Girl Talk - Feed The Animals

As some of you may be aware, Pittsburg DJ Girl Talk (real name Gregg Gillis) is a master-crafter when it comes to mashups and mixing. He currently has four albums out, with the latest (Feed the Animals) being released a little over week ago. As with Radioheads In Rainbows, you can download the whole album completely free off his labels website. Just put in $0.00 as your price.

Girl Talk has become somewhat of a celebrity in certain music circles due to his repeated use of unlicensed samples comprising essentially all of his music, and he's not breaking that tradition in his latest musical incarnation. He gets away with all of this under the moniker of fair use, something that has no doubt infuriated the major music labels.

A defining factor in the composition of Feed the Animals is variety. There are underlying tones of hip-hop permeating a lot of the album, but samples come from much further afar, with Procol Harem, Radiohead, Aphex Twin, Jackson 5, and Cheap Trick amongst the many artists sampled to produce the album.

Most importantly, the album is a whole boatload of fun. There's something inately satisfying about hearing Rick Ross's Hustlin' getting mixed in alongside David Bowie's Rebel Rebel. Brings a smile to my face every time, and this whole album is filled with moments like that, where you realise the tune you're tapping your feet to is actually mixing in a song from 'back in the day' that you were crazy about.

My rating? 7.5/10

If you still need convincing, check out this appetiser:

Girl Talk - Set It Off (not completely representative of the album, as each track is so different, but a good start nonetheless)

4xAAs REQUIRED

Hello and welcome to the latest blog on the internet screaming "THIS MUSIC IS GOOD, LISTEN TO IT!" into your ears. We shall see if it lives up to the premise.

First and foremost, this blog will be serving up steaming-hot bowls of new and undiscovered electro-goodness, as well as slipping the odd classic into your daily diet. It's one of your 5-a-day, honest. Expect anything from glitchy mashup remixes, to pounding dirty bass and perhaps even a little bit of house sneaking in there. In short, expect the unexpected.

So without further ado, let's get to the songs:

MGMT - Electric Feel (Justice Remix)

I have to admit, I have a soft spot for the original Electric Feel from New Yorks MGMT. Now that the French duo Justice have given it a slap around and a new coat of paint I feel it's in its prime. It's Justice. Do I really need to say more? Bask in the glory already.

Felix Da Housecat - Tweak

A classic, from Felix's 2003 album "Virgo Blaktro & The Movie Disco". An album well worth checking out. The bass in this song really makes the track.

Altern8 - Frequency (Hostage Remix)

This song was featured in the teaser for the new Soulwax DVD (seen here). It's a remix of Frequency by Altern8, a song that was huge in the early 90s clubbing/rave scene. The drop in this song is so fucking epic. High marks all around.

Tobiah - I Love Your Music

Maybe it's the powerful melody, or haunting vocals that does it for me, but definitely worth a listen even if 8bit/lofi isn't your forté.