The popularity of mashups have been quickly dying off since 2012, mostly due to major label pressures on SoundCloud and other music services. I miss ’em, so I finally decided to put together a list of my most favorite ones.
I split mashups into two categories. The first takes samples from many pop songs all compiled into one. The first few on our playlist are good examples. The other is a vocal track mixed in with an instrumental. It might not have as many moving parts as the other, but I bet it’s just as difficult to make it sound right, if not more. Putting two sounds together and making them sound like one is hard for any producer, let alone one working with sounds people are so familiar with.
Judge for yourself, but it’s important to keep in mind that mashups are for fun and don’t always sound the most polished.
Last year we picked a theme for our Best Mashups of 2011, which we dubbed, “Mashups Not Inspired by Glee,” but this year we decided to go with a more positive approach. For 2012, our tribute goes out to Ms. Anna Kendrick. She first caught our eye in Rocket Science and now most recently in Pitch Perfect. And although Pitch Perfect wasn’t really all that good, kinda funny, Anna playing an aspiring DJ & mashup artist was probably the hottest thing, and “DJ”, of 2012.
Another change to this year’s list from last was expanding into remixes & covers. The point of this top 2012 list is to feature the best reinterpretations of memorable hits this year, whether it be mixed, mashed, covered and everything in-between. Whatever it may be, as long as it’s not inspired by Glee, it’s all good by us.
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The EDM scene seems to have missed our radar this year, but we did manage to bundle up a bunch of electro remixes anyway. And there are a few gems in there that you’ll definitely need to listen to – contrary to my lack of effort in electronic, it will be a big part in the future of music.
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I’ve had a little “buyer’s remorse” while writing this post up. But I didn’t write it to highlight the pop shenanigans LMFAO. This praise once again goes to a masher with an ear like no other, Ellipsis. You may be sick as shit of these not-so sexy vocals, but Ellipsis mashed it up with Gartner’s ‘Girl on Girl’ to a precision that I rarely hear. For all you mashup artists out there, this is a well synced song. Love the other samples thrown in there too, it’s a nice touch.
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One of my top mashers is on it again with a bass buzzin round with a few popstars and one classic mixed & mashed in. What separates Ellipsis from the mass of mashers is his unconventional samples and his talent in chopping ’em all up, like a boss. Most who’d try to pull this off wouldn’t cut it like Ellipsis, shit just flows oh so well.
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I categorize mashups in two ways. First is the “supermash,” where you take a grip of samples and lace em all together. The other is just two or so tracks twisted into each other to make one. Either way, it’s to bring vocalists into a new style & genre.
So in this Best Mashups of 2011, we’ve got about five of each. With styles ranging from rap to nu-disco, the only thing consistent in this mix is the amount of soul… basically, they’re not inspired by Glee ;)
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Moving on from the Best Ghetto Funk of 2011 (whatever that is), we get 12 mixes & mashes that will pump you up from 2011 all the way into 2012. Most of these are mashups of Progressive House // Raver type music with a bit of something else sprinkled on top. A few have their flaws, but the’re all the best to go buck wild to and ring in the New Year, baby!
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We start off with a decent dance around AC/DC’s “TNT”, until we get into the thick of it all. Soon after the first drop, all hell breaks loose with Avicii’s “Levels” & Taio Cruz’s catchy rhymes from “Dynamite”. Intermission kicks in with an Etta James sample that Pretty Lights made popular. Second half ends it all with Journey’s classic of all classics, “Don’t Stop Believing”, with continuing backups from […]
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I’m a SoundCloud fanatic. Not only do they have a shitload of good DJ/producers, but the site is also designed to help you find the music you like (it’s the small things that matter). Yea, it’s still overcrowded with dubstep, remixes and mashups – I mean, look at all the choices here – but more & more types of artists are uploading their tracks everyday.
To pay tribute to my SoundCloud fanaticism and the lovely people who are to blame, I decided to throw up my favorites of 2010. Now, I’ve only been prowling around there for maybe six months, so don’t expect EVERY banger to be up on here (make sure to tell me which ones I missed). Also, if I’ve posted a SoundCloud track on here already, it won’t […]
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