London Mashups
Anyone from London will tell you that all great trends start there. And the same is true (to a Londoner) for mashups). In '99, it was DJs like The Freelance Hellraiser, Osymyso, and The Cartel Comminique who launched and performed at the Bastard Bootleg nights. The global hype was intense - the emerging blog-o-sphere picked up on the phenomenon, soon to be followed by newspapers and magazines. After the hype, a few talented ...
Out of London, one mashup artist emerged as the King of the genre - Mark Viddler. After an illegal mix he had created of Blondie and The Doors made its way across the pond and into the ears of The Door's manager, Viddler was on his way to Hollywood. The offers poured in, and he was soon mashing David Bowie, The Sex Pistols, Madonna, Franz Ferdinand and any other star who needed a dose of his magic touch. It would seem that the record industry had discovered a formula for co-opting the mashup - revitalize a career, exploit a back catalogue, force pop to eat itself. But could this strategy be quickening the inevitable? When fans realize that they can kill their idols with software downloaded for free, whats next for pop?
