The mash-up genre is a double-edged sword capable of being both inspiringly exciting and beyond awful. When beats, verses, hooks, bridges, and any second’s worth of audio from a bunch of stylistically different songs combine you can find undiscovered joy or compound your dislike for multiple musicians. Here’s the sample list for one song, "Friday Night:"* 0:00 (21:04) The Notorious B.I.G. - "Hypnotize”
* 0:01 (21:05) Salt N Pepa - "Let's Talk About Sex"
* 0:04 (21:08) James Brown - "Funky Drummer"
* 0:04 (21:08) Public Enemy - "Countdown To Armageddon"
* 0:18 (21:22) J-Kwon - "Tipsy"
* 0:18 (21:22) Jason Forrest - "War Photographer"
* 0:37 (21:41) Billy Squier - "The Stroke"
* 0:37 (21:41) Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg - "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang”
* 0:55 (21:59) Frankie Cutlass - "Puerto Rico"
* 1:15 (22:19) Jay-Z, Puff Daddy - "I Know What Girls Like"
* 1:19 (22:23) Black Sheep - "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)"
* 1:30 (22:34) N.O.R.E. - "Nothin'"
* 1:31 (22:35) Fatman Scoop - "Be Faithful
* 1:40 (22:44) Donnie Iris - "Ah Leah!"
* 1:45 (22:49) Chris Brown, Juelz Santana - "Run It!"
* 2:01 (23:05) The Waitresses - "I Know What Boys Like"
* 2:18 (23:22) Lady Sovereign - "Random"
* 2:26 (23:30) Nikka Costa - "Like a Feather"
* 2:45 (23:49) Mark Morrison - "Return of the Mack"
* 2:51 (23:55) TLC - "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg"
* 2:54 (23:58) Busta Rhymes - "Touch It”
* 3:02 (24:06) The Black Crowes - "Hard to Handle"
Pittsburgh’s Greg Gillis, a.k.a. Girl Talk, is nowhere close to the dull side of the sword. He mixes everything into a dance party juggernaut that transforms live shows into an experience. People don’t come to see Girl Talk perform, people come to participate in the nightly parties Gillis throws.
He started the show at Talbott St. by bounding on stage adorned in a baggy grey sweat suit, hood up, and Pittsburgh Pirates hat. Trumpets blared over the PA as Gillis unexpectedly sprinted across the stage hurling confetti from his sweatshirt pocket at the audience, tiny pieces of paper catching and reflecting the lights from the stage as if we had just shown up to our own surprise party.
“LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!” he screamed into the mic while dropping his hand onto his laptop. When his finger hit that mouse pad hands were thrown into the air and people who couldn’t dance were compelled to without fear of embarrassment. The crowd spilled on stage and danced around Gillis as he shook his body and banged his head in time with his music. He’s so active during shows that he usually ends up in just a pair of gym shorts and tube socks by the end of the night, the rest of his attire piled in a sweaty mess beneath his table.
We talked with Greg afterwards as he toweled off and he told us about his creative process. It was interesting to hear him describe how he samples his music and the software he uses. All in all, a cool guy with incredible creativity and energy to match.
Girl Talk - Friday Night
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