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“Mash-ups” are a popular type of music. They combine elements from two or more songs, often by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the music track of another. Mash-ups have become very popular in recent years because they offer something different than other types of music while still being easy to listen to.
In this article, I’ll explore why mash-ups matter, what they have to offer our modern society, and how to make a mash up of songs. So, let’s jump right in!
The History Of Mashup
The idea of mashing different songs together was first introduced by Harry Nilsson in 1967 who has mashes his vocal recreations of a dozens of Beatles songs into this recording of “You Can’t Do That”.
The term “Mashup” was created by British DJs Andy Hughes and Tom Savvi in the 1980s. In their 1987 article for “Mixmag,” they describe a mash-up as an extended dance mix that combines drum ‘n’ bass, breakbeats, and hip hop music into one seamless track.
This term has since been used to describe any number of musical combinations. Mash-ups are part of popular culture. They usually consist of the vocal track from one song blended seamlessly over the music track of another song. The resulting composition is typically performed by DJs, who use digital audio workstations and sound editing software to blend two or more songs.
Mash-ups are often done with popular music songs. When DJs mix dance tracks or electronica, they use remixes that have already been digitally manipulated for club play. Mash-ups are sometimes even produced by the same groups who originally composed both songs.
With so many ways to create mash-ups, technology has played a big role in their proliferation. DJ software such as Ableton, Fruity Loops, and Mixmeister enable users to easily combine two audio tracks into one by synchronizing the beats of both songs. Almost all digital audio workstations (DAW) will allow users to do this, but these programs make it easier and faster.
Mash-ups can be recorded live, using multitrack recorders and audio loops. They also can be done completely with computers using virtual software instruments and effect plug-ins. DJs may use specialized DJ mixers that incorporate drum machines and other electronic devices to introduce variations in sound and tempo simultaneously as they blend two songs. This allows the DJ to create unique transitions, such as abrupt fade-ins and outs, that would not be possible with CDs.
Examples Of Popular Mashup
A mashup can be made in various ways, it could be as simple as a blend of just 2-3 songs like the AVICII & RICK ASTLEY – NEVER GONNA WAKE YOU UP (NILSOFFICIAL MASHUP)
It can also be like the DJ Earworm’s “United State of Pop” a Mashup of the 25 biggest hits from 2020 in the USA, which uses the backing tracks of The Weekend – Blinding Star as a base track, and creatively blending elements from different songs, and this could be a good way in making a Mashup too.
Some of the more complicated mashup like the Pop Culture by Madeon (My favourite!) has gained a lot of traction from the internet as well, this type of mashup I find it most difficult to make, not only do you have to be terrifically creative, and it could be very time consuming until you are getting everything right too.
If you want to learn how to make a mashup like Pop culture, you may want to check out this comprehensive Novation launchpad course as well, everything you need to know about the Novation Launchpad inlcuding mashup, lightshow and liveset building plus more to it.
I made this mashup with 22 popular songs on Tiktok in the past few years. If you want to learn how to make a similar mashup like this and perform it with your Novation launchpad, be sure to check out this online course right here.
Why Do People Like Listening To Them So Much
The popularity of mashups is attributed to the fact that they are usually very fresh and new. A person will be surprised when hearing something familiar with an element introduced by the DJ. The mashup makes the listener question where they heard the song before or maybe even if they’ve heard it at all. This unique twist to songs can bring out an emotional response from a person that they might not have otherwise had.
For example, a mashup might take a sad song and overlay it on top of a very happy song to create something interesting and fun – the remixer may be attempting to elicit sadness from the listener, even if it is played with other contrasting elements.
Mashups are also popular because people like remembering the songs they already know, so hearing their favorite song in a new way is enjoyable. But if you don’t know what songs are being mashed up, it can be surprising and interesting to hear them together for the first time.
Most mashups are intended for dance and play in a club or party, and they typically last only 3 to 5 minutes.
How To Make A Mash up Of Songs
For those who wish to produce mash-up music, the most important part is choosing the right songs. Because they are built from parts of two or more songs, it means that most music works well as a mash-up. However, there’s a certain contrast in genres that allows for interesting combinations.
Mash-ups can be created through a variety of mediums, and many online services allow music producers to incorporate their favourite songs into one song too. When creating mash-ups, it is best to start with the beats of one song while adding in some lyrics from another.
Depending on what types of music are being combined, there are a variety of ways to blend the songs. One can either overlay one song on top of another and adjust the volume accordingly or work with both tracks at once by using multiple software tracks.
You don’t necessary need a DJ midi controller to start making mashup, but It requires some skill in audio processing to create mash-ups, and anyone can do it if they have the right software. Mash-ups are loved by many because of their unique sounds and creative combinations.
So how to make a mashup of songs? First, choose the songs that you want to base your mash-up on. Secondly, find out what is the key and tempo of these songs, preparing all the puzzle pieces so that when the time to get creative we don’t have to deal with all the details. You can get this figured out easily with some software like Mixed In Key, Google it to find the informations, or just use the old school way by ear or with your instrument.
Thirdly if you could find the stems or multitracks of these songs online that’s great, if not you can also isolate them in your DAW or others DJ software that does that for you. Fourthly, creating a mashup is a creative process, it’s pretty much like composing a new song even though you are reusing elements from different existing songs. So that means you have to structure your mashup recompose it with the resources you have.
Once you get your resources ready and planned out, you may start splitting them into different sections or multiple pieces, warp the samples, etc depending on how you want to create your mash-up. Finally, combine different song loops to create your mashups!
Mash Ups In Modern Society
The phenomenon of mash-ups is relatively new and has gained popularity through the advent of YouTube. Many high-profile artists have also used it in their performances. It’s become such an integral part of popular culture that people often think that all genres of music “go together.”
“Mash-ups” are often made using the beats and rhythm of one song over the accompaniment of another. However, “mash-ups” are not limited to music. For example, the movie, Forrest Gump is a mash-up of the book titled Forrest Gump.
The writer simply took bits and pieces from the original work and added that to his own story which was then published as a stand-alone novel. A video commentary on YouTube about the movie, “Fantasia” describes it as a mash up of varying classical pieces, which is itself a mash up of different Disney works.
However, for this article, we’ll be focusing on mash-ups that are made from elements of different songs and not the other forms. In addition to music genres such as rock, pop, and hip-hop, modern-day technology also lends itself to use of mash-ups in cinematic productions and live performances.
Why I think this trend will continue into the future
Mashups have changed what we listen to today. Although they are songs made of songs that are coming from different genres, mash-ups sound like they were meant to be together. They are great to listen too, with their own lyrics and music. Mashups have been seen all across the world with different genres of music thrown together for a whole new listening experience.
They can sometimes be completely remixed or they will play both song’s parts at once. Mashups are beloved by many and can be seen throughout all forms of media today. Mashups definitely aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and will continue to grow as a form of entertainment and popular culture.
Final Thoughts
The future may see an even greater evolution in mashup creation as musicians collaborate, or use computer-generated algorithms that generate songs at random from two disparate sources such as instrumental tracks or vocal samples. These technologies will be able to create music never before imagined by human beings–and we can’t wait!
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