Quick Quiz: Press Play Dee Jays or Frat Boys Posing?

The Animal Show literally figuratively gets millions of emails a day. Beneath the countless love letters and autograph requests, further down still beneath the multitude of emails my mother sends Edward berating him for giving me a platform to reach the world, are the emails aspiring acts send along hoping for the famous “Animal Show bounce” (or a spot on hype machine, your call). And while some of it is crap (you can stop sending us your GarageBand demos, Kenny G), every so often something comes along that renews my faith in the efficacy of the internet.

The group I am currently referring to is Press Play Dee Jays. The hardcore readership will remember their presence in my monumental (and oft-quoted) “Will Heartbeats Ever Flatline?” Although I was pretty hard on them for removing Eminem’s disgusting (this usage of “disgusting” means incredible, mom) flow on “Forever,” the Aussie duo recently contacted The Show with news of their new mash “Culture Shots.” This is a far more sophisticated and technically sound mash, and not just because they incorporated classical music. They build intensity right out of the gate and let Lil’ Jon and LMFAO rail on Wolfgang Gartner’s “Wolfgang’s 5th Symphony.” Wolfgang Gartner created an extraordinary remix of “Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven),” and Press Play Dee Jays develop the mix even further with the addition of “Shots.” While the mash may make Beethoven roll over in his grave, it will induce many more rolls on the dance floor.

The other two songs were not really sent in, but they continue the theme of fantastic mashes. The first throws D.C.’s anthem over one of the top 5 greatest beats of all-time, from you guessed it, “Paper Planes.” Brand-x does a stellar job to make Wale and Gaga sound right at home over M.I.A.’s immortal number (oh no, please don’t give out my phone number for this.). For those of you looking for more Brand-x, check out their track “MilkShake da Floor (Kelis vs. Major Lazer),” it’s as tantalizing as its parts would suggest. The final mash of the day is the latest from The White Panda, “The Next StarF*cker.” The White Panda continue their dominance in the genre, flexing their muscle with Dre and Snoop atop the hypnotic sounds of Starf*cker. “The Next StarF*cker” is a brilliant mash, and hopefully characteristic of what’s to come on their summer release, Rematch. With that, enjoy the mashes, and keep the emails coming…

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Culture Shots – Press Play Dee Jays (YSI)

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Chillin on the Plane L (M.I.A. x Wale x Lady Gaga) – Brand-x (YSI)

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The Next StarF*cker – The White Panda (YSI)

Related posts:

1. A New Post, A Big Tree, A Big Van. Oh, and music.

Spring Breakin' like a champ

With spring break in the air, I needed some television that could match my enthusiasm for warm weather and poor decision-making. As my now permanently Cheetos stained fingers explored the current bill of fare, I found my way to the holy grail of spring break programming, the ‘Fist Pumpin’ Top 20 w/ Jersey Shore’. Watching the Jersey Shore to celebrate spring break is like listening to Justin Bieber to commemorate NAMBLA day. And for me, seeing tequila drenched, scantily clad women means only one thing, of course, it’s mashup time.

Let’s start with The Hood Internet, who has been terrifyingly hit or miss of late, but have returned to form and mixed some classic Big L rhymes with Bibio. Big L, in his coolest collaboration since this sweet tee, sounds at home atop Bibio’s experimental electronica. By the way, anyone feeling their fancies tickled by Bibio’s stellar synth sound should check out his 2009 release Ambivalence Avenue, a great album that did not receive its proper dues.

Next is The White Panda who threw together mashup darling “Lean Like A Cholo” with Two Door Cinema Club. The White Panda put the chic rock sound of Two Door Cinema Club behind everyone’s favorite ode to Mexican gangsters. The most common side effect of this combination is ear euphoria, and in rare cases, bowel incontinence.

Moving right along we have T.H.I.’s “How Purple Can You Go.” This mash removed the disgusting futuristic garbage from Luda’s “How Low” and instead backed it up with Joker & Ginz’s “Purple City.” This track finally does Mr. Bridges’s flow justice with a first-rate beat.

Lastly I leave you with the Show’s favorite masher, E-603. Even if Sir E can’t accept my friend request, his skillz that killz have been described by commentators (me) as “Glenn Beck crazy”. He posted this track and a subsequent message on facebook describing how he had the song stuck in his head, so he naturally made an exceptionally cool remix to blow our minds. As is par for the king of the 603, he tore this track up. That’s all I’ve got for now, so turn up all these jams and enjoy spring break Snooki style, even if you’re stuck on your couch.

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Dwrcan ‘Em Up (Big L x Bibio) – The Hood Internet (YSI)

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A Cholo You Know – The White Panda (YSI)

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How Purple Can You Go – The Hood Internet (YSI)

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Money To Blow (feat. Drake and Lil Wayne) (E-603 Remix) – Birdman (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Revenge of the Hood Internet: the First Animal Collective Mash-up I like.
2. Throw Some Mash On That Tok
3. Top 5 Mashups of 2009

These Pandas Look at Home at the Show

From what I have discerned about the Show in my brief tenure here, we collectively and not-so-secretly love a catchy pop song. Clearly we are not too ostentatious to concede the undeniable charm of modern day classics like “Party in the U.S.A.” As our estimable leader, Edward of Roma, said in the best Songs of 2009 article (I had to link it because otherwise it may have been hard to find amidst all the new material since), “Party in the U.S.A. was that… guilty pleasure you didn’t have to hide. Everyone loved this song. Everyone loves this song.”

Thankfully, the hullabaloo caused by our most recent guilty pleasure song has finally begun to subside. As it turns out, my lengthy and assuredly much-appreciated absence in mid to late January was actually due to the severe injuries I sustained when I was senselessly beaten by “Tik Tok.” I would describe Ke$ha’s first single now, but if you haven’t heard it, then you must have stumbled onto this blog by mistake. So for those of you who need to scratch at that uncontrollable “Tik Tok” itch but are too embarrassed by the actual song, you’ve lucked out. The Ke$ha bug has also bitten some of our favorite DJs and mashup gurus.

We’ll start with “Doo Tok” the Chambaland mashup of Ke$ha and demigod Lauryn Hill. While my brother referred to this mashup as “sacrilegious,” I simply cannot rebuff anything that could be mistaken for new Lauryn Hill. Chambaland removes Ke$ha’s suspect verses and chorus, leaving Ms. Hill to do her thang all over the club shattering beat of “Tik Tok.”

The White Panda, a mashup group surely deserving of an article of their own, contributed an even better mash. Like Chambaland, The White Panda realized that the major flaw of “Tik Tok” is probably Ke$ha herself. So they too remove all evidence of her voice, and instead leave us Rich Boy. “Throw Some Tik on that Tok” is everything “Tik Tok” isn’t on its own. Rich Boy adds some much needed masculinity to the Saturday night crowd pleaser. And for those of you without Versus (The inaugural White Panda release) head to http://www.thewhitepanda.com/ stat and get your hands on it for free.

Finally, I’ll finish with my least favorite of the numerous variations. The Hood Internet (the brains behind 3 of my 5 favorite mashups of last year) sadly mailed one in with “Summer of Tik Tok.” They were the only one of the three to leave Ke$ha and her bottle of Jack in tact, and remove the best part of the song. While “Summer Song” has a funky electronic beat of its own, it’s certainly no match for “Tik Tok,” and without her fantastic accompaniment, Ke$ha’s sound is even more lacking.

All in all, I apologize for the tardiness of this article, but hopefully its delay will allow you to listen to these tracks having already recovered from all injuries sustained from the original track.

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Doo Tok (Chambaland Mashup) – Lauryn Hill vs. Ke$ha (YSI)

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Throw Some Tik On That Tok – The White Panda (YSI)

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Summer of Tik Tok – The Hood Internet (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Revenge of the Hood Internet: the First Animal Collective Mash-up I like.
2. Mash Update
3. Wasn’t the Fourth of July Yesterday?