Mashup music is a tricky game, you guys. Too often, artists exploring this genre rely on hyperactively juxtaposing one style over another for no reason other than sheer gimmick. However, the best mashups are usually achieved when approached with John Oswald’s plunderphonics in mind. Oswald was all about combining and warping readymade music into something completely new yet recognizable. Basically, plunderphonics and mashup at their best are all about elegant deconstruction and re-contextualization. The reconstituted product should make listeners familiar with the original sources realize something new about those sources while creating something strikingly original enough to enjoy when removed from context.
Alex Tedesco’s Blended (Round 1) is one of the most deftly executed and inventive mashup records that I’ve heard in a long time. Tedesco manages to tastefully blend top-40 pop with various strains of experimental music in a striking manner. Consequently, Tedesco exposes both the hidden strangeness of mainstream pop and the inner structural workings of noise music. Every track is incredibly strong, but some particularly memorable moments are: opener “Bad Girls for the Victims of Cold Mission “where M.I.A, Logos, and Penderecki combine into a haunting minimalistic chant that resembles a creepier version of Marina Rosenfeld’s most recent work and the otherworldly “Peacock Lightning” where a pitch shifted Katy Perry and Coil combine into a desperate paean. Throughout, Tedesco’s experimental pop background shines through on each track’s expert formal structuring and reharmonization. As a result, the whole record plays as a surprisingly complete and singular album despite the disparate sound sources of each track.
Blended (Round 1) is available as a free download from Tedesco’s bandcamp. You can stream the record in its entirety below:
• Alex Tedesco: http://www.alextedesco.bandcamp.com
More about: Alex Tedesco
