M Is FOR MASHUP - RERUN - February 6th, 2013
Bootleggers Celebrate Worlds' Greatest Divas!
By DJ Useo
One of the best features of the SoundUnsound mashup forum
( sound-unsound.com/ ) is that it releases 4 or 5 mashup collections a year. Me, Chocomang, and mARKYbOY, acting under our authority as moderators take turns picking a theme for the album, and then we coordinate the release in conjunction with the pre-release team. We feel it works out for the best to have as much input as possible on issues like pitching and timing. I'm sure it would be different if at least one of us was omnipotent, but since that would raise the bar to an unreasonable level, we share the praise and the blame. After past successes like
the 70s album
( www.groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/04/sus-70s.html ),
two complete volumes of 80s mashups
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2011/04/all-new-sound-unsounds-uk-80s-mashed.html ),
( www.groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/09/soundunsound-80s-mashed-2.html ),
a punk collection
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/01/never-mash-punk-rock-mashup-album.html ), and many more over the past 5 years, I chose the latest theme of DIVAS.
Divas struck me as a very appealing theme, much more so than the wonderful, but not so widespread appeal of the
SURF mashup album
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2011/10/sus-mash-wave-new-surf-mashups-album.html ) . I still adore that one and play it plenty, but I was looking to pull in more listeners with a DIVAS comp. I've heard from a good batch of listeners that they'd like to hear more tracks featuring the best of the female performers. I've also seen some very popular blogs devoted to exposing us to more DIVAS music. So, I dropped my thought of doing an electro-themed comp, and boldly declared the DIVAS theme. I may be pushing it, or not, but I set a normal deadline (for me) of six weeks. It's not a problem if we need to extend it, as I suspected we might, since the deadline period fell over Christmas and New Years. The response surprised me, though, because the DIVAS theme really got a great response from the potential mixers. It seems many of us bootleggers hold the divas music in high regard, and welcomed the chance to honor them.
Within days of the DIVAS comp announcement, I began to get GREAT tracks. Pilchard, a long-time favorite bootlegger of mine dropped an instant classic right away with his Shirley Bassey/Prodigy mix. My instructions to use the DIVAS singing over any kind of music was perfect for Pilchards' purposes, resulting in a track that set a high standard for everyone following him. Some contributors, like Chocomang, Sjoersie, and mARKYbOY found themselves right at home to such an extent that they delivered as many as 5 tracks! Meanwhile, I quickly discovered that doing a DIVA mashup takes hard work. My problem was I normally start any mix with the music and then decide on the vocals later. In this case, I was required to start with the vocals, and then finish by adding the instrumental music.
It didn't take long for me to abandon a Barbara Streisand / Donna Summers acapella. I just couldn't get the 'feel' for it. Next up, I thought I was on the right path with Destiny's Child singing "Bootylicious" over the Doors "Touch Me". Unfortunately, the pitching gave me some probs, so I moved on to newer tracks that seemed to click effortlessly.
Over the next few weeks, I came up with seven terrific mashups that I felt very confident about. I dropped two of them, & we went with the five best. I was knocked out during much of the deadline period with that badass flu we all caught, but luckily, Chocomang was thriving so he picked up tons of loose slack resulting in 2 complete discs of finestkind mixes. The final record features awesome mixes by topnotch talent like ToTom, Rappy, DRA' man, Oki, Alan Black, and Tweylo. There's even wonderful tracks by some skilled 'newbies' (at least to me) like Ayee Mashup, and MashupBambi. On top of that there's tracks by DJ Mashup, DJ MXR, 2 of the most experienced, and gifted bootleggers out there.
Do yourself a favour and check out the large, full playlist here
( chocomang.org/mashup/NeverMashADiva.htm )
There's mirrored links for both discs, and also for Chocomang's two long mix versions. No charge!
Remember, it's 'SoundUnsounds' "NEVER MASH A DIVA".
Mix Of The Week
DJs From Mars do EXCELLENT mashups, but they also excel at long mixes. 'Djs From Mars - Alien Selection 2012 09 27' shows them at their gosh darn best. It's chock full of mashups, bootleg remixes, & the best modern pop you'll hear.
Listen, or stream here
( soundcloud.com/djsfrommars/djs-from-mars-alien-5 )
Mashup Tip
Don't concern yourself about what others want. Mix tracks according to what you want.
Latest Useo Thing
'Misery For Me' (James Talk, Ridney Feat. Max'C vs Good Charlotte vs Steve Aoki)
Dancey electro with gripping vocals.
( official.fm/tracks/805Q
Podgornio, The Mashup Psychic Predicts
Next Month, French bootlegger ToTom will make a track so good, that it will actually blow up!
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Rachel Maddow Show
Republicans making it harder for students and minorities to vote.
Richard L. Hansen: Supreme Error (Slate)
North Carolina's new voter suppression law shows why the Voting Rights Act is still necessary.
Justin Peters: A 3-Year-Old Shot and Killed Himself, and for Once the Cops Did the Right Thing (Slate)
The speed with which the family friend was arrested is worth noting and applauding as an example of how authorities ought to handle cases like these. Usually, the investigating officers first deem the shooting a tragic "accident," and then charges are only brought later, if at all. But the Dundee, Mich., police wasted no time arresting the family friend. And that's how it ought to be done.
Helaine Olen: Making capitalism out of lemons (Guardian)
Today's discerning parents insist lemonade stands teach children lessons about capitalism - can't we all just have fun?
Helaine Olen: Cutting back on minor expenses won't save you much in a country where luxuries are cheap and necessities expensive (Guardian)
Where did the money go? Consider your own circumstances, and you're likely to see the most common increases in spending. During the same period of time, we spent almost 20% more on housing and 32% more on healthcare, which includes a more than 100% rise in the cost of health insurance and 41% of pharmaceuticals. Education? An astonishing 60% increase. Gas went up by 23% and auto insurance by 29%.
Brian de Palma: 'My women always look fantastic!' (Guardian)
He introduced Scorsese to De Niro, sorted out the start of Star Wars, and terrified a whole generation with Carrie. As Brian de Palma returns with a typically sexually charged thriller, he talks to Damon Wise.
John Plunkett: "Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan: 'How long can anyone stay at the top?'" (Guardian)
Why viewers still identify with Walter White, his plans for a Saul Goodman spin-off - and why it's time to end the hit series now.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Mothers (Athens News)
When world-famous Barney's window-dresser Simon Doonan was growing up, his mother got dentures, as so many people did back then. Unfortunately, her dentures did not fit well, as so many people's dentures did not back then. One of Mr. Doonan's happiest memories is that of his mother sneezing and her dentures popping out of her mouth and skittering across the floor. This happened to lots of people other than Mr. Doonan's mother. He remembers, "Flying dentures were a common sight back then."
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
is off teaching Miss Maddie Muffin how to fish.
wrote:
answered:
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Marine layer burned off mid-afternoon.
Humans 95% Responsible
Climate Change
A leaked draft of a forthcoming report from the Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change finds that scientists are 95 percent sure that humans are causing global warming. The 2007 report hedged a tiny bit on human culpability, stating that there was only a 90 percent chance that humans were causing warming; but six years later, climatologists are more sure than ever.
"It is extremely likely that human influence on climate caused more than half of the observed increase in global average surface temperature from 1951 to 2010," the draft report says, according to the New York Times. "There is high confidence that this has warmed the ocean, melted snow and ice, raised global mean sea level and changed some climate extremes in the second half of the 20th century."
The report stresses that the repercussions of rising emissions are likely to be profound. Just a few of the leaked details:
-Much of the carbon we've emitted will stay in the atmosphere for a millenniun, even after we've stopped emitting it. Those politicians who talk about "reversing" climate change don't know what they're talking about. The only thing we can do is stop making it worse.
-Ocean acidification is virtually certain to increase. Excess carbon dioxide goes into the ocean where it changes the pH of the ocean. Even small changes affect small critters at the bottom of the ocean food chain and will eventually starve salmon, oysters, sea urchins, and other essential fish. On a positive note, jellyfish will flourish, thus creating all sorts of challenges for reality show chefs of the mid-21st century.
Climate Change
1,600 Redheads
Portland
A sea of fiery heads poured into Portland, OR last weekend, attempting to break the world record for the largest ever gathering of redheads
The Oregonian reported 1,600 redheads turned out for the event in downtown Portland, showing off their various shades of red locks and posing for photos. They also had to bring a childhood photo to prove their red hair was natural.
Participants told media they felt welcome among their fellow redheads, at home in a crowd made up of people with a hair colour shared by only two per cent of the global population.
If everyone at Saturday's event is confirmed by Guinness, the 2013 gathering will beat the last record by more than 700 people.
Portland
350 Years Later
King's Daughters
They came by ship, in arduous, sometimes months-long journeys across the Atlantic.
An estimated 800 women, over the span of a decade in the second half of the 17th century, arrived in New France under the patronage of Louis XIV.
The so-called King's Daughters (or Filles du Roi) are credited with helping transform the young, sparsely-populated colony, which was largely made up of single men at the time.
Today, many North Americans with francophone roots can trace their ancestry back to these early settlers, including many prominent public figures.
Three-dozen women reenacted the epic journey these pioneers took, sailing into Montreal's Old Port on Saturday to mark the 350th anniversary of the first arrival.
King's Daughters
85 Percent
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin won't say what caused her latest health problems, but says she's had a "miraculous" recovery and is looking forward to performing soon.
"My treatments are going very well. My last CAT scan, my doctor at the CAT scan and everyone who sees this says that this is miraculous, absolutely miraculous," Franklin said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The 71-year-old Queen of Soul has canceled several concerts and public appearances over the last few months due to unspecified health concerns. On Monday, she said she was unable to personally accept an award honoring her work with civil rights from Major League Baseball on Saturday in Chicago.
When asked directly what her health concern was, Franklin declined to go into specifics: "I'm not one to go into my personal health things."
Aretha Franklin
Also Targeted Liberals, Democrats
IRS
Terms associated with politically liberal groups such as "Emerge" and "ACORN" were used by U.S. tax agents to flag applicants seeking tax-exemption for added scrutiny, according to internal IRS documents released by Democrats on Tuesday.
The memos, training materials and other materials are the latest salvo in a controversy that erupted in May over Internal Revenue Service scrutiny and delays of applications from Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations.
A May 14 report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) critical of IRS practices led to the removal of top IRS officials along with FBI and congressional investigations.
Since then, Democrats have accused TIGTA of unfairly focusing on Tea Party-related groups in its report, while failing to look for liberal terms. TIGTA has since expanded its review to such groups.
IRS
Clerk Injured In Sign Theft
David Hasselhoff
Connecticut police say a convenience store clerk has been critically injured trying to stop the theft of two signs featuring images of actor David Hasselhoff.
Authorities say the 36-year-old clerk at a Cumberland Farms in Shelton saw a man put the signs into an SUV shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday. Police say the worker was struck and dragged by the SUV and landed on his head.
Police say the clerk is hospitalized in critical condition, and authorities are looking for the suspects. The employee's name hasn't been released.
Hasselhoff starred in the TV shows "Baywatch" and "Knight Rider." The signs featuring him advertise iced coffee. Cumberland Farms officials say more than 500 of them have been stolen from stores in several states in recent months.
David Hasselhoff
Birther Certificate
Ted Cruz
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who says he recently discovered he is likely a Canadian, must win security clearance from Canada's spy agency, fill out a four-page form and then wait up to eight months to sever his ties to America's northern neighbor.
Cruz, a Texas Republican who has fueled speculation that he may run for president in 2016, was born in Canada, which automatically makes him a citizen. On Monday he offered to renounce that citizenship.
"Nothing against Canada, but I'm an American by birth and as a U.S. senator, I believe I should be only an American," Cruz, a U.S. citizen who grew up in Houston, said in a statement.
Cruz, 42, who released a copy of his birth certificate on Monday, was born in Canada's oil capital Calgary, where his Cuban-born father was working in the energy industry. The lawmaker's mother was born in the United States. He moved to America at age 4.
Ted Cruz
Solar Storm
Sun
The sun unleashed a powerful storm early Tuesday morning (Aug. 20), sending an enormous cloud of superheated particles rocketing toward Earth.
The solar eruption, known as a coronal mass ejection
The particles ejected by Earth-directed CMEs typically take two or three days to reach our planet, at which point they can trigger geomagnetic storms that can disrupt radio communications, GPS signals and power grids.
CMEs that hit Earth can also ramp up the auroras, also known as the northern and southern lights. In fact, an enhanced auroral display may be on tap tonight and tomorrow for some skywatchers, thanks to a CME that erupted on Saturday (Aug. 17).
The sun is reaching the peak activity phase of its current 11-year cycle, which is known as Solar Cycle 24. Solar Cycle 24's maximum is shaping up to be the weakest of the last 100 years or so, scientists say, with relatively few powerful solar flares, CMEs and other big space weather events.
Sun
Farmers Freeze-Dry Spuds The Ancient Way
Bolivia
For centuries, people in Bolivia's high Andes have eaten freeze-dried potatoes, taking advantage of freezing mountain temperatures and a baking sun to prepare the local staple called "chuño."
Chuño means "wrinkled" in Aymara, and its method of preparation has not changed since its invention more than 1,500 years ago by Inca forerunners.
At the end of the harvest, farmers spread potatoes by the sackful on the ground for three days until they are frozen solid. Then they stomp the frozen spuds with bare feet and let the resulting mash dry in the sun until dark in color.
The chuño can be stored for the rest of the year.
Bolivia
513 Pounds!
Halibut
Cue the halibut puns, a German angler has caught a 513 pound fish in Norway and it could make a helluva meal.
Marco Liebenow was fishing with friends in Kjollefjord when he hooked something that felt as large as a submarine, according to Field and Stream. But the catch was alive and wriggling - it was a nine-foot-long halibut that took an hour and a half to reel in.
In a photo posted to Facebook, the fish hangs from a crane, mouth agape, as the angler marvels at its size.
The catch could break the fishing world record for Atlantic halibut if it's confirmed by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), which says the current record for Atlantic halibut belongs to Thomas Nielsen for a 418 pound catch he made in Norway in 2004.
Liebenow's fish is also bigger than the IGFA's world record for Pacific halibut, which was set by a 459 pound catch off Alaska in 1996.
Halibut
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for Aug. 12-18. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "Duck Dynasty," A&E, 11.77 million.
2. "Under the Dome," CBS, 10.36 million.
3. "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), NBC, 9.51 million.
4. "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday), NBC, 8.79 million.
5. "CMA Music Festival," ABC, 8.30 million.
6. "NCIS," CBS, 8.09 million.
7. "60 Minutes," CBS, 7.43 million.
8. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 6.71 million.
9. "Unforgettable," CBS, 6.57 million.
10. "Big Brother 15" (Sunday), CBS, 6.48 million.
11. NFL on Fox Preseason: Indianapolis at NY Giants, Fox, 6.47 million.
12. "Big Brother 15" (Thursday), CBS, 6.33 million.
13. "Big Brother 15" (Wednesday), CBS, 6.17 million.
14. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 6.07 million.
15. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 5.88 million.
16. "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), NBC, 5.75 million.
17. "Dateline," NBC, 5.61 million.
18. "Rizzoli & Isles," TNT, 5.60 million.
19. "MasterChef" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), Fox, 5.49 million.
20. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 5.44 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Elmore Leonard
American author Elmore Leonard, whose ear for gritty, realistic dialogue helped bring dozens of hard-bitten crooks, cops and cowboys to life in nearly 50 novels, died on Tuesday several weeks after a stroke. He was 87.
"Elmore passed away this morning at 7:15 a.m. at home surrounded by his loving family," according to an announcement on his website, elmoreleonard.com. It did not provide other details.
Leonard, who first wrote Westerns when he gave up his advertising agency job in the 1950s before moving on to crime and suspense books, suffered a stroke on July 29.
Known by the nickname Dutch, Leonard had his commercial breakthrough in 1985 with the publication of "Glitz."
His following books, including "Get Shorty," "Out of Sight," "Killshot," "Bandits" and "Freaky Deaky," came out every year-and-a-half or so and were best-sellers.
Hollywood had an affinity for Leonard's books, and more than 25 of his works were made into movies or television shows, beginning with Paul Newman in the 1967 film "Hombre." The western story "3:10 to Yuma" and the novel "The Big Bounce" were each adapted for film twice.
Leonard, who spent much of his life in Detroit and its suburbs, said many filmmakers made the mistake of pushing the plots of what were character-driven stories, such as "Get Shorty," which is about a likeable loanshark named Chili Palmer.
"My characters are what the books are about. The plot just kind of comes along," Leonard told London's Guardian in a 2004 interview. "Movies always want to concentrate on the action."
His favorite movie adaptation of one of his novels was director-writer Quentin Tarantino's reworking of "Rum Punch" into the film "Jackie Brown."
The cable television series "Justified," the tale of a U.S. marshal in Kentucky that first aired in 2010, was based on Leonard's work and he served as executive producer of the show.
Born in New Orleans, Leonard moved at age 8 with his family to Detroit, where he became enthralled by the real-life exploits of gangsters Bonnie and Clyde and the fortunes of the city's professional baseball team, the Detroit Tigers.
After a stint in the Navy building bases in the South Pacific during World War Two, Leonard enrolled at the University of Detroit, entering writing contests and selling stories to magazines that featured tales of the Old West.
He would rise before dawn, denying himself a cup of coffee until he had written a page, and then head off to write copy at a Detroit advertising agency.
Leonard switched to crime fiction when the popularity of Westerns faded. His tough characters spoke in a clipped, twisted syntax that led Newsweek magazine in a 1984 cover story to call him "the Dickens of Detroit" - a label he scorned.
Leonard explained his approach in a New York Times essay in which he listed his rules for writing, including, "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
He summed up his technique by saying, "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."
Leonard, who overcame a drinking problem in 1977, wrote daily in long-hand on unlined pads in his living room, employing a researcher to enrich his material.
He won the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in November 2012, putting him in the company of such U.S. literary luminaries as Toni Morrison, John Updike, Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer.
Leonard was married three times and had five children with his first wife. His son Peter also went into advertising before becoming a writer.
Elmore Leonard
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