Greg Gillis gained national recognition last year under the pseudonym Girl Talk for his unique mash-up compilation, Night Ripper. Though mash-ups are generally considered little more than a novelty, Gillis brought some artistic legitimacy to the table by creatively mixing up to 30 samples into three-minute songs. In anticipation of his forthcoming show here in Charlottesville, the Cavalier Daily recently caught up with Greg to ask him a few questions about his work.
Greg Gillis: Hello?
Ethan: Hey, it’s Ethan again, from the Cavalier Daily.
GG: Hey, how are you doing? Sorry about that. Were you the one who called the other day too?
E: Yeah.
GG: Man, I’m sorry. I normally don’t schedule interviews, and I don’t normally schedule extended tours, so I’ve been a bit busier than expected. I apologize.
E: Well, I’m a really big fan of Girl Talk, so I appreciate you taking the time out to talk with me.
GG: No problem, man.
E: Well, I guess we might as well get started... I heard that you quit your day job as a biomedical engineer. What do you like best about a full time music artist by comparison?
GG: It’s so hard to pinpoint one thing just because the whole lifestyle is so different. I mean, I hate waking up early and I hate going into offices and I hate dealing with people that I want to be friends with on the rise. I enjoyed the engineering aspect, but the whole "job" thing just sucks for a lot of people because you are forced to do a lot of things you don’t want to do. Now, I wake up whenever I want and just do something that I really enjoy, which is make music and hang out with my friends.
E: Well, certainly it’s a very different job. What exactly inspired you to start Girl Talk?
GG: You know, I was always attracted to the music. I think when I was 15 or so I started my first band, and it was more experimental stuff. That's kind of how I got into doing electronic music. Once my high school band was done with, I was 18 and I got my first computer, so I decided to just start doing electronic music. I liked guys like Negativland and people who did sample-based works, so I kind of wanted to get involved in the same things they did.
E: How exactly do you decide what samples go well with each other? Your mixes seem very robust, but at the same time, it seems like it would be a very delicate process.
GG: For me, it's never really intuitive — it’s always very trial-and-error based. I’m always isolating samples and not really worrying about what I’m going to do with them. I have a program, which I perform live on, which is kind of an easy way to match up different samples and time-stretch and things like that. I try out tons of different things. Every show, I change up small little aspects of my songs and after a year or two of experimenting, certain things pop up and start to sound really good. It’s a guessing game for me, and I just spend a lot of time doing it. It’s just whatever sounds good to my ears.
E: Since you use so many samples without permission of the artist, do you ever worry about the legality of what you’re doing?
GG: With my other albums, I was really doing it on an underground level, so I wasn’t that concerned. A lot of people do sample-based works that fly under the radar. I think with the last record, with the attention I got, I had to be a little bit concerned. I don’t feel morally wrong about anything I’m doing. I don’t feel like I’m negatively impacting any artists. I feel like the work is transformative and stands on its own feet. There is a thing called Fair Use in the United States law that allows you to sample without permission if it falls under certain criteria, and I do believe my music should fall within what would be Fair Use. So I worry about it, but at the same time, I feel good about it. It’s not as though I feel that I'm ripping anybody off in any way.
E: Would you consider yourself more of an artist, or more of a DJ? Your music has definitely received its fair share of critical acclaim, but at the same time, most of the people that I’m going to the concert with are just looking to dance. I think your music kind of has that kind of dual appeal to it.
GG: I don’t know if I would pick either, as far as "DJ" or "artist." I’d hate to call myself an artist, because then I just sound like a pretentious dude, you know what I mean? But I would definitely not consider myself a DJ, not in a traditional sense. For me, a DJ is somebody who mixes songs, and there’s a specific art to that. But when I perform live, people don’t come out to hear me play songs — they come out to hear me remix and make new songs out of that. The style that I perform them, I’ve never really seen a DJ perform that way. I’ve seen other sound-collage artists do it, where you get up there and you manipulate samples to make something new, but when I see DJ’s play, even the most creative ones will queue up a track and can step away and let it play out. With me, any change in the music I’m actually doing by hand. Every kick drum, every individual sample is kind of isolated, and I’m actually mixing and matching on the fly. I’d say I’m not a DJ, with a lot of respect towards DJ’s. For me, I’ve always kind of considered myself an electronic music producer that happens to be based in samples.
E: What’s your favorite part of performing?
GG: For me, one thing that’s cool is that I’m always trying out new music, so I get to play it for new people and see how they get down. Making the music is very isolated — I’m sitting in my room for hours working on things, it’s not a very social thing. The shows for me are very big — there’s a huge social part where I like to interact with the crowd. I like to get them on stage, I like to get into the crowd. I’m working for hours and hours and years and years and years. I mean, I like what I’m making, but then I get to get up on stage and see how people get down with it. You get to have fun with that. Really, I just like partying with people.
E: Looking into the future, have you got any ideas for your next album yet? I’m really hoping to hear snippets of songs like [Rihanna's] "Umbrella" and [Justin Timberlake's] "SexyBack".
GG: Like I said before, I really like to preview new material all the time. The way I perform live is that I take out one sample and put in something new. When I’m a performer, I’m showing about 80 percent new material, so I think I have a lot built up for the past year and a half or so. I think I should be able to pump out another album within a year. I think it will be in a similar style to Night Ripper, but I’ve worked on music more this year than any other period of my life, so I think I can put something together that’s a bit more cohesive and tighter than Night Ripper. I think I may have found my niche with that particular style, and I haven’t really heard anyone else view music in that style, so I’m going to try and put out another album before people start jumping on the bandwagon.
E: Just a personal question here. I had heard you were doing a remix of the of Montreal song, "Gronlandic Edit." How’s that going?
GG: It’s good! I was doing it as Girl Talk for a while, and I do remixes with a friend of mine named Frank Musarra under the name "Trey Told 'Em." It was supposed to be a Girl Talk remix, but I was actually having problems with a few parts of it, so Frank and I have been working on it together. It’s just about done now. We’ve actually been out for a couple of weeks, so we’ve been holding off on it, but it won’t be a Girl Talk remix. It’ll be under the title Trey Told 'Em. I’m into it, we disco’d it out a little. There’s not a lot of heavy sample work, but I think it’s cool. I actually think it’s the best remix I’ve done with Frank so far.
E: Awesome, I look forward to hearing it! Thanks again for your time. Do you have any final comments before I let you go?
GG: No, I just want to apologize again for being so busy over the past couple days, I feel like a dickhead. But yeah, it was nice to get to chat.
E: It’s no problem, it was nice to get a hold of you. Thanks a lot for your time, Greg.
GG: Alright, have a good one.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/sep/20/tableau-chats-with-girl-talk/
20 September 2007
13 September 2007
Kanye West vs. 50 Cent.
This summer, Roc-A-Fella Records moved the release date of Kanye West's Graduation up a week to Sept. 11, the same release date as 50 Cent's heavily anticipated Curtis. Almost immediately, talk show hosts, radio personalities and bloggers were alight with speculation – which of the two hip-hop heavyweights would move more units?
On one hand, 50 Cent has sold 11 million records during his career, which is roughly twice West's still impressive 6 million. On the other hand, West is the critic's choice – many consider his last two albums to be bonafide hip-hop classics. As 50 Cent so eloquently put it, "I get checks. He gets the trophies."
Kanye West - "All Falls Down" (feat. Syleena Johnson)
Perhaps taking note of the hype, and certainly hoping to earn even more big checks, 50 Cent proceeded to up the ante. First, he challenged West to a presidential style debate on BET's 106 & Park and next, he proclaimed he would never record another solo album if Graduation outsold Curtis. Even though West declined to participate in the debate (saying on TV that it was "the stupidest thing [he] ever heard"), and 50 Cent has since retracted his promise to leave the music industry if he is outsold (a good idea, since Graduation is well ahead of Curtis in pre-sales), the trick worked. This Tuesday was undoubtedly one of the biggest music events this year.
Despite all the hype preceding the release of the two records, however, it doesn't seem like the most likely clash. Even if Kanye West and 50 Cent are arguably the biggest hip-hop artists in the market today, they aren't exactly competitors. In fact, they represent radically different personalities. 50 Cent is the filthy rich gangster, whereas Kanye West is the socially conscious backpack rapper. Would there be a competition of this magnitude in the rock industry if, say, Nickelback and Radiohead decided to release their new albums on the same day? Doubtful. Sure, beef is an important part of the rap industry while it is more or less irrelevant to rock and pop (unless your name is Brandon Flowers), but it seems that the 50 Cent/Kanye West battle is little more than a publicity stunt meant to jump-start floundering hip-hop record sales.
Indeed, music industry profit is currently at an all-time low. Compared to 2006, overall album sales are down 14 percent this year, which undoubtedly has major labels getting antsy. Hip-hop in particular is suffering, experiencing a shocking 30 percent decline since last year. Where does the problem lie?
50 Cent - "In da Club"
A frequent criticism of Top 40 hip-hop is that it is too focused on getting a great single as opposed to a solid fan base. In a world where consumers can steal a hit song or two with a few mouse clicks, there is little motivation for people to lay down money for artists to whom they have no connection. At the same time, independent musicians with staunch followings such as Arcade Fire, the Shins, Modest Mouse and Interpol are now claiming top spots on Billboard charts. Could the competition between 50 Cent and Kanye West compel consumers to pledge allegiance to their rapper of choice, thereby establishing the solid fan base indie musicians are currently enjoying?
Maybe. Or perhaps it is simply another publicity stunt. It's certainly impossible to deny that this competition has raked up an incredible amount of press attention. Practically everybody is poised to see how consumers react to this great experiment in consumer mobilization. It even jolted the rock-based Rolling Stone magazine into focusing on hip-hop – 50 Cent and Kanye West stare each other down on the cover of the current issue.
The two hip-hop titans go head-to-head this week in what has been dubbed "the battle that will save the music industry." Cast your vote and support your rapper of choice by buying his album and help the floundering record industry while you're at it! Either that, or make a futile protest of major label dominance by grabbing that great new Animal Collective album. Your choice.
Originally published for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/sep/13/kanye-vs-50-cent/
On one hand, 50 Cent has sold 11 million records during his career, which is roughly twice West's still impressive 6 million. On the other hand, West is the critic's choice – many consider his last two albums to be bonafide hip-hop classics. As 50 Cent so eloquently put it, "I get checks. He gets the trophies."
Kanye West - "All Falls Down" (feat. Syleena Johnson)
Perhaps taking note of the hype, and certainly hoping to earn even more big checks, 50 Cent proceeded to up the ante. First, he challenged West to a presidential style debate on BET's 106 & Park and next, he proclaimed he would never record another solo album if Graduation outsold Curtis. Even though West declined to participate in the debate (saying on TV that it was "the stupidest thing [he] ever heard"), and 50 Cent has since retracted his promise to leave the music industry if he is outsold (a good idea, since Graduation is well ahead of Curtis in pre-sales), the trick worked. This Tuesday was undoubtedly one of the biggest music events this year.
Despite all the hype preceding the release of the two records, however, it doesn't seem like the most likely clash. Even if Kanye West and 50 Cent are arguably the biggest hip-hop artists in the market today, they aren't exactly competitors. In fact, they represent radically different personalities. 50 Cent is the filthy rich gangster, whereas Kanye West is the socially conscious backpack rapper. Would there be a competition of this magnitude in the rock industry if, say, Nickelback and Radiohead decided to release their new albums on the same day? Doubtful. Sure, beef is an important part of the rap industry while it is more or less irrelevant to rock and pop (unless your name is Brandon Flowers), but it seems that the 50 Cent/Kanye West battle is little more than a publicity stunt meant to jump-start floundering hip-hop record sales.
Indeed, music industry profit is currently at an all-time low. Compared to 2006, overall album sales are down 14 percent this year, which undoubtedly has major labels getting antsy. Hip-hop in particular is suffering, experiencing a shocking 30 percent decline since last year. Where does the problem lie?
50 Cent - "In da Club"
A frequent criticism of Top 40 hip-hop is that it is too focused on getting a great single as opposed to a solid fan base. In a world where consumers can steal a hit song or two with a few mouse clicks, there is little motivation for people to lay down money for artists to whom they have no connection. At the same time, independent musicians with staunch followings such as Arcade Fire, the Shins, Modest Mouse and Interpol are now claiming top spots on Billboard charts. Could the competition between 50 Cent and Kanye West compel consumers to pledge allegiance to their rapper of choice, thereby establishing the solid fan base indie musicians are currently enjoying?
Maybe. Or perhaps it is simply another publicity stunt. It's certainly impossible to deny that this competition has raked up an incredible amount of press attention. Practically everybody is poised to see how consumers react to this great experiment in consumer mobilization. It even jolted the rock-based Rolling Stone magazine into focusing on hip-hop – 50 Cent and Kanye West stare each other down on the cover of the current issue.
The two hip-hop titans go head-to-head this week in what has been dubbed "the battle that will save the music industry." Cast your vote and support your rapper of choice by buying his album and help the floundering record industry while you're at it! Either that, or make a futile protest of major label dominance by grabbing that great new Animal Collective album. Your choice.
Originally published for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/sep/13/kanye-vs-50-cent/
07 September 2007
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
For almost a decade, Ian Bavitz (best known by his Aesop Rock moniker) has been turning heads on the underground rap circuit with his articulate, nicotine-tinged delivery and dense, hyper-literate lyrics. He’s also been rather consistent throughout his career. Considering that he’s been on putting out material for ten years, Bavitz has a surprisingly solid discography under his belt.
However, it’s been four years since the release of Bazooka Tooth, the last Aesop Rock full length. Since then he’s reached his 30th birthday, moved from New York City (whose slums have served as his constant muse) to San Francisco, and gotten married. Does Aesop Rock have another great album in him?
The short answer to that question is “yes”. From the outset of None Shall Pass, Bavitz makes it clear that he has lost none of his enthusiasm. Opener "Keep Off the Lawn" kicks the album off with an infectious combination of funk sampling and live drums as Bavitz belts out a boisterous call-and-response chorus. ("How alive?! Too alive!")
Of course, it’s not at all clear what the song actually means. Ostensibly, it’s a preemptive declaration of vigor in spite of age, but Bavitz's lyrics are completely indecipherable. Perhaps the most important thing to understand about Aesop Rock is that it is almost entirely futile to try and grasp any meaning. While he insists that they are meaningful (a small minority of people believe him), his penchant for bizarre, eccentric imagery is far too dense to be bothered with.
One shouldn’t focus on understanding Bavitz's words, but rather the rapping itself. What exactly do lines like "notice that the phobias appropriately procreate" mean? Who knows, but it’s difficult to deny the appeal of the tongue-twister tumble when Bavitz spits it out in his trademark nasally monotone.
Most promisingly, sometime between Bazooka Tooth and None Shall Pass Bavitz developed the ability to write a truly excellent chorus. Aside from "Keep Off the Lawn", the hooks for "Catacomb Kids", "Getaway Car", and "Five Fingers" practically beg to be awkwardly sung by white frat kids. It lends a pleasant degree of catchiness to Bavitz’s work, which was often monotonous at first blush.
Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"
Bavitz also branches out with a formidable arsenal of production talents. Unlike previous Aesop Rock projects, None Shall Pass employs a wide variety of producers (such as Blockhead, El-P, Rob Sonic and Bavitz himself). The diversity of beats creates an awkward flow of songs, but it also keeps things interesting and lively.
While all contributors to the album make solid, well-realized beats, Bavitz’s own work steal the show here. Having refined and tightened his production noticeably since 2005’s Fast Cars EP, the music is nervous, jittery and well suited for Aesop Rock’s neurotic delivery. It’s unsurprising that the best fit for Bavitz’s own flow is his own production, and one finds himself wishing that he had come to the same conclusion before hiring so many other rap talents to help him out.
Even so, the other producers pull their own weight admirably. Blockhead’s calls to mind Aesop Rock’s breakthrough Labor Days, particularly the darkly ominous "Fumes". El-P does an excellent job on both the hook of "39 Thieves" the socially conscious "Gun for the Whole Family". Rob Sonic’s lone track, "Dark Heart News", is decent but forgettable by comparison to the other tracks.
At the end of the day, None Shall Pass is a solid entry into the Aesop Rock’s rap catalogue. It lacks the freshness or cohesiveness of a stone-cold classic, but it’s sure to please Aesop Rock’s oldest fans and win over plenty of new ones.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily.
However, it’s been four years since the release of Bazooka Tooth, the last Aesop Rock full length. Since then he’s reached his 30th birthday, moved from New York City (whose slums have served as his constant muse) to San Francisco, and gotten married. Does Aesop Rock have another great album in him?
The short answer to that question is “yes”. From the outset of None Shall Pass, Bavitz makes it clear that he has lost none of his enthusiasm. Opener "Keep Off the Lawn" kicks the album off with an infectious combination of funk sampling and live drums as Bavitz belts out a boisterous call-and-response chorus. ("How alive?! Too alive!")
Of course, it’s not at all clear what the song actually means. Ostensibly, it’s a preemptive declaration of vigor in spite of age, but Bavitz's lyrics are completely indecipherable. Perhaps the most important thing to understand about Aesop Rock is that it is almost entirely futile to try and grasp any meaning. While he insists that they are meaningful (a small minority of people believe him), his penchant for bizarre, eccentric imagery is far too dense to be bothered with.
One shouldn’t focus on understanding Bavitz's words, but rather the rapping itself. What exactly do lines like "notice that the phobias appropriately procreate" mean? Who knows, but it’s difficult to deny the appeal of the tongue-twister tumble when Bavitz spits it out in his trademark nasally monotone.
Most promisingly, sometime between Bazooka Tooth and None Shall Pass Bavitz developed the ability to write a truly excellent chorus. Aside from "Keep Off the Lawn", the hooks for "Catacomb Kids", "Getaway Car", and "Five Fingers" practically beg to be awkwardly sung by white frat kids. It lends a pleasant degree of catchiness to Bavitz’s work, which was often monotonous at first blush.
Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"
Bavitz also branches out with a formidable arsenal of production talents. Unlike previous Aesop Rock projects, None Shall Pass employs a wide variety of producers (such as Blockhead, El-P, Rob Sonic and Bavitz himself). The diversity of beats creates an awkward flow of songs, but it also keeps things interesting and lively.
While all contributors to the album make solid, well-realized beats, Bavitz’s own work steal the show here. Having refined and tightened his production noticeably since 2005’s Fast Cars EP, the music is nervous, jittery and well suited for Aesop Rock’s neurotic delivery. It’s unsurprising that the best fit for Bavitz’s own flow is his own production, and one finds himself wishing that he had come to the same conclusion before hiring so many other rap talents to help him out.
Even so, the other producers pull their own weight admirably. Blockhead’s calls to mind Aesop Rock’s breakthrough Labor Days, particularly the darkly ominous "Fumes". El-P does an excellent job on both the hook of "39 Thieves" the socially conscious "Gun for the Whole Family". Rob Sonic’s lone track, "Dark Heart News", is decent but forgettable by comparison to the other tracks.
At the end of the day, None Shall Pass is a solid entry into the Aesop Rock’s rap catalogue. It lacks the freshness or cohesiveness of a stone-cold classic, but it’s sure to please Aesop Rock’s oldest fans and win over plenty of new ones.
Originally written for the Cavalier Daily.
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