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A mashup (also mesh, mash up, mash-up, blend, bastard pop or bootleg) is a creative work, usually a song, created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, typically by superimposing the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another and changing the tempo and key where necessary. Such works are considered " transformative" of original content and in the United States they may find protection from copyright claims under the "
fair use Fair use is a Legal doctrine, doctrine in United States law that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to bal ...
" doctrine of copyright law.


History

The 1967
Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experi ...
album ''
Pandemonium Shadow Show ''Pandemonium Shadow Show'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released in December 1967 on RCA Victor. Background The album was the first product of Nilsson's three-year, $50,000 recording contract with RC ...
'' features what is nominally a cover of
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' " You Can't Do That" but actually introduced the "mashup" to studio-recording. Nilsson's recording of "You Can't Do That" mashes his own vocal recreations of more than a dozen Beatles songs into this track. Nilsson conceived the combining of many overlaying songs into one track after he played a chord on his guitar and realized how many Beatles songs it could apply to. This recording has led some to describe Harry Nilsson as the inventor of the mashup. Other recordings regarded as early examples of, or forerunners to, the mashup include Buchanan and Goodman's " The Flying Saucer" (1956),
Marshall McLuhan Herbert Marshall McLuhan (, ; July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media studies, media theory. Raised in Winnipeg, McLuhan studied at the University of Manitoba a ...
's ''
The Medium Is the Massage ''The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects'' is a book co-created by media analyst Marshall McLuhan and graphic designer Quentin Fiore, with coordination by Jerome Agel. It was published by Bantam Books in 1967 and became a bestsel ...
'' (1967), the John Benson Brooks Trio's '' Avant Slant'' (1968),
Grandmaster Flash Joseph Robert Saddler (born January 1, 1958), known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is a Barbadian-American musician and DJ. He created a DJ technique called the Quick Mix Theory. This technique serviced the break-dancer and the rapper by el ...
's " The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (1981),
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
's "Tug of Peace" (1983), the "Hip Hop Mix" of
Climie Fisher Climie Fisher were a British pop duet (music), duo formed by vocalist Simon Climie and former Naked Eyes keyboardist Rob Fisher (British musician), Rob Fisher. In 1987–88, they had two international hit singles: "Rise to the Occasion (Climie F ...
's " Rise to the Occasion" (1987), Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers' '' Jive Bunny: The Album'' (1989),. and
Coldcut Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...
's '' Journeys by DJ: 70 Minutes of Madness'' (1995). Although described as a medley in its title, " Do It Again Medley with Billie Jean" by Italian music project Club House could be described as one of the first ever commercially released mashups in 1983. The song combines elements of " Do It Again", a 1973 top 10 hit in the US and Canada by
Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...
, with
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
's number one hit from earlier in the year, "
Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 3, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produ ...
". It reached number 11 in the UK, and the top 10 in Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands. Another early mashup appeared in 1985, when
the Tubes The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band. Their self-titled 1975 debut album included the single " White Punks on Dope", while their 1983 single " She's a Beauty" was a top-10 U.S. hit and its music video was frequently played in the ear ...
released their studio album, '' Love Bomb''. The second side of the album contained the track "Theme from a Wooly Place", which combined the tunes "
Wooly Bully "Wooly Bully" is a song originally recorded by rock and roll band Sam the Sham, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1964. Based on a standard 12-bar blues progression, it was written by the band's frontman, Domingo "Sam" Samudio. It was released as ...
" in one channel and "
Theme from A Summer Place "Theme from ''A Summer Place''" is a song with lyrics by Mack Discant and music by Max Steiner, written for the 1959 film '' A Summer Place'', which starred Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It was recorded for the film as an instrumental theme by ...
" in the other. In 1990, Norman Cook reached number one in the UK Singles Chart with his act
Beats International Beats International were a British dance music band and hip-hop collective, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook (later in his career known as Fatboy Slim) based in Brighton, East Sussex, England, after his departure from the Housemartins. ...
with "
Dub Be Good to Me "Dub Be Good to Me" is a song by British dub group Beats International featuring singer Lindy Layton, released on 24 January 1990 by Go! Beat Records as the first single from their debut album, '' Let Them Eat Bingo'' (1990). It was written b ...
", essentially a mashup of re-recorded vocals of
the SOS Band The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written as S.O.S. Band; abbreviation for Sounds of Success) is an American R&B and electro-funk group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs " Take Your Time (Do It Right)", "Just Be Good to ...
's "
Just Be Good to Me "Just Be Good to Me" is a song by the S.O.S. Band, written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for their fourth studio album, ''On the Rise'' (1983). "Just Be Good to Me" was released as the lead single from ''On the Rise'' in March 1983, ...
" with
the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
's " The Guns of Brixton", making it the first mashup to achieve significant mainstream success. The 1990,
John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...
album '' Naked City'' features a version of
Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist, and composer. He is best known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Ja ...
's " Lonely Woman" set over the bassline of
Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...
's "
Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and written by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), ...
". In 1991,
the Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
featuring
Candi Staton Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 cover of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper " Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...
released "
You Got the Love "You Got the Love" is a song by British songwriting team the Source featuring American singer-songwriter Candi Staton. Originally released in 1986, the song was remixed and re-released in 1991, 1997, and 2006. It has reached number three on the ...
", based on a mashup created by DJ Eren Abdullah that had been an underground club hit since 1989, placing a Candi Staton a cappella over an instrumental version of
Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of mus ...
and
Jamie Principle Jamie Principle (born July 5, 1960) is a versatile music artist and Record producer, producer born in Chicago, Illinois, with a diverse range of genres, including new wave, post-punk, electronica, and R&B. While house music is one facet of his arti ...
's house track, " Your Love". It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, and had continued success over subsequent years with several remixes and a cover by
Florence + the Machine Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
. In 1994, the experimental band
Evolution Control Committee The Evolution Control Committee (The ECC) is an experimental music band based in Columbus, Ohio. The ECC was founded by Mark Gunderson (a.k.a. TradeMark G.) in Columbus in 1986. They create music that falls within the borders of the sound colla ...
released the first modern mashup tracks on their hand-made cassette album, ''Gunderphonic''. These "Whipped Cream Mixes" combined a pair of
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
a cappellas with instrumentals by
Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...
and the
Tijuana Brass Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
. First released on home-made cassettes in early 1992, it was later pressed on 7" vinyl, and distributed by
Eerie Materials Eerie Materials was an independent record label started in the early 1990s, first based in Richmond, Virginia, and later in San Francisco, California. History Before the label began, in the late 1980s, brother and sister Troy Fiscella and Tris ...
in the mid-1990s. The tracks gained some degree of notoriety on
college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
stations in the United States. The name
Pop Will Eat Itself Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorpo ...
was taken from an ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' feature on the band
Jamie Wednesday Jamie Wednesday were a British 1980s jangle pop band, formed in Streatham, South London in 1984,Strong, Martin C.: "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate, that released eight songs on three records (two EP's and one exclusi ...
, written by
David Quantick David Quantick (born 14 May 1961) is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former freelance writer for the music magazine ''NME'', his writing credits have included '' On the Hour'', ' ...
, which proposed the theory that because popular music simply recycles good ideas continuously, the perfect pop song could be written by combining the best of those ideas into one track. Hence, "pop will eat itself". Pre-empting the rise of the mashup in the 2000s, German trance act
Fragma Fragma is a German Vocal trance, vocal trance music group, originally comprising three producers. The group was successful in the early 2000s when they released several singles that charted successfully across Europe, especially the United Kin ...
reached number one in the UK and the top 10 in Australia and across Europe with "
Toca's Miracle "Toca's Miracle" is a release by German vocal trance group Fragma featuring vocals from British singer Coco Star. Taken as the second single off Fragma's debut studio album, ''Toca (album), Toca'' (2001), the song is a mashup (music), mashup of ...
", a mashup of their previous single "Toca Me" and
Coco Star Susan Brice (born 16 March 1971), better known by her stage name Coco Star (or simply Coco), is an English singer and songwriter, who was signed to Universal Music and EMI.Coco's Got Her Miracle by Bill Lennon, Hertfordshire Magazine June 2000 B ...
's 1996 single "I Need a Miracle", initially created by British DJ Vimto in 1999. The mashup movement gained momentum again in 2001 with the release of the ''2 Many DJs'' album '' As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2'' by
Soulwax Soulwax are a Belgian electronic band and DJ/production collective from Ghent, who formed in 1995. Centred around brothers David and Stephen Dewaele, other current members include Igor and Laima Cavalera, and Stefaan Van Leuven. The group first ...
's Dewaele brothers, which combined 45 different tracks; the same year a remix of
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
's "
Genie in a Bottle "Genie in a Bottle" is a song by the American singer Christina Aguilera from her debut studio album, ''Christina Aguilera'' (1999). Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner, and David Frank wrote the track; the latter two produced it. The singer herself also ...
" was also released by Freelance Hellraiser, which coupled Aguilera's vocals with the guitar track of " Hard to Explain" by New York's
the Strokes The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...
, in a piece called "A Stroke of Genie-us". In 2001, English producer
Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for art ...
had created a bootleg mashup of
Adina Howard Adina Marie Howard (born November 14, 1973) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame during the mid-1990s with her debut album, ''Do You Wanna Ride?'' and her debut single, "Freak like Me". Some of her other minor hit record, hits ...
's "
Freak Like Me "Freak like Me" is a song by American R&B singer Adina Howard, released on January 25, 1995, by labels East West and Lola Waxx, as the debut single from her first album, '' Do You Wanna Ride?'' (1995). The song reached number two on the US '' ...
" and
Tubeway Army Tubeway Army were a London-based new wave music, new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. Formed at the height of punk rock in 1977, the band gradually changed to an electronic music, electronic sound. They were the first band of the elect ...
's "
Are "Friends" Electric? "Are 'Friends' Electric?" is a 1979 song by the English band Tubeway Army. Taken from their album ''Replicas'', it was released as a single in May 1979 and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, staying there for four weeks. It was writte ...
", titled "We Don't Give a Damn About Our Friends", which became a successful underground dance track under his alias Girls on Top. He could not get permission to use the original vocals to release the mashup commercially, so he enlisted the English girl group
Sugababes The Sugababes are an English girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by Ron Tom, the manager of All Saints, ...
to re-record the vocals. It was released in April 2002, giving the group their first UK number one single, and drawing further recognition, acclaim and mainstream success for the mashup genre. Richard X had continued success with two more mashups reaching the UK top 10: "
Being Nobody "Ain't Nobody" is a song by American funk band Rufus and American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on November 4, 1983, by Warner Bros., as one of four studio tracks included on their live album, ''Stompin' at the Savoy'' (1983). "Ain't Nobod ...
" (number 3), with pop group
Liberty X Liberty X (originally called Liberty) are a British girl group consisting of Michelle Heaton, Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young. The group's best-known line-up also included Tony Lundon and Kevin Simm. The group was formed by the five finalists of ...
combining vocals of
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
and
Rufus Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin ''wikt:rufus, rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Marcus Caelius Rufus, (28 May 82 BC – after 48 ...
's "
Ain't Nobody "Ain't Nobody" is a song by American funk band Rufus and American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on November 4, 1983, by Warner Bros., as one of four studio tracks included on their live album, ''Stompin' at the Savoy'' (1983). "Ain't Nobod ...
" with
the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...
's "
Being Boiled "Being Boiled" is a song by the British synth-pop band the Human League. Composed by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh with lyrics by Philip Oakey, it is regarded as a seminal work in early synth-pop. "Being Boiled" was one of the first mainstre ...
", and "
Finest Dreams "The Finest" is a song by American band the S.O.S. Band. It is the fifth track on their sixth studio album, '' Sands of Time'', and is one of the group's last songs to feature the vocals of original lead singer Mary Davis. Labelmate and fellow R ...
" (number 8), featuring American vocalist
Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...
singing the vocals from the SOS Band's " The Finest" over an instrumental of the Human League's "
The Things That Dreams Are Made Of "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" is a song by English synth-pop band The Human League. It was originally recorded for the band's 1981 album ''Dare'', but was only released as a single in South Africa. Various remixes were released as a dance ...
". At the
2002 Brit Awards Brit Awards 2002 was the 22nd edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 20 February 2002 at Earls Court in London. The award fo ...
held on 20 February 2002, Australian pop singer
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
performed a mash-up version of her number one hit "
Can't Get You Out of My Head "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album, ''Fever (Kylie Minogue album), Fever'' (2001). Parlophone, Parlophone Records released the song as the album's Single (music), ...
", combined with New Order's song " Blue Monday". The live performance is cited as one of the first by a mainstream recording artist to utilise a mashup, and was ranked at number 40 on ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
s 2011 list of 50 Key Events in the History of Dance Music. The mashup, titled "Can't Get Blue Monday Out of My Head", was later released as the B-side to "
Love at First Sight Love at first sight is a personal experience and a common theme in creative works: a person or character feels an instant, extreme, and ultimately long-lasting romantic attraction for a stranger upon first seeing that stranger. It has been desc ...
" and was included on Minogue's 2008 remix album ''
Boombox A boombox is a transistorized portable music player featuring one or two cassette tape players/recorders and AM/FM radio, generally with a carrying handle. Beginning in the mid-1990s, a CD player was often included. Sound is delivered thro ...
''. In the years that followed, mash-ups became more widely used by major artists in their live performances, particularly to update previous material to meld with the themes and sounds of their more recent work. For example, on her 2006
Confessions Tour The Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna, launched in support of her tenth studio album, '' Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005). The tour began on May 21, 2006, at the Forum in Inglewood, Califo ...
,
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
incorporated elements of
the Trammps The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. The band's first major success was their 1972 cover version of " Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", while the first disc ...
's "
Disco Inferno "Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their 1976 studio album of same name. With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had limited mainstream ...
" in the performance of her 2000 hit "
Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
", to assist the song in blending in with the tour's disco theme. On her 2008
Sticky & Sweet Tour The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her eleventh studio album, ''Hard Candy (Madonna album), Hard Candy'' (2008). It marked her first major undertaking under a new 360 deal with ...
, she performed a mash-up of her 1990 hit "
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
" with the instrumental of her recent single "
4 Minutes "4 Minutes" is a song by American singer Madonna from her eleventh studio album ''Hard Candy'' (2008), featuring vocals by fellow American singer Justin Timberlake and American producer Timbaland. It was released as the lead single from the al ...
", to update it with the more urban sound of her ''
Hard Candy A hard candy (American English), or boiled sweet (British English), is a sugar candy prepared from one or more sugar-based syrups that is heated to a temperature of 160 °C (320 °F) to make candy. Among the many hard candy varieti ...
'' album. In August 2003, Madonna's single "
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
" was remixed with "
Into the Groove "Into the Groove" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna, and featured in the 1985 film ''Desperately Seeking Susan''. Written and produced by both Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind the song was the dance floor; the s ...
" and performed with
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
under the title "Into the Hollywood Groove" as part of a promotional campaign for clothing retailer GAP, prompting criticism for exploiting the
underground culture Underground culture, or simply underground, is a term to describe various alternative cultures which either consider themselves different from the mainstream of society and culture, or are considered so by others. The word "underground" is used ...
of the mash-up for commercial gain. The mid-2000s saw a massive surge in popularity for the mashup, including single releases that climbed high into the dance charts and even the mainstream top-40 charts. Such hits include
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
and
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
's "
Numb/Encore "Numb/Encore" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z and rock band Linkin Park from their EP '' Collision Course'' (2004). It was released as a single on December 13, 2004, by Warner Bros., Machine Shop, Def Jam, and Roc-A-Fella Records. The song is ...
", Party Ben's "
Boulevard of Broken Songs "Boulevard of Broken Songs" (also known as "Wonderwall of Broken Songs" or "Wonderwall of Broken Dreams") is a popular mashup (music), mash-up mixed by American disc jockey, DJ and Record producer, producer Party Ben in late 2004. The mix consists ...
",
Alex Gaudino Alessandro Alfonso Fortunato Gaudino (; born 23 January 1970 in Salerno, Campania), better known by his stage name Alex Gaudino, is an Italian DJ and record producer. Biography Early career (1993–2006) Alessandro Alfonso Fortunato Gaudino was ...
's "
Destination Calabria "Destination Calabria" is a song by Italian music producer Alex Gaudino with vocals by Crystal Waters. It is the first single released from his debut album ''My Destination''. The track is a mashup, taking the instrumental from Rune RK's "Calabri ...
",
Mousse T. Mustafa Gündoğdu (; born 2 October 1966), best known under his stage name Mousse T., is a German-Turkish DJ, record producer, film music composer and judge on season 15 of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German version of ''Pop Idol ...
vs
the Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American psychedelic rock, psychedelic/ band, formed in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia Mc ...
' "
Horny as a Dandy "Horny '98" is a house song by Turkish-German producer Mousse T. featuring British pop duo Hot 'n' Juicy with vocals provided by Inaya Day. It was released in May 1998 by Peppermint Jam and Edel and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart the f ...
" (originally mixed and produced by Loo & Placido) and
Mylo Myles MacInnes (born 10 May 1978), better known by his stage name Mylo, is a Scottish electronic musician and record producer. His 2004 album '' Destroy Rock & Roll'' peaked at number 26 on the UK Albums Chart. He is best known for his 2005 si ...
vs
Miami Sound Machine Miami Sound Machine was an American Latin pop band of Latin-influenced music that featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan, the band was originally known as the Mia ...
's " Doctor Pressure". In 2001, "
Every Breath You Take "Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band the Police from their album ''Synchronicity'' (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart for ei ...
" by
the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
was mashed up with "
Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...
" by
Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...
, for the 27th episode of ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...
'', "
Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood "Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood" is the 27th episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the first of the show's third season. It was written by David Chase and directed by Allen Coulter, and originally aired on March 4, 2001. Starrin ...
". ''
The Grey Album ''The Grey Album'' is a mashup album by Danger Mouse, released in 2004. It mixes an a cappella version of rapper Jay-Z's '' The Black Album'' with samples from the Beatles' self-titled ninth album, commonly known as "The White Album". ''The ...
'', which mashed up recordings by
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
and
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, also became notoriously popular. With the release of ''
Guitar Hero ''Guitar Hero'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead guitar, lead, bass guitar, bass, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs. Players match ...
'' in 2005, ''
Rock Band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...
'' in 2007, and those games' sequels, numerous mashup artists discovered that every song in the games had multitracks with instrument stems and acapellas, meaning that these songs could easily be sampled and kept uncompressed and clear. Among others, American comedian
Neil Cicierega Neil Stephen Cicierega ( ; born August 23, 1986) is an American musician, filmmaker, YouTuber, and animator. He is known as the creator of '' Potter Puppet Pals'', " The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny", and various music albums under the ...
used this method to produce his four mashup albums, ''
Mouth Sounds A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also the first part of the alimentar ...
'', ''
Mouth Silence ''Mouth Silence'' is the second mashup mixtape by American musician and comedian Neil Cicierega. Following the format of his previous release, '' Mouth Sounds'', the mixtape is composed of mashups and remixes of popular songs from the 1980s, 1990 ...
'', ''
Mouth Moods ''Mouth Moods'' is the third mashup mixtape by American musician and comedian Neil Cicierega released in 2017. Like his previous mashup mixtapes '' Mouth Sounds'' and '' Mouth Silence'', its source material is primarily Top 40 hits from the late ...
'' and ''
Mouth Dreams ''Mouth Dreams'' is the fourth mashup mixtape by American musician and comedian Neil Cicierega. It was released on September 30, 2020. Like his three previous mashup mixtapes ('' Mouth Sounds'', ''Mouth Silence'', and ''Mouth Moods''), its sourc ...
''.
DJ Earworm Jordan Roseman, known professionally as DJ Earworm, is an American mashup artist from San Francisco, California, who has achieved recognition for his technically sophisticated, songwriting oriented music and video mashups. His annual “United S ...
's annual " United States of Pop" mashups became season events, with his 2009 edition alone garnering critical acclaim as well as racking up more than 53 million views on YouTube. Mashups also helped launch the careers of acts such as Girl Talk and
Madeon Hugo Pierre Leclercq (; born 30 May 1994), better known by his stage name Madeon (), is a French musician, DJ, songwriter, singer and music producer from Nantes, based in Los Angeles. He initially came to widespread public attention at age 17 th ...
, with the latter's "
Pop Culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...
" accruing more than 55 million views. Acts such as
DJs from Mars DJs from Mars is an Italian DJ and production team. They are known for their mashups of popular songs turned into electronic dance music. Background The project started in 2003 after the meeting of young producers Luca Emanuele Ventrafridda ( ...
and
Mashd N Kutcher Mashd N Kutcher (aka MNK) is an Australian dance music project and electronic band. As a collective of multi instrumentalists, the project has toured and performed over 1500 live shows to date across Australia, Asia, India, Europe & the United Sta ...
would go on to make mashups a huge part of their creative output. Launched in San Francisco in 2003, Bootie was the first recurring club night in the United States dedicated solely to the burgeoning art form of the bootleg mashup, and as of 2019 hosted monthly parties in cities around the globe, including Los Angeles, Paris, Boston, Munich, and New York City. The party's slogan, "Music for the A.D.D. Generation" also inspired the creation of "A.D.D", Israel's first mashup-dedicated party. The ''Best of Bootie'' mashup compilation series is produced by Bootie creators A Plus D. Released every December since 2005, the compilations are annual Internet sensations, with each album requiring 5,000 GB+ of download bandwidth. Even though mashups mostly remained underground and barely got noticed aside from a few exceptions (notable examples include Bill McClintock), people have never stopped remixing other artists' music without getting their prior agreement. It's been increasingly difficult to get noticed in the music industry due to a combination of relative obscurity and an increasing difficulty in keeping them available online due to automatic copyright detection (through
Content ID Content ID is a digital fingerprinting system developed by Google which is used to easily identify and manage copyrighted content on YouTube. Videos uploaded to YouTube are compared against audio and video files registered with Content ID by co ...
) and cease and desist orders from the original artists.


Live mashups

DJs can create mashups during live performances by selectively mixing song elements such as instruments, vocals, and drums from multiple tracks. This can be done with music released in a stem format or with music processed through
stem separation In audio production, a stem is a discrete or grouped collection of audio sources mixed together, usually by one person, to be dealt with downstream as one unit. A single stem may be delivered in mono, stereo, or in multiple tracks for surround s ...
. DJ software with stem separation capability includes
Rekordbox Cross/CrossDJ is a digital vinyl and DJ mixing software developed by the French company Mixvibes. This software provides DJs with a digital platform with which they can mix and perform their music. Since its release in 2008, it has become Mixvi ...
, Serato DJ,
VirtualDJ VirtualDJ (VDJ) is audio and video mixing software for DJs for Microsoft Windows and macOS, developed by Atomix Productions. History The first version of VirtualDJ appeared on 1 July 2003. VirtualDJ is the successor to AtomixMP3, the first v ...
, Djay,
Traktor Traktor is DJ software developed by Native Instruments. It is also used as a sub-brand for Native Instruments' associated DJ hardware products. History Traktor was first released in 2000. The initial versions available were ''Traktor DJ'' ...
, and Engine DJ.


Video games

''
DJ Hero ''DJ Hero'' is a 2009 rhythm game developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It is the first spin-off of the ''Guitar Hero'' series. It was released on October 27, 2009, in North America and on October 29, 2009, in Europe. The gam ...
'' is a 2009 rhythm video game developed by
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
that includes over 90 pre-made mashups, where the player scores points by hitting notes on the turntable controller. '' Fuser'' is a 2020 video game developed by
Harmonix Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., doing business as Harmonix, is an American video game developer company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in May 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy. Harmonix is perhaps best known as bein ...
that allows the player to create mashups of over 100 songs, using four instrument stems from the
master recording Master recordings, or simply masters, are the original recordings—including post-recording mixes and production edits—of audio performances, from which all analog and digital copies of the audio are derived from. The term refers only to the r ...
. In December 2023, ''
Fortnite ''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...
'' introduced a new game mode titled ''
Fortnite Festival ''Fortnite Festival'' is a 2023 rhythm game developed by Harmonix and published by Epic Games. In the game, players perform songs while attempting to achieve the highest score possible based on their performance. Each song features four differen ...
''. In the Jam Stage and ''
Fortnite Battle Royale ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' is a 2017 Battle royale game, battle royale video game produced by Epic Games. It was originally developed as a companion game part of the early access version of ''Fortnite: Save the World'', a cooperative survival ...
'', players can make mashups of over 100 songs.


See also

*
Mashup (culture) Participants in an online music scene who rearrange spliced parts of musical pieces form mashup culture. The audio-files are normally in MP3 format and spliced with audio-editing software online. The new, edited song is called mashup. The expressio ...
*
Mashup (video) A video mashup (also written as video mash-up) is a video that combines multiple pre-existing, unrelated video sources into one larger video. It is part of a global mashup culture. In the United States, video mashups are derivative works as defi ...
* Sampling *
Interpolation In the mathematics, mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one ...
*
Sound collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or Musical composition, compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as musique concrè ...
*
Plunderphonics Plunderphonics is a music genre in which tracks are constructed by sampling (music), sampling recognizable musical works. The term was Neologism, coined by composer John Oswald (composer), John Oswald in 1985 in his essay "Plunderphonics, or Aud ...
*
WhoSampled WhoSampled is a website and app database of information about sampled music or sample-based music, interpolations, cover songs and remixes. As of April 2025, the website features 1,155,375 songs and 355,929 artists in its catalog. History ...
*
Parody music Parody music, or musical parody, involves changing or copying existing (usually well known) musical ideas, and/or lyrics, or copying the particular style of a composer or performer, or even a general style of music. In music, parody has been us ...
*
Quodlibet A quodlibet (; Latin for "whatever you wish" from '' quod'', "what" and '' libet'', "pleases") is a musical composition that combines several different melodies—usually popular tunes—in counterpoint, and often in a light-hearted, humorous ma ...
*
Pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...
* " One Song to the Tune of Another" *
SiIvaGunner SiIvaGunner (), formerly GiIvaSunner (), is a comedy music, comedic musical collective based mostly around bait-and-switch YouTube videos claiming to be "high quality Ripping, rips" of video game music that are in reality remixes, Parody music, ...


References


Further reading

*
Paul Morley Paul Robert Morley (born 26 March 1957) is a British music journalist. He wrote for the ''New Musical Express'' from 1977 to 1983, and has since written for a wide range of publications and written his own books. He was a co-founder of the reco ...
(2003). ''Words and Music: A History of Pop in the Shape of a City''. Bloomsbury. . * Jeremy J. Beadle (1993). ''Will Pop Eat Itself?'' Faber & Faber. . * Brøvig-Hanssen, Ragnhild (2018). "Musical Recycling: Mashup Aesthetics and Authorship." Selected Paper of Internet Research, SPIR, 2016: The 17th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers. Berlin, Germany. http://spir.aoir.org. * Brøvig, Ragnhild (2023). "Parody in the Age of Remix", available in Open Access, MIT Press. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262545396/parody-in-the-age-of-remix/ . *Roseman, Jordan (2006). ''Audio Mashup Construction Kit''. . *Hughes, J. & Lang, K. (2006)
Transmutability: Digital Decontextualization, Manipulation, and Recontextualization as a New Source of Value in the Production and Consumption of Culture Products.
In Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences – Volume 08. * Sinnreich, Aram (2010). ''Mashed Up: Music, Technology & the Rise of Configurable Culture'

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mashup Mashup, Musical techniques Repurposing 1990s in music 2000s in music 2010s in music Intellectual property activism