Mash Ups.

The Mashup -- Where does it stand in 2006? The DJs/producers are getting more and more talented by the day. They are blending previously unheard of sounds and making things appear out of seemingly thin air. The field is dominated by unheard of artists that wear ninja costumes, spin in the dark, and travel in black helicopters well below the RIAAs radar. How they can take two songs and frankenstein together an all new track is just mindblowing to me -- so I give you my mashup picks for today.

• The Lovemakers – Shake That 50 Cent (50 Cent vs. The Lovemakers)

These are what mashups are all about. They take the 50-cent vocals and assemble it with the Lovemakers track into a single cohesive track. This is a great example because the fiddy verses and the Lovemakers chorus have a completely copacetic thing goin.

• Loo and Placido - Black Beatles (Beatles vs. Black-Eyed Peas vs. Ludacris vs. Kelis)

This track takes the standard mashup recipe but adds a healthy dose of awesomeness. Whereas the other mashup producers are fairly content just looping some rock bars and shoehorning some hip-hop verses over them, Loo and Placido (http://www.looandplacido.com/) seamlessly fit all 4 artists in without making it sound contrived. These 2 are french remixers that are featured pretty regularly on euro MTV and end up on my playlist from time to time. I would certainly call this my favorite mashup ever.

• DJ Muggs and DJ Warrior - Outkast vs Queen

This one also flips the mashup over. It takes the hip-hop track and layers the queen verse/chorus/verse over the top. This one doesn't sound as polished as the Loo and Placido, but I think it's still pretty cool. And that brings us to another example that I think does it even better --

• Brat – Big Shot Pimpin' (Billy Joel vs. Jay-Z)

Billy Joels voice sounds fantastic. This mashup goes the more minimal route, but again layers the traditional rocker over the hip-hop beat. I think the Jay-Z track offers a fantastic starting point, but how this guy ever found a vocal only track of the Billy Joel record -- it amazes me.

• Jimmi Jammes – Sgt. Pepper's Paradise (Beatles vs. Guns N' Roses)

This brings us full circle all the way to the only mashup that I'm aware of that is rock on rock. How this madman ever made the vocals sound like that is probably somewhere buried with Jimmy Hoffa. This track is straight up creepy, but I can't stop listening.