Oh, the mash-up. If there were one thing the internet can’t seem to get enough of, it is slamming two near-opposite pieces of pop culture together to create something ironically beautiful. The music mashup is an editing art form in and of itself and, when done right, can truly surpass the source material. This seems quite true of the mash-up made by YepImTheToaster (YITT for short) that marries the newest Carly Rae Jepsen hit, “I Really Like You,” with the classic Nine Inch Nails song “Head Like A Hole.”
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This is not the first time Mr. Reznor and Ms. Jepsen have met in the world of musical combination, and thanks to the constant love seen by mash-ups, there is a chance it won’t be the last. Whether it is t-shirts that blend company logos with comic book characters, placing the audio from one film or TV show over the video of another, or combining songs from different artists, this cultural shift of re-purpose and recycle is almost the calling card of the millennial artist. When it comes to music mash-ups, it is usually the pop songs of the time that get mixed in with pieces of heavy metal or industrial music to create a song that is quite confused on what its emotional tone is. Strangely enough, it seems Trent Reznor is a favorite source of many mash-up artists. Some may remember we covered the video that combined his song “The Perfect Drug” with Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” a couple of months ago.
While the dark and heavy tone of Reznor’s music may make it a tempting target for parody, it could also be attributed to the ease at which his material can be obtained. Reznor has long been an advocate for those to discover their own abilities and sounds in music and has previously offered full work-print files of his songs for fans to cut and mix how they see fit. With what we have seen made by these mash-ups, we can only hope to see more in the future.
What is your favorite music mash-up? Who else do you think would pair well with a Nine Inch Nails song? Let us know in the comments below.
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Feature Image: AnimalNewYork.com
