A Very Bootie Christmas

Mash-up Saturday marches on!

Our next stop takes us to that city by the bay where Adrian and The Mysterious D (aka A & D) have been holding court!

Their kingdom is known as Bootie. It is a club where mash-ups are played. It is a party, the largest in the land. It is a website where some of the best mash-ups and their artists can be found.

It is also the state of mind in this Christmas compilation that is still available to download at their site.

Any Christmas comp that takes the Keith Haring cover of the classic 1987 "A Very Special Christmas" and adds the infamous skull and crossbones is deserving of a look!

Here are the set of questions I've asked everyone whose comp has been reviewed here:

1.) When did you begin creating your Christmas compilation?

I'd been collecting Christmas song mashups and remixes since 2002, but I never had enough for a full-length CD until just this past year. Yes, this CD was five years in the making!

That's how long it took me to find enough quality Christmas song mashups to compile into an album. Plus, we contributed a mix we made ourselves, "Give Da Jew Girl Toys," which mashes up Sarah Silverman with Trio, which first appeared on the "Santastic II" mashup album.

2.) Explain the process on creating your Christmas comp.

The concept is simple - they are all holiday songs, mashed-up with other songs. Most of them were included in my all-Christmas music mashup DJ set, which I did at our Bootie Holiday Party in San Francisco on Saturday, December 9th.

Bootie is the biggest all-mashup bootleg party in America, and the only dance club of its kind, where we only play mashups and bastard pop.

3.) What is it about Christmas music that appeals to you?

Warm fuzzy feelings? I don't know... my birthday is on December 24th, Christmas Eve, so maybe that has something to do with it. It's usually just a good time of year... a time when I can look back and reflect on the past year, and let all my friends and family know how much I appreciate them.

4.) What kind of feedback do you get from the comp?

The response was overwhelmingly positive! Many people told us that it's the only Christmas music they can stand to listen to!

5.) What other projects/websites do you work on other than Christmas?

We're the creators and DJs of Bootie, the first mashup bootleg party in the United States. We have parties in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City, with more on the way.

For more information and free mashup downloads, go to: http://www.BootieUSA.com. Also, check out our own mashups at our DJ site at: http://www.RebelDJs.com

6.) Anything you would like to share with people reading this review?

If someone has a birthday near Christmas, don't ever... EVER... give them a "combination" birthday/Christmas gift.


TRACK REVIEWS:

(Click on image to enlarge)

1.) Slade - "Merry Christmas Everyone" / Jona Lewie - "Stop The Cavalry" / Jet - "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"

WOW! This one grabs your attention. Excellent start to the CD. A great mash-up!

2.) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - "Jingle Bells" / The Velvet Underground - "Sweet Jane"

Great grouping of sound (with some help from The Beatles & A Charlie Brown Christmas)!

3.) Jimmy Durante - "Frosty The Snowman" / Run D.M.C. - "Christmas Is"

Give up the dough... gotta give this mash props! It's stone cold! Nice to hear the other Run D.M.C. Christmas rap!

4.) Santa Claus - What Santa Wants For Christmas / James Brown - (I don't have access to Brown's Xmas CD right now - need help with this one) & "Make It Funky" / Johnny Mathis - Sleigh Ride / Shrek & Donkey - Jingle Bells

I used this mash on my 2005 Christmas CD - it's a master mix from Brat! Great stuff!

5.) The Police - "Every Breath You Take" / Wham - "Last Christmas"

I like the pairing of two classic 80s tunes! The more I've listened to this one, the more I've liked it!

6.) T Rex - "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" / Clarence Carter - "Back Door Santa" / Whitney Houston - "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

GREAT JUMPIN' ICEBERGS!!! Talk about crossing the decades! The addition of Houston reminds me of "Whitney Joins The Jams" from the KLF! What a jam!

7.) The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping / if I'm missing others, let me know

Ambitious remixing of one of the first Christmas rap songs! Will be dancing to this come December!

8.) Sarah Silverman - "Give The Jew Girl Toys" / Trio - "Da Da Da"

This version is uncensored! WOW! I strangely enjoyed this one! Love the overall sound!

9.) Paul McCartney - "Wonderful Christmastime" / Jennifer Lopez - "Jenny From The Block" / Samples from John & Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"

The very first Christmas mash-up I ever heard! To paraphrase Indiana Jones... "JLo... why did it have to be JLo?"

10.) My only attempt: Louis Armstrong / Elvis Presley / Frank Sinatra / The Supremes / Bing Crosby (if you can fill in the rest, please do!) / Sample from "Miracle On 34th Street" (also my personal Christmas quote!)

This mash led off my 2005 Christmas comp - it stunned many of the long time recipients (achieving the effect I wanted). One of my personal faves.

11.) Trans-Siberian Orchestra - "Wizards in Winter" / The Beatles - "Eleanor Rigby" (DIY Acapella) / Michael Jackson - "Beat It" (Loop) / Beastie Boys - "High Plains Drifter" (Loop) / Black Eyed Peas - "Pump It" (Acapella) / Robert Shaw Chorale - "Carol of the Bells" / Boston Pops Orchestra - "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" / Gorillaz - "Feel Good" / Yello - "Oh Yeah"

OH YEAH INDEED! DJ John was the guy behind "The Christmas Massacre of Charlie Brown"!

12.) Clueless here - DJ Payroll's site didn't list an artist listing for this one (Can anyone help me?)

I like this mash - not too heavy! Perhaps its because there are kids singing on the track.

13.) Mariah Carey (?) - All I Want For Christmas Is You / Peaches (featuring Iggy Pop) - Kick It / Fishbone (?) / Sly And The Family Stone - "Dance To The Music"

It's a superb mix (although it sounds like Olivia Olson off the "Love Actually" soundtrack and not Mariah)! Was I right with the Fishbone sample? Please let me know!

14.) Offspring - "Self Esteem" / Tyskarna från Lund - "Achtung X-Mas"

This one kinda misses the mark for me. Maybe it's because I've never heard each song separately.

15.) Boston - "More Than A Feeling" / The Beatles - "Christmas Time Is Here Again" / Samples from John & Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and one other song (help please!)

GREAT JUMPIN' ICEBERGS!!! Who knew Boston and The Beatles would have sounded so perfect together? Remarkable mash!

16.) John Lennon - "Imagine" / The Jackson 5 - "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" / The Beatles - "Fan Club Christmas message, 1963"

This one brought tears to my eyes - Lennon's "Imagine" has that effect on me. However, I was smiling throughout thanks to the pure voice of little Michael Jackson. Bravo... one of the best Christmas mashes ever.


Despite the fact that several of these mashes were already on the "Santastic II" comp, there were plenty of surprises throughout the CD!

That's the beauty of the mash-up - you'll always find something new when you listen to it!

A & D, thanks for gathering these in one setting! I sincerely hope you'll keep finding new patterns to keep mixing things up for a long time. Hope the next Christmas mash-up comp won't take five years to create!


UP NEXT: Go Home Productions Christmas EP 2006


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