SANTASTIC FOUR: ABOUT THE TRACKS
I remember, as a kid, that each Thanksgiving night, as we finished dinner, we would excitedly begin to talk about Christmas and our Christmas plans. With the completion of dessert, the season had officially begun. We'd get the go-ahead from my Dad, and one of us would rush to the 8-track player (seriously) and pop in one of the massive tapes in the Time Life Christmas Collection series.
I loved those tunes, and that time of year. With no liner notes and the most generic stock photos for cover illustrations, I remember wondering about the origins of the songs and the artists, the lyrics, the feelings. In the final analysis, everything melded in the soft colorful glow of our real live (dying) tree, into a lovely, merry, sacred vibe. I hope these tunes bring some of that emotion to you, along with a new jolt of freshness, humor and groovyness.
Thanks once again to all the talented remixers and mashup artists who brought their very best to the table again this year. These wise men have come from far and wide with their gifts- The US, The Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, The United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and even the glittery nation of Hollywood. Tiny Tim would be astounded at the abundance of love, joy, and tender tunage they've laid out for us. Enjoy the feast, and please share with your family and friends. All the best to all of you. Merry Christmas!!
-Bob / dj BC
Christmas Bop
Smash-Up Derby (San Francisco, USA)
Website link
Cover/parody version of "Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones, mashed up with "Deck The Halls," "Silent Night," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
As the house band of Bootie SF, the world's biggest mashup bootleg club, Smash-Up Derby has been wowing audiences with their live rock mashups since 2004. This song has been a part of Smash-Up Derby's Christmas repertoire since December 2006, when they first played it at the Bootie Holiday Party in San Francisco. They finally got around to recording it this year, and are psyched for its inclusion on this year's Santastic compilation!
Christmas In The City
Martinn (Sas van Gent, The Netherlands)
Website link
Samples used:
Brenda Lee - Silver Bells
Brenda Lee - Papa Noel
Bert Kaempfert - Toy Parade
Petula Clark - Downtown
Street sounds
Throughout his carreer, Bert Kaempfert made many fine, catchy tunes you just can't stand still to. In his album "Christmas Wonderland" (1963) I found a great source for a nice vintage tune. The track "Toy Parade" turned out to go well with Brenda Lee's "Papa Noel" (1958) and places Petula Clark's "Downtown" (1964) in a different setting.
You Should Be A Freaky Christmas, Baby
ATOM (NYC, USA)
Website link
Dedicated to Michelle...
Built with a healthy dose of Chuck Berry, The Bee Gees, Django and friends.
Controlled by Ableton & me.
Dig it.
-ATOM
Whoville (Won't Get Yuled Again)
mojochronic (Berkeley, USA)
Website link
If only The Who could have collaborated on the original Dr. Seuss Christmas special. Les Paul guitars under the Christmas tree used to smash up everything. Keith Moon driving a snow mobile into the local Holiday Inn swimming pool. Cindy Lou Who wary of her Uncle Ernie. Townshend wallowing in the zeitgeist of Christmas. ....Delightful.
Xmasploitation (Santa's Baddass Revenge)
Mojochronic (Berkeley, USA)
Website link
Featuring....
Baba's Got A Brand New O'Riley
Shaft The Drummer Boy
Backdoor Santafly
Frosty's Dead
My holiday homage to James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes and the blaxploitation films of the 70's.
Solid.
-mojochronic
High Tides And Blocked Peace Pipes
Go Home Productions (Watford, UK)
Website link
Contains:
"Miracle On 34th Street" (1994)
Blondie " The Tide Is High"
Paul McCartney "Wonderful Christmastime"
Paul McCartney "Pipes Of Peace"
Jennifer Lopez "Jenny From The Block"
Yeah, I'm a sucker for the Christmas 'single'.
I guess now that it is a very long lost and distant cousin that you 'promise to write to' but 'never get round to' if you know what I mean.
Christmas 'music' to me always meant Slade / Wizzard / John Lennon and Paul McCartney, closely followed in latter years by Jona Lewie, The Pogues & Kirsty McCall, The Three Wise Men and maybe Greg Lake, Elton (Watford) John etc...so I've tried to hark (the herald) back to those days with any Christmas 'release' that I've put my name to since 2002.
This year is no different.
The Blondie track was a massive hit around the Christmas end of 1980 and 'Pipes Of Peace' was a contender in 1983.
If you haven't encountered Macca's 'Wonderful Christmastime' by now then the thrill will be all yours and JLo's hit was me paying homage to myself a few years ago...
Anyway, it's GHP, it's Pop, it's throwaway and it still has it's tongue firmly in it's cheek for four minutes or so.
Download / Digest / Delete like the best mince pies should be.
See you in 2009.
Happy Christmas,
Mark.
The Nightclub Before Christmas
dj BC (Boston, USA)
Website link
Art Carney (of Honeymooners fame) recorded this swingin' novelty Christmas record in 1954. 54 years later, I've pumped it up with some housey drums, a growling synth bassline and some ethereal electronic snowfall. Slap on some heavy delay and a few seasonal samples courtesy of "It’s A Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story," and you’ve got a three minute pulse-pounding reindeer ride. Hold on tight!
I hope you enjoy it, and have a very happy holiday season!
Love,
dj BC
Chemical Drummer Boy
Cheekyboy (Southend-on-Sea, England)
Website link
Samples used:
Chemical Bros - Do it again
Johnny Cash & Neil Young - Little Drummer Boy
some 50 cent (In da club pella)
Plus a hint of "Pump Up The Jam" and "Annie I’m Not Your Daddy" by Kid Creole
I've always wanted to hear little drummer boy in a nightclub, but there were no remixes. This is my attempt to make the dream happen!
I think Johnny would have approved.
Hope you enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas. ;)
Pumping Up Christmas
DJ Schmolli (Vienna, Austria)
Website link
M.A.R.R.S - Pump Up The Volume
Destiny's Child - 8 Days Of Christmas
Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone
Run DMC - Christmas In Hollis (bell samples)
radio announcement at the beginning & "true meaning of christmas" in the break are nicked from the "married with children" tv series ;-)
I love "8 Days Of Christmas" by Destiny's Child and I knew that I wanted to use their vocals. "Pump Up The Volume" as backing track hasn't been my first choice, but since all the other ideas I had in mind failed, I took the challenge on. In fact the result turned out way more pleasing than my first demos, and to add some special Schmolli craziness I also used the Shakin' Stevens classic "Merry Christmas Everyone" during the drum break.
Merry Christmas folks!
A Message To You, Santa Claus
FAROFF (Brasilia, Brazil / Cambridge, USA)
Website link
Contains:
Augie Rios - Donde Esta Santa Claus
The Specials - A message to you, Rudy
I guess there's nothing more suitable than some old ska to remind us how Christmas can be cozy and even warm (though it's easier if you are down here in Brazil!)
O Chanukah Dubstep-Bassline Remix
DJ Flack (Boston, USA)
Website link
I am not religious but once again I have to represent for the Jews this year. I have always loved the minor key melodies of Jewish music which can be part of even the most celebratory songs such as this one. I really enjoyed mixing this traditional tune with the newer Dubstep and Bassline styles of electronic music that I have been obsessed with lately.
Scarey Xmas
DJNoNo (London, UK)
Website Link
All good girls and boys know that Santa can bring them Nightmares before Christmas if they're evil; so for all those naughty girls and boys this is where Mariah Scarey goes drum and bass and sings "All I want for Christmas is Dillinja", while Unknown Error lurks in the shadows. Who knew?
Little Saint Grinch
Mr Fab and His Bag O' Toys (Hollywood, USA)
Website Link
Mr Fab & His Bag O' Toys are the North Pole-based division of those Mad-Dogs of Mashups, RIAA, who have been endorsed by Beck and are famed for such on-line collections as "Dirt Bacharach" which made some Top Ten lists in 2006. Head Elf Mr Fab is an occasional dj at Los Angeles' legendary all-illegal-music hotspot BootieLA and is the sicko behind the the infamous mp3 blog "Music For Maniacs."
Polex Swing (Ace Of Clubs Remix)
Ace of Clubs (Virginia Beach, USA)
Website link
Contains:
Steven Tyler "Rockin' on Top of the World"
Tom Hanks "Hot Chocolate"
Electric Swing "Sing Sing Sing" (Techno House Mix)
"The Polar Express" has become a personal favorite, and an annual tradition. This year a special 3-D edition was released on DVD and BluRay, so I thought it would be a great time to create a remix single to go with it. The original idea was Tom Hanks' "Hot Chocolate" (which is a real swingeroo in it's own rite) mashed up with a Tech-House mix of the swing dance classic "Sing Sing Sing." Watching the film again, I noticed that Steven Tyler's "Rockin on Top of the World" seemed to fit the vibe perfectly, so that was added in. While it turns out that I would NOT recommend purchasing the 3-D edition of the movie, I can gladly recommend the single it inspired.
Sugar Plum Fairy Coda (Recoda)
dj BC (Boston, USA)
Website link
A remix of the classic holiday favorite, with an ethereal and groovy twist.
Originally for the "Re:Compostion" project, I liked this one too much not to give it another spin. Drink an adult beverage and gaze at your twinkling tree as nostaligia and pure emotion wash over you in staticy waves.
It's The Little Things
Voicedude (Anaheim, USA)
Website link
Contains:
Trans Siberian Orchestra - "Pachelbel's Canon"
Blink-182 - "All The Small Things"
After using both parts in two different and unsuccessful mash attempts, these two have finally found each other - like two divorcees meeting and falling in love. And with a few iconic movie quotes as a setup, a whole new holiday version of the teen angst rocker is their new love child.
Blitzkreig Santa
Divide and Kreate (Stockholm, Sweden)
Website link
Contains:
Santa Claus is Coming To Town - The Jackson 5
Blitzkieg Bop - The Ramones
You're about to experience the Jackson 5 sing something about Santa coming to town while the Ramones play their characteristic punk pop.
-D+K
Nude Christmas
Solcofn (Washington DC, USA)
Website link
Contains:
Nude - Radiohead
White Christmas - The Supremes
My track this year was one of those happy accidents. I was playing around with the instrumental for Radiohead's 'Nude' and I thought that The Supremes version of 'White Christmas' would work with it. It turns out that they are not in the same key, so I was tweaking the pitch when I got an idea. I doubled up The Supremes and pitched one +6 and the other -6 and bam, it seemed to go along with the weird airy vibe of the Radiohead track. The end result is creepy but in that warm and fuzzy way. Hope you like it as much as I do!
Happy Holidays!
-Solcofn
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