JayeL Audio

It’s pretty early for me in 2013 for me to be liking this many remixes, but here are some that caught my ear this week.

The Hood Internet – Mottovision (Drake vs. Kavinsky)
I’ve almost tired of the original version of “Motto”, so of course The Hood Internet comes to the rescue with Kavinsky’s latest retro anthem.

The Melker Project – Suit & Trap (Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z & Big Chocolate)
Remember it, write it down: Scott Melker was the first to remix “Suit and Tie”. It actually might better or equal the original (though I love the original, minus the laziest Jay-Z verse this side of “You Da One”).

Bruno Mars – Locked Out of Heaven (Paul Oakenfold Remix)
This might be a stretch for some of you (and I battled with it also), but I think it is possible to enjoy remixes of “Locked Out Of Heaven”. The original can’t be topped, but I am ready to accept remixes into my life. Try Paul Oakenfold’s ravy reworking below:

Griz – Smash The Funk (D.veloped Vocal Edit)
I essentially wore out Griz’s “Smash the Funk” last year, so it is nice to hear another rendition. Swizz Beatz, Jim Jones and others make an appearance on D.veloped‘s rendition. Catch Griz a host of fests in 2013 including Wakarusa.

As mentioned last week, The Melker Project had a busy year producing numerous mash-ups and the Melker Project 2. Now comes Popped and Screwed – Best of 2012, a NYE party ready mix containing some of 2012′s most popular cuts mixed with hip-hop favorites. Ke$ha’s earworm “Die Young” is paired with Bonecrusher’s “Neva Scared”, while Melker’s biggest hit to date ft Biggie & Gotye “Somebody That I Used To Know Was Dead Wrong” sounds right at home with 12 other pop/hip-hop fusions.

The entire Popped & Screwed – Best of 2012 album is available for legal purchase below at legitmix.com. This is a first for an album with so many samples and pretty cool if you ask me.

My current favorite:

While I’ve been counting down my top tracks of 2012, Scott Melker has been putting the finishing touches on his next mixtape, Popped And Screwed – Best of 2012. Show off… The full mix drops next week on legitmix and is the first full length remix album ever sold legally without sample clearance. Until the new mixtape drops, check out the first leak “Locked Out Of Swimming Pools” below:

Mid-December means it’s almost 2012 list time. Hopefully, I can focus on that for the next week, but in the mean time, here a few tracks I’m listening to:

Bearstronaut – Passenger Side
Hat tip to Thomas for sharing a band from his next of the woods, Boston’s BearStronaut. Their lead single from the upcoming Paradice EP is part new wave, part indie pop that could easily line up next to Cut Copy on your next Saturday night playlist.

James Brown/2Pac-Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable)
I already wanted to see Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” and the trailer featuring this mash-up only furthered that.

Big Gigantic + GRIZ – Power
I suppose that with the amount of touring that these two acts have done together in 2012 that it was inevitable that they got together. Either way, it is a welcome union.

Miguel – Adorn (Terry Urban Remix)
Speaking of lists, Miguel’s Kaleidoscope Dream is definitely on my 2012 album of the year list. While I do love “Adorn”, but Terry Urban’s take featuring elements of The Firm’s “Phone Tap” brings the hit new life I can support.

The Melker Project – You Got To Be Free
Last, but not least, download The Melker Project’s latest mixtape. Like I told you before.

The Melker Project aka Scott Melker has been one of the best finds of 2012 and his new mixtape echoes that. 200 songs and more artists than I can count make The Melker Project 2 a sure party starter. What sets Melker apart from the plethora of mash-up acts on the internetz is his extensive DJ background. The scratching skills are a nice touch that none of the other major mash up acts utilize and gives the mix a more authentic feel. After a few listens, my current favorite is “I Know All About That” with Weezy’s “Look At Me Know” verse + Cypress Hill’s “Armada Latina” backing and later “Say It Ain’t So” vs. “Money In The Bank” vs. “6’7″” vs. “Bittersweet Symphony”.

Stream The Melker Project Part 2 below and DL the entire mixtape here:

Be sure to catch The Melker Project with The Hood Internet at Drom on 11/21 (tickets)

Plenty of great mash-ups to get you through rest of the weekend and then some.

The Melker Project – Superthug vs. Midnight City vs. Get Me Bodied (N.O.R.E., M83, Swizz Beatz, Beyonce)
Scott Melker‘s latest is probably my favorite so far. Taking one of my favorite high school rap tracks in N.O.R.E’s “Superthug” (which I don’t recall ever being used in a mash-up) and layering in pieces of “Get Me Bodied” with M83′s grand soundscapes works quite well. Now I just want to know how Melker even thought about combining the three songs.

The Hood Internet – Gooo in Paris (Jay-Z & Kanye vs. TNGHT)
TNGHT‘s hip-hop-influenced electronic works of art were just begging for rappers to be laced with bars. This is the only mash-up I’ve heard that uses “N****s in Paris” in good fashion. Well, Girl Talk did it at Music Midtown, but that isn’t available anywhere.

The Airport District – Encore (album)
Mash-up albums have been harder to come by lately, but The Airport District‘s Encore excels with plenty of surprises. Opening cut “Going Down” gets the collection off to an excellent start melding Vampire Weekend’s “A-Punk” with The Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop” and 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.”. Things just get better as Jay-Z’s “Encore” bounces Edward Sharpe’s “Home” on “Make Some Noise” and Waka Flocka Flame meets the Yeah Yeah Yeahs/A-Trak on “This Is It”. Perfect for your next workout or party. Stream “Going Down” below and download the entire Encore album here.

Monster Mashes – Moth Mode (B.o.B. vs. Passion Pit)
The stuttering synth of “Moth’s Wings” certainly didn’t seem like it would be the perfect outlet for B.o.B. to air out hip-hop foes, but Monster Mashes chops it up expertly. Here more from Monster Mashes at Soundcloud.

Scott Melker continues to put out quality mash-up/remixes each week and straying from the typical samples you’d except. His latest works as The Melker Project include an R&B flavored remix of Calvin Harris’ “Let’s Go” and a clever fusion of my favorite track from Kanye’s Cruel Summer and Bob Marley’s “Exodus” that has a militant edge.
“Let’s Go” (The Melker Project R&B Mixx)

Exodus vs. Clique

Work hasn’t slowed down, but I have managed to get relatively caught up in music. Hopefully, this will result in a couple of mixtapes real soon. In the mean time, here are a few tracks I’ve been into lately.

Bago – I Forget You
Chilled out R&B might win the award for most buzz in 2012. From Lana Del Ray to The Weeknd, sparse, industrial-influenced tracks have been making waves this year. The latest iteration comes from Bago, a Cali-native whose haunting vocals excellently lace the dark production on “I Forget You”. Look for Bago’s new EP in January 2013.

Trails and Ways – Border Crosser
Essentially everything Trails and Ways has sent me has been quality dreampop. The band is prepping their debut album Trilingual and lead single “Border Crosser” is described by the band as “immigration dreampop in it’s purest form. It was written by our singer KBB as a love letter between his grandparents circa 1942. The melody traces their emigration out of europe, through the middle-east, and finally to the sunny shores of California.” Who doesn’t like a song with a good story?

No Pets Allowed – Take A Firefly (Passion Pit vs. Childish Gambino)
When I first heard Passion Pit’s Summer-y beat on “Take A Walk” I never assumed it would pair so well with hip-hop. “Take A Firefly” lets Donald expound upon his childhood story, while PP chimes in on the hook. Passion Pit + Gambino, like I’m not going to post it. Hear more remixes and mash-ups from NYC’s No Pets Allowed at Soundcloud.

byt3 – Memories
While Twitter isn’t the best way to get new music on my site, Orlando’s byt3 got my attention with recent track “Memories”. The Orlando emcee/producer spits uplifting rhymes over laid back piano-filled production. Look for byt3‘s mixtape Welcome to M3: Volume 1 Motiviation coming soon.

Don’t say Scott Melker didn’t give you anything for free. Below he introduces Taylor Swift to Christopher Wallace, with Melker’s own production acumen rounding out the quality track. Also check out what it would sound like if Waka Flocka Flame was invited on “Mercy” and a Melker’s own original remix of Yuna’s “Live Your Life” with DJ Ayres.
Taylor Swift vs. The Notorious B.I.G. – Me & My Bitch Are Never Getting Back Together

Kanye vs. Waka Flocka – Mercy In The Paint

Yuna-Live Your Life (DJ Ayers & The Melker Project Remix)

Stream more quality remixes and mash-ups on The Melker Project’s Soundcloud.

As I head off to Indy for a wedding, I’ll leave you with two mash-ups for the weekend. The first comes from JayeL Audio favorite Scott Melker as he subtly adds some Rihanna drums and guitar to the subdued sounds of the xx’s “Angels”. A little extra drama is just the right amount.
The other mash-up comes from new to me act GenErik. He takes the classic Young track “Heart of Gold” and layers in the drums with a few verses from Hova. So it’s perfect, essentially.