…Chris also took the time to sit down and discuss sampling, equipment, and the thriving L.A.-area music scene he’s a part of with the Glitch Mob, Gonjasufi, and others who take part in the weekly Low End Theory night.
Sadat X chatted with me over the phone on February 19 to discuss his upcoming album, Wild Cowboys 2, due out March 23. Stream the weekly radio show Beep Beep Boop Boop here, anytime via KDHX.org. Here’s the interview:
With over 6,000 Facebook fans, the Hood Internet proves that mashups ain’t goin’ nowhere just yet. It doesn’t hurt that they give away all of their tracks, make creative song titles (and artwork), and have a functioning, up-to-date website.
STV SLV (aka Steve Reidell), half of this mashup production duo out of Chicago, visited Beep Beep Boop Boop at KDHX before their performance at Wash U’s the Gargoyle Friday, February 12. Here are some things he had to say, and his mix for KDHX along with tracklist posted below. Enjoy!
Kate: Some people think mash-ups require little skill. How would you respond to this? Mash-ups seem like a hard thing to become successful with, but you seem to keep busy with gigs etc. What do you feel drives your success?
STV SLV: Ha, there’s certainly some truth to that. Recording software is so readily available nowadays that literally anyone can put a mashup together. But in the same sense, anyone can play guitar, anyone can spin records, etc. Doesn’t mean it’s all going to sound good. ABX and I both have a background in making/producing music and I think that’s why the Hood Internet is able to stand out in a digital sea of mashups. We also work hard at touring and playing DJ sets so that crowds in all sorts of other cities have the chance to come out and dance and have a good time.
What’s the usual mashing process for you?
Cut up SONG A to make an “instrumental” of sorts that’s tailored to the verse/hook structure of SONG B. When applicable, stretch tempo, re-pitch or on rare occasion, auto-tune! Repeat.
Any interesting legal stories?
None yet. But hopefully someday there will be something that Law & Order bases a plot on.
What do you think about the creativity of artists like yourself in the current music industry? What do you predict will happen to artists who thrive on the creativity of sampling etc., in the next 5 years? or ten?
Well, it’s hard to predict where music itself will be in the next 5-10 years. To wit, in the 90s when I was listening to mostly grunge, I wouldn’t have guessed that in 10 years time there would be amazing bands like LCD Soundsystem. So really, who knows. People always want something new, and after a while things like Hood Internet and Girl Talk will become tiresome. Sampling has been around for quite a while, and it’s always taking on new forms, like Washed Out for example: awesome songs that are primarily rooted in sampling. But even that could get old in 5 years. Hopefully grunge has made a full comeback by then. That would rule.
Tracklist:
caribou – odessa
lykke li x holy ghost – i’m good i’m ghost
weezer x glass candy – buddy holly’s imagination
kid sister x walter meego – pro nails forever
talking heads x ellen alien & apparat – psycho break
foals x the chain gang of 1974 – electric dirt
telephoned x the-dream – rockin that thang
drake x birdman x delorean – blowin money at the deli
big boi ft purple ribbon all-stars x ghislain poirier – blazin kryptonite
r. kelly x major lazer – ignition (keep it remixing louder)
ludacris x joker & ginz – how purple can you go
BBU x body language x shuttle – juke this city
Junior Boys (Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus) came to KDHX’s studio on Saturday, April 25 to perform an exclusive 30-minute DJ set. They were in town to perform a live set later that night at SLU’s Billiken Club along with Max Tundra. Junior Boys are on tour in connection with the release of their latest studio album, Begone Dull Care.
The DJ set, along with an interview, will be aired this Wednesday at 10:20pm CST during Beep Beep Boop Boop. Tune in at 88.1 FM in Saint Louis, listen live online, or peep the entire show streaming later on.
While Junior Boys are probably best known for their own electronic pop (“Like a Child” and “In the Morning“), it’s always interesting to hear what music an artist is digging – and during the DJ set at KDHX they did just that, playing only vinyl.
Their first time in Saint Louis, I pointed out that if the Arch is that big from Grand Avenue, think of how big it is closer up. Unfortunately, they would be closest to the Arch on Sunday morning at around 6am, sleeping in the tour bus on their way to a Daytrotter session in Rock Island, Illinois.
Check out Rob’s blog post interview with Max Tundra here.
I’ll be chatting with Lady Sovereign this Wednesday, April 22, 10:20pm CST on Beep Beep Boop Boop. From her Def Jam debut, Public Warning, to her latest release, Jigsaw, Lady Sov has proven herself outstanding – she was even the first British artist to reach #1 on MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL) with the video for her song, “Love Me or Hate Me.”
You may have heard “I Got You Dancing” or “So Human” (which heavily samples the Cure) recently at KDHX – we’re digging the new album and are excited she’s taking the time to talk with us! Tune in at 88.1 FM (Saint Louis area), live online, or if you miss it live – stream the show up to two weeks later.
Free the Robots visited KDHX on May 27, 2010. Here’s his set, which aired on Beep Beep Boop Boop.
Sadat X chatted with me over the phone on February 19 to discuss his upcoming album, Wild Cowboys 2, due out March 23. Stream the weekly radio show Beep Beep Boop Boop 
