Below are the results of my interview with Liam McGranahan, super TA/mashup specialist. As you might notice, the responses are not direct quotations, but more accurately notes based on his responses.
Q: What is the main focus of your work?
A: How mashups are made, who makes them, where they are made, where they are played. The mashup community, where they meet, why they are in it. Similarities and differences of online communities. Physical vs. virtual mashup community.
Q: Which genres are typically pulled together in mashups?
A: The range is broad, but it usually includes popular music (rap/rock/pop…) regardless of age of the song, as long as it was popular in most cases. Most popular music has a similar structure so it is easiest to see popular music mashed up against popular music. Jazz is rarely included for this reason. Basically whatever makes people dance. Due to the long time it takes to create mashups, creators generally like the genres they put in their songs.
Q: Do you find mashup fans tend to align most with rap, rock or pop?
A: None of the three really. Fans typically share an appreciation for listening to everything. Diversity is represented. Some like rock or rap first, then enjoy mashups. Sometimes mashups expose listeners to new music, but it is generally popular music so the chances are that they've heard it before.
Q: Is their a unique mashup culture or -like the music- does it bring cultures together?
A: There's definitely a group that make and listen to mashups, but the identity associated with mashups is much less definitive. One can't spot a mashup fan solely using visual cues.
Q: How would you characterize the typical mashup listener? Are they disenfranchised?
A: They aren't alienated. They have a real appreciation for popular music. "Don't like pop, won't like mashups," but still there is an attitude that, "I can make pop music better or more interesting." "Diehard fans of a band will hate mashups with that band." Mashups definitely aren't for purists.
Q: Does the Grey Album by DJ Dangermouse attract Beatles fans, Jay-Z fans, or a totally different group?
A: The album garnered lots of media attention, and the most exposure for any mashup, got big. Jay-Z gave the unofficial "Ok," but the Beatles' record company issued a cease and desist order. Hard to say who the fans of this album are.
Other information gained from the interview:
Contemporary mashups have been around since '01 or '02. Mashup style isn't distinctive musically. Mashups are fad-proof because they can change with trends. Due to copyright issues, mashups can't be sold and that is keeping them out of the mainstream, but also not giving fans a chance to tire of them. Grandmaster Flash and Blondie had one of the first mashups. Jay-Z and Linkin Park's Numb/Encore directly influenced mashups and was "an official mashup." Club nights like Bootie play exclusively mashups. The listener age range is from late teens to late twenties for the most part. Internet and computer familiarity is key to becoming a fan.
This interview has lots of solid information that I'm sure will lead you towards lots of other research. I don't know very much about mash-ups, so it is interesting to hear that part of the reason they are "kept out of the mainstream" is because they can't be sold. Since Liam points out that it is hard to spot a mash-up fan visually, I'm interested to see if you'll be able to find a "community" of mash-up fans, whether in person or online, and see what types of style they have.
ReplyDeleteLiam's answer to question #2 was very interesting because I came to the realization that all songs in mashups are recognizable because they are popular now or were popular at some point in time. It becomes more understandable after reading his response as to why this type of music is so liked and how so many different groups of people are attracted to it. Your interview was definitely well organized and the questions well thought out. You seem like you know how to narrow down your research and what is really important in this topic. I am definitely excited to hear more about your project.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good interview to start with. I like how Liam addressed the types of music that go into a mashup and the how beat-matching is important (the part about why Jazz is rarely used). As a mash-up listener, I disagree with the statement that mashups "aren't for purists." I think of a mashup almost like a cover -- If you do it well then it does the song justice.
ReplyDeleteAs for the topic, this is a great ethnographic study. There is definitely a large online community that is well worth investigating.