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Q u a r t e r l y - T i p
Mashup Genius: Mark Vidler Interview
Fall 2006
[Editor's Note: A "mashup," which is also known as "bastard pop" and/or "bootlegs," is a fusion of two or more pre-recorded songs into a new hybridized single track. In most cases, the acappella (vocal) of one song is overlaid on top of the instrumental of a completely different song. While club DJ's have been "mashing-up" songs on the fly for decades -- and there's evidence that mashups date as far back as the Musique Concrete movement of the 1940's -- the popularity of "mashed-up" tracks has increased in recent years. This may be due -- in part -- to the proliferation of computer software programs such as Acid Pro, Sound Forge, and Ableton Live. Perhaps more significantly, a new wave of mashed-up tracks are attaining commercial success. Most notably, Rapture Riders (a mashup of the Doors' Riders on the Storm and Blondie's Rapture) charted globally -- proving the commercial potential of licensed mashups. The genius behind Rapture Riders is Mark Vidler (aka Go Home Productions), who may well be the world's most successful mashup DJ-producer. He has remixed for artists such as David Bowie, Alicia Keys, the Doors, and many others. He has also mashed-up music with the consent of Madonna and the Sex Pistols (Ray of Gob), and has worked with MTV (MTV Mash) and the UK's ITV1 (among many others).]
Disc Jockey 101: What is your DJ background/experience?
Mark Vidler: DJ'd professionally from 2003.
Played Remix Night at Cargo (London) a couple of times. Including the Xmas 26-DJ extravaganza alongside Arthur Baker / Coldcut / 2 Many DJ's / Erol Alkan / Freelance Hellraiser etc.
Headlined Roskilde Festival (Denmark) 2004.
Residency at Ministry of Sound 2005.
Regular at Razmattazz Club Barcelona.
Playing Sonarsound Tokyo 2006.
DJ Sessions for XFM Remix / Radio1 Blue Room / Remixology WFMU NYC / K-Rock NYC / Jazz FM / BBC 6Music.
Previously guitarist in indie band 'Chicane' 1992-1996.
Supported Spiritualized / Catherine Wheel. Much Radio1 airplay / John Peel / XFM-BBC Sessions.
5 well received singles and album. Produced by Nigel Gilroy (Flowered Up).Disc Jockey 101: Are you inspired by any DJ's?
Mark Vidler: Not directly inspired by any DJ's as such but admire the likes of DJ Tim (Utah Saints) / Erol Alkan / 2 Many DJ's / Strictly Kev (DJ Food) / Eddy Temple-Morris.
Disc Jockey 101: When performing live, what kind of gear do you use (i.e., Ableton)?
Mark Vidler: Although I use Ableton / Acid / Reason etc. for studio work, live, I am happiest playing from CD / vinyl on CDJ1000's / DJM600 Mixer and a pair of Technics.
Disc Jockey 101: What do you consider to be the most important element(s) when creating a mashup?
Mark Vidler: In tune. In Key. Extra touches of production to enhance. Surprise elements. Intelligence. Always helps if people are familiar with the content used.
Disc Jockey 101: Do you modernize the tracks? For example, do you compress/alter the acappella (vocal track)?
Mark Vidler: Yes, anything goes. Loops, fx, filters, reverb. Many hours lost with studio trickery. 9/10 if you left the acappella in its original state, it would rarely sit in the final mix. A touch of delay / reverb / compression always helps. The final track has to sound like the vocalist was at the same session
Disc Jockey 101: When deciding which two songs to employ for a mashup, are you first inspired by the acappella (vocal track) or the instrumental?
Mark Vidler: Both really. I can work with a backing track that has plenty of vocal-free passages to lift from and build a new edit, creating an interesting instrumental as such, then search for a vocal. In equal measures, I could get my hands on a cool vocal and work the other way. Most of my mixes are inspired by hearing what turns out to be the backing track though.
Disc Jockey 101: In general, what is preventing the mashup scene from garnering greater commercial success? Copyright clearances?
Mark Vidler: Copyright clearances can slow the process of an official release. I've just completed several tracks for release as an album on EMI called 'Mashed'. The project was started in June 2005 and the 13 or so tracks have only just been cleared for release very recently.
Disc Jockey 101: Because of the copyright clearance issue, are you prevented from creating the artistic work that you otherwise envisioned (particularly with regards to samples)?
Mark Vidler: Whilst creating tracks over the past 4 years, I've never let the copyright issue 'prevent' me from trying anything. Obviously I've encountered situations where the artists have blocked an official release, due to their disliking of the final mix or the fact that they have been paired with someone who they don't consider 'cool'.
Disc Jockey 101: With reference to the number of samples/tracks, do you believe that "less is more" (i.e., less clutter)?
Mark Vidler: As regards 'less is more', I think that can be good in some respects. Too much going on can be distracting. If you are using 4 or 5 tracks within a track you can make it sound less cluttered by placing the samples at strategic points. Subtlety is good sometimes.
Disc Jockey 101: Are your mashups targeting a specific audience (i.e., club dancers, radio listeners)?
Mark Vidler: I like to cater for all. Depends what mood I'm in. Recently my tracks have had a more dance floor bent because it's cool to gauge crowd reactions when playing out. For my radio mixes I can be more diverse. My recent Blue Room mix for Radio1 was very well received by the listeners and was pretty downtempo and chilled. I'm probably happiest creating stuff that can be listened to before you go out, or after you come back -- something for your head rather than your feet.
Disc Jockey 101: Do you believe the best mashups blend different genres (i.e., heavy metal with top-40, funk with punk)? If so, does this mitigate criticism that mashups lack originality?
Mark Vidler: Personally the best bootlegs do contain a genre-cross, a surprise element always works for me. But there can be some tracks that are more similar in flavour that just work even better when placed together. If the blend is exciting or strikingly original, it will last the longest.
Disc Jockey 101: Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie are reported to be so fond of Rapture Riders that it will be included on a Blondie's Greatest Hits compilation. Is this an example of the commercial potential of mashups? If so, what advice do you have for future mashup DJ/producers to follow in your footsteps?
Mark Vidler: Yes, Rapture Riders was included on their Greatest Hits at the end of last year / early this year. The song was also released as a single in the UK and Europe this year, charting in Holland, Austria, Australia and hitting No1 in the US Club Dance Play chart stateside. There have been a couple of other tracks also running a similar path in recent months. The commercial potential has always been there since the first 'mashups' broke through in 2001.
Best advice is to get your mix to the artists or their managers first. If they like what you have done, the process of getting something official out is easier. There are no excuses for not being able to get something to them. Myspace has bridged the artist fan gap.
Related Links
Mark Vidler/Go Home Productions
Mashup Music (Wikipedia)
Photo Courtesy of Go Home Productions
Industry News* Disc Jockey 101 is now hosting the Richard J. Dalton Mixshow Chart. Richard is an accomplished radio mixshow DJ that can be heard on seven FM radio stations across the United States. In addition, he can be heard on nine Internet radio stations.
* HD Radio (which requires an HD radio receiver) could potentially revolutionize broadcast radio and create opportunities for mixshow DJ's. In a nutshell, a digital signal is bundled with an analog signal on an AM or FM frequency to deliver crystal-clear audio in stereo. In addition, FM stations could offer several streams on one frequency (i.e., an all hip hop stream on 99.9 FM's HD1; an all house music stream on 99.9 FM's HD2; etc.). For more information, see Amazon.com's What is HD Radio?
* At some point or another, almost every DJ will have to learn how an audio compressor works. PC Mus provides free tips on audio compression. See How to Use an Audio Compressor.
* Cedric Gervais' 'Experiment' on Ultra Records Miami Club Space Resident DJ's Debut Artist Album
(October 10th, 2006)
Ultra Records is pleased to announce the debut artist album from Miami's Club Space resident CEDRIC GERVAIS EXPERIMENT. The album truly lives up to its name, mixing hard house, tribal funk, Balearic beats, and even a little 80s electro into a dizzying tour de club over twelve tracks.
As one of the biggest DJs ever to come out of Miami and three year resident of legendary Club Space, Cedric knows what the people want and isn't afraid to give it to them on EXPERIMENT. While he name checks all of his influences and friends on the track "Respect," the imprint of some (like Roger Sanchez, Sander Kleinenberg, Deep Dish, Laurent Garnier) come out the strongest. Like those legendary DJs known for their marathon sets at the world's hottest megaclubs, Cedric isn't afraid to experiment, take risks and ignore boundaries and genres evidenced by standout tracks like hit single "Spirit in My Life" featuring Caroline - already a staple in the sets of all the major DJs, and "Pills." Electronic music live act and Paul van Dyk's Vandit Record darlings Second Sun perform guest vocals on "Halfway Love" and "Touch." Like many of the tracks on EXPERIMENT, they are so varied in style that they demonstrate a wide range of talent. What unites them is a bassline that no clubber can deny and, of course, Cedric's special French touch.
Cedric was born in Marseilles on the French Riviera and grew up listening to Laurent Garnier and pre-Homework Daft Punk. He began DJing when at only 15 years old, almost by accident, when he filled in for the scheduled DJ who was too intoxicated to play. After a stint in Saint Tropez, Cedric moved to Paris where he became the youngest resident ever at legendary and notorious Parisian gay club Queen. After the infamous crackdown on French nightclubs in 1998, Cedric moved to the American Riviera South Beach, Miami where the US dance scene was exploding and ready for the Frenchman's trademark blend of hard Euro house and global beats with residencies at Nikki Beach and Crobar.
While EXPERIMENT marks the beginning of Cedric's album work, it's by no means the DJ's first foray into original production. While his co-production work with hip hop producer Dallas Austin led to some memorable studio experiences with Duran Duran, Janet Jackson and Kelis, label issues kept the material unreleased. It was Cedric's first single for Ultra in 2002, "Burning," that launched him as a producer and artist. "Burning" peaked at #3 on Billboard's Hot Club Play chart while his remix of "Stillness of Heart" for Lenny Kravitz stormed both the Billboard Dance Music and Club Play charts later that year. In addition to the new album, Cedric had a hand in one of the biggest tracks of the Winter Music Conference 2006 with his remix of Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" along with Second Sun, which is finally getting a release on Positiva. Also, Cedric's remix of Sander Kleinenberg's "This is Miami" and remix of Sharam [Deep Dish] "Party All The Time" with partners Second Sun on Yoshitoshi are both receiving extensive air play on Pete Tong's Radio One Essential Mix show.
CEDRIC GERVAIS 'EXPERIMENT' TOUR DATES
September 16 - Miami, FL @ Space
October 6 - San Diego, CA @ Belo with Gabriel & Dresden
October 7 - Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon w/Nic Fanciuli www.avalonhollywood.com
October 14 - Miami, FL @ Space
October 20 - COLOMBIA @ Cali with Erick Morillo
October 21 - Las Vegas, NV @ ICE w/ Donald Glaude www.icelasvegas.com
October 26 - San Salvador, El Salvador @ Ambrosia
October 28 - Miami, FL @ Space
November 4 - Miami, FL @ Space with Sander Kleinenberg
November 11 - Miami, FL @ Bang! Music Festival www.bangmusicfestival.com
November 18 - Toronto, ON @ The Drink at The Guvernment www.theguvernment.com
November 25 - Miami, FL @ Space
December 2 - San Jose, Costa Rica @ Vertigo
December 9 - Washington, DC @ Glow www.clubglow.com
January 2 - Cartagena, Colombia @ Ultra Mar Festival
More tour dates TBA.
www.ultrarecords.com
www.cedricgervais.com
www.myspace.com/cedricgervais
* Xfm and Eddy Temple-Morris present The Remix UK Tour. Live Guests include Infadels, White Rose Movement, Whitey, Yes Boss, The Cooper Temple Clause, Performance, and My Luminaries. DJ Guests include Pendulum, Roots Manuva, Evil 9, Adam Freeland, The Freestylers, and Sub FocusSince launching The Remix, Xfm's legendary (and Sony Award nominated) crossover radio show/club night six years ago, Eddy Temple-Morris has become the undisputed champion not just of genre-hopping but of genre-breeding, slipping enough pills into dance music's pint until it finds itself curled up in the corner of the room with rock's dangly bits in its mouth. The show is now the biggest specialist show on Xfm and that's why artists from Kasabian to Liam Howlett rate his presenting skills, his DJing skills and his-hat-wearing skills above all others. It's why his remixes have graced recent b-sides from the likes of Athlete, Delays and Engineers, why Gary Snow Patrol calls him 'twisted genius'. And it's why, after Eddy founded IBIZA ROCKS in 2005, that he was rated as "the future of Ibiza".
Tour Dates
22nd September - Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire
23rd September - Glasgow University
27th September - Sheffield Plug .
28th September - Newcastle Digital
29th September - Birmingham Barfly
30th September - Liverpool Crazyhouse
4th October - Bournemouth Firestation
11th October - Cambridge Soul Tree
14th October - Manchester Music Box
17th October - Liverpool Barfly
18th October - Leeds University
20th October - London Cargo
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