ABSTRACT
In principle, the concept of a mashup is straightforward. It involves the splicing together or blending of two or more recordings, often (but not always) combining the vocals from one track with the instrumental arrangement of another. Mashups began to proliferate in the early 2000s due to a variety of factors, most noticeably the availability of relatively affordable audio-editing software such as ACID Pro and Ableton Live that allowed for the easy manipulation of MP3 files. While these technologies situate the mashup as a specifically digital phenomenon, at the same time its basic mixing techniques are rooted in the disc jockey traditions of disco and especially hip-hop, which by the new millennium had become arguably the most dominant force in mainstream popular music culture. In his overview of the new music-mixing craze, New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones seeks to identify the criteria that make for a successful mashup. In many cases, he contends, the best songs are those that revolve around a sharp contrast-a pop starlet’s vocal paired, for example, with a gritty rock accompaniment. Whether such genre transgressions are transcendent or irreverent, they all potentially speak to an audience seemingly resistant to the industry’s efforts to define listeners through narrow niches and restrictive radio formats. In this light the mashup’s eclectic aesthetic appeal is inseparable from its DIY mode of production; it has become a striking symbol of consumer empowerment.
