welcome!

this is the CONFERENCE
our weekly talks about mashups
on every Monday about 18:00 CET (Central European Time)
a new theme will be posted here about the world of mashups
don't be scared if you never of this before
you will know everything, if you read us weekly
and if you are a hardcore veteran bootlegger
you will find something to read here as well
please remember, this is an interactive project
make your voice heard, tell us what you think about the current theme
you can do it by commenting the article
or if you want to take part in the real time chat visit the forum board

we hope that you will love this series as much as we love to make it
please, do NOT copy/repost/republish the CONFERENCE articles anywhere
but fell free to link the site

for more information get the press release pdf
or contact us

have fun and have a nice read!

the CONFERENCE team


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Are mashups and the mashup culture the next revolution of the music history
much like (the beat in the 60’s, the punk in the 70’s or the dance > techno /
house / d&b after the Sumer of Love in 1988) changed the status quo in Music?

prologue by Simon Iddol

there are not too many chances to take part in a revolution
not only because the revolutions are not happening every day
but mainly it always happens to cleared up later
if that action was a revolution or not
the revolutions of the music business are the same too
no one took them seriously at the beginning
but later they changed the music biz
- rock & roll – beat – punk – electronic dance –
what is common in them?
- easy to recognize sound
- easy to learn, no serious musical education is required
- self expression form for anybody, anybody can be a star
- the artists and the fans are on the same level
- the contemporary mass media rejects it first, but later on picks it up and makes it trendy
the next revolution is happening now
it is going on for few years, but now it is undoableness
and you can feel its effect already
this revolution is about to change the way of music making and distributing,
not only the trends
but it will even change the music listening habbits and music media’s
the next revolution is called mashup

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Adrian & the Mysterious D
We've always said that mashup culture -- at least as a cultural movement --
was more akin to punk rock in the late '70s than anything else.
It's very populist in the sense that practically anyone can do it. It's all
very D.I.Y., and the undercurrents of the entire scene are infused with a
similar punk attitude and aesthetic -- namely, "fuck the record industry," not
to mention "fuck mainstream popular culture."
With punk, all you needed was a guitar, three chords, and the balls to get out
there and do it. The same thing is happening today with mashups. The only
thing that's different are the tools and the sound. But the aesthetic is still
the same. Instead of a guitar, it's cheap software, and instead of three
chords, you're using MP3s.
Granted, just because anyone CAN do it, doesn't mean everyone can do it WELL.
Most punk rock wasn't necessarily good -- but it did revolutionize the way
people created and distributed music. The same can be said for the current
mashup scene. It has the potential to turn people from simply being passive
music consumers into pro-active music remixers and mashers. And the internet
gives these budding music producers and mashup artists a distribution channel
that quite simply did not exist a decade ago.
Not sure if that qualifies as a "revolution" or not, but it's definitely a
sign that things in the music industry are changing.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


AGGRO1
I'm not so much sure that they are a revolution of music, but definitely an
evolution of music. Basically, mashups/bootlegs are just a form of sampling. I
don't find it revolutionary...but definitely a "next step" towards something
very interesting.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Arty Fufkin
Pop music revolutions are just media beat-ups. My strongest musical
memory from 1988 is everyone listening to John Lennon! People
everywhere are discovering mashups for the first time. The novelty
value has worn off for a lot of radio stations, but radio stations are
becoming obsolete anyway. The internet has totally changed the way
that people find music, as well as the way it is created and
distributed - so anyone who gets into mashups can join a community,
download a great back-catalogue, listen to loads of new stuff being
created every day and have a go at making their own. There is novelty
value which is good, but the challenge for mashup creators is going to
be finding ways to keep it moving so the genre is not just a fad. Not
that fads are so bad.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


ComaR
1 / Is it a revolution ? I don't know, I can't tell, it's too early to tell.
The amount of official issues is too little to talk about a revolution
right now but it's a start.
So wait and see... but I would add that I don't really care if it's a
revolution or not.
I'm doing it for fun, to meet nice people, to be involved in something
I like and if in 5 years nobody remeber who we were or what we've
done, I don't care cause it won't take all of that back.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


DJ Earworm
There's a revolution going on, and music mashups are a part of alarger
trend toward remixing, re-using, and appropriating. More and more
content is becoming available to everyone in easy-to-manipulate
formats. Meanwhile, the technology to perform these manipulations has
become more powerful and intuitive. I don't see this trend stopping any
time soon.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


DJ Zebra
Mash-ups can't be a part of a musical revolution, as a global movement. It's a
way to do and conceive music, but it is (and will always be) an alternative
way to compose music. All the great movements have been supported by the
musical industry, with a lot of symbolic songs and singers, with a style, a
way of life, fashion, pictures, movies, articles, fans and groupies.... In the
mash-up scene (if there is one), the creations are much more known than the
creators. And if you know the creators, you don't care about their life, even
their face. Everything is on the net. And the only revolution in this style is
that it happens on it, and goes directly to the radio stations. So there is no
material enough to create stars. But it's a revolution in a way, that it's
becoming huge without needing the support of the institutions (press, TV,
majors). Now most of the "aware" people know what is a mash-up, they want to
hear more, but they don't need to be a part of it. It's only for the music,
and i like it this way.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Eve Massacre
No, I don't think so. They are but one more subgenre of sample based
music. I would agree that the whole of sample based music from hiphop
and reggae and cut ups and remixes left a deep impact but not bootleg
mixes on their own. It's a subgenre with which you can easily attract
lots of attention and praise as a mash up usually uses songs the
potential audience is familiar with: A mash up usually works best if
it's a fun twist of something people are familiar with.
Bootleg mixes fit very well in our internet times, with a few chart hits
being singled out and played to death pretty fast almost worldwide (with
all those heavy rotation plays and similar promotion methods). Bootleg
mixes are a nice way of reanimating or ridiculing those hits. That
appeals to people for a while but most bootlegs are simple fast food
party fodder: They often use disposable pop hits and give are a quick
satisfaction without sustained impressions. Bootlegs rather work as kind
of appendix or like footnotes to mainstream pop music. Thus I see them
more in the tradition of cover versions and remixes but don't think they
are genre enough to leave a really deep mark on pop culture history.
You can't even argue that the revolutionary aspect is some collective
d.i.y. background of sharing free mp3s purely for the love of music or
for a subversive pirate thrill. The bedroom n00b who makes his first
mash up with stolen software is just as typical for bootleg mixes as the
professional who doesn't care about any romantic non commercial or d.i.y
ideas but uses mash ups as one more possibility to show his - or less
often: her - skills and get some attention to build a bigger reputation
to make a good living from it as dj or as producer or as party host.
I'd say bootleg mixes reflect aspects of today's pop culture but won't
leave a deep mark on its history.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Go Home Productions
I think they’ve stirred things up a bit.
Don’t know about ‘revolution’ though…
Although they’ve infiltrated the music business and other media, it’s nowhere
near the same scale as previous ‘styles’…yet.
It’s still very much internet based and may well stay that way.
Best read up on ‘trends’ and ‘fads’.
Think ‘phasing’ circa 1967…
or all those Kids TV Theme Tune rave mixes circa 1988…or glitch.
Let’s see where the land lies in 10 years time…if we survive the next ice-age.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Loo & Placido
I don't see mash-ups as a revolution, but more as an evolution.
Since the 1st samplers arrived on the market, people started to produce some
tunes based on some samples of other peoples music, like hip-hop for example,
and as the machines capacity have increased, this technique has been improved,
and now you can cut and paste anything using a basic computer and this gives
you unlimited possibilities like blending several tracks together.
My point is to say that it's more a technical evolution than an artistic
revolution because "mashing" others people music isn't new at all.
For the music industry, I think that Mash-ups are the next step after remixes
and even if clearance and copyright is still an issue, I think that there's
going to be more & more official releases in the next months / years.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Party Ben
I think mashuppery is more a symptom than a cause -- one more aspect of a
decentralized culture. In that sense I don't think people in the future
(future, future) will speak of the "mashup revolution" as much as they will
speak of a gradual splintering and reordering of cultural memes

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


that's it for this week
tell us what you think, discuss the theme on the CONFERENCE FORUM

+++update+++

here are some of the the most intresting thoughts
about the mashup revolution from our readers

"And realised I couldn't resist the pleasure of sharing the music I had with them, and to have them listen to the best bootlegs I had. I don't know other people experience this too, but this gives me the feeling of a true revolution.
The bootleg culture is a kind of viral thing that is passed along, often leaving enthousiastic people, eager to listen to more, and to learn how they are made. I agree with the parallel with punk rock : it's easy, diy, cheap to do and really hard to master."
Rob'

"i dont think of it as a revolution more of a new art form, but as with all new art forms it will take time for it to be accepted by the mainstream, which is when it will be completly ruined and no longer interesting"
Boris

"I totally agree with the point made that it's less about star marketablility and ALL about the music. Only the great mashes stay on your hard-drive.
It's like natural selection, only the strong survive."
hammertank

"Well , i don't think the mashup thing has become a revolution quite yet and as others have said before, do we really want it to be ,as that would signal the path to the end , maybe?"
differentstrokes

"So, to conclude, I don´t think the general audience are ready to listen and comprehend to the more elaborated stuff (like earworm´s masterpieces) , yet they are extremely appealing to us, music lovers. When they get it, oh boy, then we got our revolution (maybe?)."
mario cardoso

+++updated again with more thoughts from the FORUM++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"i'm 50/50 bcoz i think that mashups art is not realy new, but ...in term of "revolution", we could say that it's probably a media-revolution. (many mashups on radio-stations,newspapers and web articles..."
Ben Double M

"M.A.A.R.S.
They revolutioned dance music imo
We just follow peeps like them, colcut etc
they showed us the way
Also making mashups is much easier than remixing or making original compos so it's doable by almost anyone."
Zamali

"I think the mashups can be included into a bigger phenomenon that drives music into something else. Many musicians and most people produce their music at home, needing less and less help in production. 'Home Studio' changes the way music sounds in general."
ToToM

"I personally would like to keep this underground and not have it break through, because we all know what happens when a small scene becomes huge - it turns into ego driven, bandwagon-jumping crap.
this is totally out of our control of course, tomorrow The Gap might decide to feature mashups in their new commercial and then every kid and hollywood actor in America is gonna wanna be a mashup DJ."
Dj Lobsterdust

"I guess you can call it a revolution the day when we get in touch with mashups in our everyday life, when there are many mashes listed in our music charts and TV, movies and various other medias are full with mashed songs. And this I don’t think will ever happen."
DJ Schmolli

"Mashups are not a revolution musically speaking, but an all together different kind of revolution. A revolution to bring different generes/cultures together to find common ground... music. Some think what we do is funny or entertaining.. well, of course it is!! But for some of us, it goes beyond that. It's about bringing together the people and dropping the cultural barriers between them."
djmaxentropy

"And with mainstream acceptance one day, just as the rap/hip-hop movement themselves moved into the majors, who knows, we might even see an Earworm as president of a major label offshoot, just like Jay-Z himself."
maths

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

epilog by Simon Iddol

are the mashups of the next revolution of the music history?

we don't know yet
we say YES but also we say NO too
we know that something is changing now
we are part of it
we have influence on the future

doesn't mattter what I think or what You think
all that matters what WE do
and we all know making music will never be the same again!!!

THANK YOU ALL!!!
4 taking part in the CONFERENCE
and
4 doing the things what you do

theme #2 is coming tonight about 18:00 CET

hugs and kisses

+++ the CONFERENCE Team +++