Party Ben: Mashup (Single Ladies/Andy Griffiths Theme)
Purchase (Download free from Party Ben's site)
I, too, have been away from my computer and music collection
and so missed the chance to post recently. As for the mp3 files issue, although
I am using the same maligned hosting service (and I know I am tempting fate
here), my previously posted songs seem to still resolve. It may be because
many/most are creative commons legal. It could be because I rename them. So
here goes yet another posted mp3 in the hopes that it, too, resolves for you…
One category of music I collect and enjoy are mashups. There
are several places online where you can find years’ worth of downloads if you
want to get/explore more. For anyone who doesn’t already know this genre, a
mashup involves mixing two or more songs, generally adjusting the timing and
using just a part of the songs in order to get them to fit just right: some do
it better than others.
This mashup, by Party Ben from San Fransisco, is a good
example of his skills (also check out his version of Rehab/Can’t Help Myself).
In it, he deftly combines Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) with the
theme from the Andy Griffith’s show - hence the tie in to this week’s theme.
As to the legality of mashups, it is a hotly debated topic.
Since a mashup generally uses little more than the established “fair use” short
selection of a copyrighted work, as well as being a creative original interpretation,
it is an art form that seems to survive take-down requests. I would say: not
unlike the kind of creativity that Weird Al Yankovitch is known for (the link should provide you with a short version of his "Ringtones".)