Mixtapes and Mashups- What's up?!?

Sounds are paint on pallets. They can be mixed to reflect an entire new image, just as a song can be transformed and worked into a work of art with new meaning and purpose. The artist has the capability to use whichever sounds he wants. Mixtapes and Mashups are artistic expressions of music media.

### **Mixtapes versus Mashups- What's the Difference?**

To clarify the difference, mashups are songs that conjoin two preexisting songs/theme songs together into one. This could be for comedic relief, emotional emphasis or skillful design but they do not change their original source of information. Mixtapes, on the other hand, are taking an original song and adding elements to that song. This could incorporate slowing down the entire song and filling in areas with personal beats or electronics. They may be identifiably linked to the original song yet not perceive as that due to added alterations, combinations, copying and other techniques. Mixtapes are much more time consuming because of the amount of skill they require. However both are co-evolving user-generates content and a form of mass media (Weiss 9).

### **Example of a Mixtape: Wiz Khalifa- The Thrill**

 Another analogy to best describe both mashups and mixtapes is by Johan Söderberg who says “*To me, it is just like cooking. In your cupboard in your kitchen you have lots of different things and you try to connect different tastes together to create something interesting.*” *The remix artist does the same thing with bits of culture found in his digital cupboard*” (Lessig 71). Creators use personal expression and skilled techniques to add their own flavors and style of music. The best part about cooking is when the recipe is strayed from, otherwise the result is the exact same every time. A good cook will add in their own creativity and unique flavors to a simple recipe. Same goes with music. Mixtapes are creativity and flavors combined in a clever way.

#### **Remixes and Mashups** have the capability of

* delivering a message more powerful than any original alone

* adding a humorous appeal to songs

* make a cultural or political argument

* add emotional meaning to songs ex: use of four notes of Beetles “Revolution” song

* creatively establish cohesion between different genres of music  Watch Mash up Video below

* converges older and newer music media together. Lessig confirms this by saying “It is the expression of a freedom to take “the songs of the day or the old songs” and create with them” (Lessig 56)
* Being downloaded through various websites. Click here to see a website where you can create your own mashups in just one simple download.

#### **Significance of Mixtapes and Mashups**

1)     Creates a community: Lessig describes how remixes occur within communities of remixers. He uses the example of Anime music videos and how those have become a popular thing not just in Japan but across the U.S. They blend music track or the track from a movie trailer with each video taking between fifty and four hundred hours to create. Thousands have been created and artistically designed.

2)     Education: It can create a useful way for teaching “internet based learning”. It keeps kids engaged and thinking creatively as they can learn to create their own work for display. As this generation is submerged deeper within technology, remixing media encourages innovative thinking and exploring new ways of participating on the internet.  Evan Tobias wrote about this growing phenomenon of students increasingly interacting with music in participatory ways. Contemporary society encourages new and exciting ways to being musical.

3) Adds Circulation: The more times a song gets changed, in a bad way or in a good way, it is still getting the name circulated through that community. That artist or genre of song can appeal to different cultures of people. Like two rap/hip-hop songs being made into an acoustic mashup may appeal to a new range of audiences.

##### **Summary**

Mixtapes and Mashups are two different forms of music media yet both are forms of participatory culture through technology. In today's day and age it is much easier for people to make their own mixtape or mashup at home. It has become a great way for people outside of the music industry to produce their own sound. Together they inspire creation and encourage anyone to make their own type of music. They are both great forms of education and help form technological communities.

###### *References:*

Lessig, Lawrence.
"Chapter 4." Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy.
New York: Penguin, 2008. 51-83. Web. https://archive.org/details/LawrenceLessigRemix.

Tobias, Evan S.
"Toward Convergence: Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and
Participatory Culture." Music Educators Journal 99.4 (2013): n. pag.
Chinook. Web. 25 June 2015.

Weiss, Stefan. “Mashups,
Remix Practices and the Recombination of Existing Digital Content.” Mashup
Cultures. New York: Springer Link, 2010. Introduction. Online. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-7091-0096-7\_1?LI=true