“Triple Rhythm Stick”), and the track that first made me wonder at the magnificent idiocy of it all, the Beatles vs. the Monkees’ “Paperback Believer.”And in case you need more specifics, Vidler confected three of my all-times: his inspired mix of the Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll,” Christina Aguilera’s “What a Girl Wants,” and the Communards’ cover of the Jackson 5’s hit “Never Can Say Goodbye,” which sounds like it was meant to be that way; the unlikely but seamless welding of Coldplay’s “Clocks” and the Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”; and the intersection of Grace Jones’ “Slave to the Rhythm” and Nelly Furtado’s “Turn Out the Light,” which – to my ears - actually improves on the original tracks.I’m gonna post all three monster mashes – and, as a special feature, clue you in to a treat. Right now, you can download what amounts to Vidler’s entire output of mash-ups at http://www.gohomeproductions.co.uk/ - and you probably should. It’s quite a treasure trove. I bet you’ll thank me later.Christina Aguilera vs Velvet Underground vs The Communards – “Girl Wants (to Say Goodbye to) Rock”:
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Comments (22)

  1. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says The Temptations vs Coldplay - "Papa Was a Clock": ~YwUKhHCNZfi.mp3~
    Permalink posted 09/27/2007
  2. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says Nelly Furtado vs Grace Jones - "Turn Out the Light Slave": ~zkDMe7wQRG5.mp3~
    Permalink posted 09/27/2007
  3. Jonh Ingham
    Jonh Ingham says It's a sadder world without his inspired collisions. I would also add 'Rapture Riders', which sounds like it's own song rather than a mix of Blondie's 'Rapture' and The Doors 'Riders On The Storm'.
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  4. ivylander
    ivylander says It almost convinces you that Xtina could someday be a real singer instead of a set of pipes and a collection of mannerisms.
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  5. Anna
    Anna says Funny how he managed to make two of my biggest musical dislikes (Coldplay and Furtado) not only listenable (that's not a real word, is it), but also enjoyable.
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  6. vannatta
    vannatta says Listenable is a real word - its just underlined by the Mog software in red, and then again, so is Mog, but that's as real a word as anyone to us Moggers - oops there's the underline again. Great resource for real words is Merriam Webster online - its free at www.m-w.com Noticed something in the software, when you go to a new line, the red disappears, making them all real words again... so much for the underlining algorithm, perhaps they could fix that... Agree with you on Coldplay and Furtado - I find the former listenable to a certain extent, because its so safe and smoothed out, however, it definitely doesn't hold up to repeat listening - that's for sure. Back to the point of the thread - yeah - the mashups that Mike mentioned are superb, although I never really got in to mashups until now - and as usual, I have Mike to thank for that - he introduces us to so much great music here on the Mog. Cheers Mike!
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  7. Neill
    Neill says The man is a *Star* . ~xFMydhOF6qd.mp3~
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  8. Shud33
    Shud33 says Gawd Mike...I have been away to long...I forgot how much I love your mash-ups! Happy Friday! Cheers!
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  9. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says Jonh Ingham: Yep. Vidler's magic is that he makes his combos sound so right together, or failing that, so wittily entertaining. I should also add that "Shannon Stone," his mad hybrid of Shannon's disco hit "Let the Music Play" and the Stones' "Gimme Shelter," is also one for the ages. ivylander: Given the right material, Aguilera's seems like a keeper. Certainly, her facility with sketch comedy, as seen when she hosted SNL, was a pleasant revelation - kind of like Timberlake's in the same situation. Let's just say she's no Britney, although all three are grads of Disney U (a.k.a. "The Mickey Mouse Club"). Anna: For me, it's a never-say-never thing with mash-ups. I've heard a number of mashes that include songs or artists I detest, but the sheer bravado and the simpatico of the intersection are so remarkable that I find myself delighted by the result. vannatta: You're very welcome. The back-and-forth spread of sonic splendor is my favorite thing about MOG - other than the give and take with clever, enthused music fans like youse guys on this thread. Neill: So true. Thanks for rectifying my oversight. What a classic! (And one of the first mash-ups to officially make it to a movie or TV soundtrack when it was included in an episode of the spy series "Alias"...) Shud33: Back atcha! And welcome back!
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  10. meko
    meko says I LOVE IT THANX MIKE.
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  11. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says De nada, meko.
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  12. Rawkkiddoh
    Rawkkiddoh says thats no fun........maybe it will be like Jay-Z and its only temporary
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  13. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says One can only hope, Kevin.
    Permalink posted 09/28/2007
  14. soulrocket
    soulrocket says everytime i see one of those impossible blends i think... nah, its not going to work. and it does... every single time. the temptaitons vs. coldplay may be my fave, because i could never thought of doing it myself. another great post, mr. the knife.
    Permalink posted 09/29/2007
  15. Spike
    Spike says These are amazing. Vidler must enjoy keeping his ears alert for things about different recordings that match up, like tempo, key, chord changes, and whatnot. How does he isolate Jim Morrison's voice from the Doors? Does he gain access somehow to original vocal tracks? Does he use software to change tempo and pitch independently from each other?
    Permalink posted 09/29/2007
  16. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says soulrocket: We do what we can, soul-r. I, too, have a soft spot for the Temps vs. Coldplay, because it sounds so organic. Spike: I think there's a machine/system called ProTools that musicians, producers and engineers use to build/record original music and it also can alter tempo and pitch and somehow separate/isolate elements of a given track. But I'm no expert, so don't quote me. BTW, I'm sure that some mash-up producers have access to unadorned vocal tracks now and then. As a once and future club DJ, I have official dance mixes that include instrumental versions of a song as well as a capella vocal tracks.
    Permalink posted 09/29/2007
  17. soulrocket
    soulrocket says accapellas & instrumentals are easily found on rap & dancehall records. not that easy for pop/rock but there is software that can almost fade the instruments, the added beats will completely mask everything but vocals.
    Permalink posted 09/30/2007
  18. Reckon
    Reckon says They're all great, but Rapture Riders takes it. Very impressive. Interested to see what he comes up with next... Thanks for the link and goodies, Mike!
    Permalink posted 10/01/2007
  19. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says T'were nuthin', Reckon. (Or, I reckon, t'were nuthin'...)
    Permalink posted 10/01/2007
  20. wassonii
    wassonii says Beyond brilliant output. Thank you for sharing and certainly for the link.
    Permalink posted 10/02/2007
  21. Mike the Knife
    Mike the Knife says Coolness. I'm as pleased as the next fan that Vidler opened his vaults...
    Permalink posted 10/02/2007
  22. Bartleby
    Bartleby says Goodness gracious me!!! It's uncanny and really really scary. Who would have thought that John Cale's distortions could be placated on "What A Girl Wants?" Spookiest thing I've ever heard... Thanks Mike.
    Permalink posted 01/14/2008

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