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.
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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A supermashup isn’t a mini-mix, choppin up the vocals and layering them seamlessly is key. Mashup-Germany is known for this ability and in his “Top of the Pops 2011,” he does it with damn near perfection.
“Top of the Pops 2011” is, as the title makes obvious, the top pop singers of this year mashed into one. Somehow Mashup-Germany makes them all flow together like a charm, making even the most annoying of singers not sound so bad. Make sure to watch the video, it makes the mashup even more fun to listen to.
[audio:Top-Pop-2011.mp3|titles=Top of the Pops 2011]
There’s one “hawt” theme throughout this track (I’m really lackin’ in creativity right now). Good samples used and quality production – nothin new for Mashup-Germany. Though, it’s 95 degrees here, so just about anything is gonna “make me sweat”.
[audio:Make-You-Sweat.mp3|titles=I’m Gonna Make You Sweat]
With Mashup-Germany’s first instrumental-only mashup, we get a sexay saxophone mixed in with Wolfgang Gartner’s “Illmerica” and Avicii’s “Street Dancer”. And, really, if you put a saxophone up against anything I’m gonna love it – I’m a sucka for the sax.
I do, however, wish the saxophone was distorted or meshed in electro-ly a bit more. At times, it just seems out of the song, like a saxophonist just played to the beat, which could/should appeal, however. Still, love the track and that saxyphone in it.
[audio:Saxophomental.mp3|titles=Saxophomental]