In the nearly eight weeks since we last posted a Bootie Top 20, we’ve been traveling for at least half that time, throwing Bootie parties in São Paulo, London, Holland, Austin, LA, and of course, every Saturday night in our home base of San Francisco (even when we’re not actually, physically there!)
So we know you’ll forgive us for being a little tardy again with this one … especially you people who bug us via Twitter and email, complaining how we haven’t posted any new mashups. You might as well just say, “Where’s my free shit, dammit?”
Slogging through the slush of the bootleg scene to bring you the best mashups takes time and care and … a slightly less-hectic schedule than we’ve been keeping these past two months. Still, there was a bumper crop of great boots out there, so doubling up this month was really the only way to go. Who loves you? That right, WE DO.
Plus, we promise not to wait another eight weeks. Hell, we already have about seven of June’s Top 10 already picked out!
Download all 20 tracks in one convenient ZIP file!
Or right-click individual tracks below. Sorted (mostly) alphabetically by bootlegger.
dj BC - Stuntin’ Like a Father Figure (Lil’ Wayne & Birdman vs. George Michael) – Boston
This track is perfect for anyone with “Daddy issues!” Bootie Boston’s own dj BC puts a hip-hop spin on this chilled-out George Michael classic from the ’80s. Perfect for early in the night (or ramping it down near the end). Speaking of daddies, congrats go out to BC, who just became the father of twins!
DJs FROM MARS DOUBLE-SHOT
DJs From Mars – DJ Got Us Falling In Hot Stuff (Usher vs. Donna Summer) – Turin, Italy
DJs From Mars – Show Me In The Deep (Hard Electro Remix) (Adele vs. Robin S. vs. DJs From Mars) - Turin, Italy
After booking Italy’s DJs From Mars for both Bootie LA and SF this month, you can’t even imagine our disappointment when we found out that they can’t get into the U.S. right now due to visa problems. Grrrrrr… However, the electro-banger brilliance of these two tracks will still be rockin’ a Bootie dance floor, whether they’re there to spin it live or not! Although we absolutely love both of these tracks, we have a special place in our heart for the hard electro bangin’ beauty of “Show Me In The Deep.” One word: Wow.
Envision – Boys & Girls Fight With Fire (Scissor Sisters vs. Good Charlotte) – Australia
We thought the new Scissor Sisters single was okay, but for some odd, inexplicable reason, pairing it with Good Charlotte (a band we’re barely familiar with) elevates it into an anthemic modern rock jam that’s somehow way better than both original songs. This is the first of four tracks on this month’s Top 10 from the recently-released “The 3rd World” genre-mashed compilation, put together by Envision.
Faroff - Mashed Girl (The Temptations vs. Cee-Lo Green) – Los Angeles
We have to admit, the shelf life of “Fuck You” has nearly expired, but this new soul mashup from Faroff just barely squeaks by, with its clever back-and-forth play with the classic “My Girl,” exchanging both backing instrumental and vocals, and then flipping it in reverse in the next verse.
Fissunix – Need To Be With You Tonight (INXS vs. Smokey Robinson) – France
For the past few months, this has been a staple in Adrian’s early sets, setting a sexy smoove Motown groove to warm up the dance floor.
HEAVY METAL DOUBLE-SHOT
Fissunix & DJ Schmolli – Hairbangers (Willow Smith vs. Kreator) – France / Austria
DJ Flashard – Everyone’s The Beast (Iron Maiden vs. Lily Allen) – UK
Two very different heavy metal mashups, showcasing the genre’s unique instrumentation and vocal stylings, respectively. The first uses Kreator’s thrash metal to add double-meaning to Willow Smith’s ode to hair whipping (which, is, of course, a direct result of headbanging). The other shines a bright light on Iron Maiden’s classic high-pitched metal vocals, stripped away from its bombast to reveal a hidden melodic pop sensibility.
Frail Limb Purity – Centerfold Rocketeer (J. Geils Band v. Far East Movement) – Arizona
A modern makeover of a #1 hit from 1982, breathing new life into a nearly-forgotten pop gem. Stuff like this makes me wonder why more older artists don’t get their classic material officially remixed or mashed up, in order to expose themselves to a younger audience.
KOOKY MASHUP DOUBLE-SHOT
G3rst – I Got New York (Black Eyed Peas vs. Frank Sinatra) - The Netherlands
DJ Schmolli – In The Mood For Some Killing (Glenn Miller & His Orchestra vs. Rage Against The Machine) – Austria
A few years ago, we compiled a CD for DJing entitled “Kooky Mashups” — ridiculous stuff like rap mashed up with classical music, or TV show themes turned on its ear. These two new mashups would feel right at home on that disc, mashing up swing with ’90s rage rock, and a Broadway show tune with a pop-party jam. “I Got New York” came out nearly a year-and-a-half ago, but ever since we dropped it at the last Bootie NYC party, we’ve discovered it’s a great way to bring everyone in the room together to kick-start the night! Tonight’s gonna be a good night!
LeeDM101 vs. Party Ben – Killing Days Are Over (Bootie Edit) (Echo & the Bunnymen vs. Florence + the Machine) – UK / San Francisco
We really liked Party Ben’s remix of “The Dog Days Are Over,” but it was almost a little TOO faithful to the original song. LeeDM101 mashed it up with “The Killing Moon,” but we really missed that jubilant Florence chorus and wanted a thicker beat. So we combined the mashup with the remix for this special “Bootie edit.”
The Limousines – Internet Killed The Video Star (Party Ben Remix) – San Francisco
We love it when we fall in love with a new song, and then discover it’s from a Bay Area band. Yay! This band is creating a huge buzz, and here they get a bootleg remix with a bit of an ’80s-meets-disco feel, appropriate for a song that not only nicks its title from an iconic song from that same era, but also complains about the kids “disco dancin’” and how the “drum machine ain’t got no soul.” Yes, it’s ironic!
DJ Lobsterdust – Roll It (Salt-N-Pepa vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. A-Trak) – New York City
Lobsterdust no doubt has his sights set on rockin’ the Bootie NYC dance floor at Santos Party House on Saturday May 21st with this one, which mixes late-’80s rap cheese with NYC electro-indie cool.
Marc Johnce – Report On The Floor (The Way You Are) (Josh Strickland vs. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull vs. Bruno Mars) – Nuremberg, Germany
Can’t-miss club banger all the way, from the always-reliable Marc Johnce. If this doesn’t get you dancing, then you must be in a coma. This one’s just made for the club.
DJ Maya Jakobson – Till The Swan Lose Deep Control (Britney Spears vs. Adele vs. Missy Elliott vs. Tchaikovsky) – Tel Aviv, Israel
So far, our favorite mashup using Britney’s “Till The World Ends,” courtesy of one of the few female mashup producers out there, a woman from Tel Aviv who is also one of the resident DJs of the A.D.D. mashup parties, one of the few true mashup parties in the world whose (fun fact!) name was inspired by Bootie’s “About Us” description. This track is truly diva-licious, especially with that bit from “Black Swan.”
Mighty Mike - 21 Guns In The Battlefield (Pat Benatar vs. Green Day) – France
Green Day’s “21 Guns” was a punk-pop anthem rife with war metaphors in its lyrics, so of course it makes perfect sense to mash it up with “Love Is A Battlefield,” another song that compares love to war.
Phil RetroSpector – The Boys Are Back In Heaven (Pixies vs. Thin Lizzy) – Ireland
Who knew The Pixies nicked a guitar line from Thin Lizzy? Exhibit A: This mashup from Phil RetroSpector, who layers both riffs on top of each other, and you can barely tell the difference. This track also gives Thin Lizzy’s vocals a very different slow and sexy, sultry feel. A seamless pairing!
DJ ShyBoy – Dark Love Kill (Kanye West vs. Hypnogaja vs. La Roux) – Los Angeles
Despite the frequent appearance of a few bootleggers in our Bootie Top 10, nepotism plays no part in our decision-making. In fact, when we’re listening to a week’s worth (or month’s worth, as the case may be) of mashups, we don’t even see the ID3 tags. We’re just picking out the stuff we like, and checking the credits later. So it was particularly surprising when I marked this track, loving it and really wanting to know who the backing band was. To my shock, it was DJ ShyBoy, mashing up his own band Hypnogaja. We had been telling him that he should mash up his own band’s music more. This proves our point why. The Kanye blends in perfectly, but adding La Roux’s “In For The Kill” is the icing on the cake.
Titus Jones – We Love Hustlin’ Drugs (Weezer vs. Rick Ross vs. Ke$ha vs. Katy Perry vs. Afroman) – Nashville
It wouldn’t be a Bootie Top 20 without a track from [*whispers*] Titus Jones. This track takes five songs and finds the common thread between them all … it’s a mashed-up ode to substance use in all its forms! For or against, who cares? This track rocks!
This year’s annual mixtape compilation of Bootie’s biggest mashup hits is out! Consider it an early Christmas present … this is the earliest we’ve ever released a “Best of Bootie” CD!
