Talkin' Bout Girl Talk

Music is my religion, and live shows are where I go to pray. It sounds grandoise and dramatic, but it is 101% truth. Being involved in it on a fronts - professionally, recreationally, etc. - can be draining, and much of it caught up with me around the holidays. Going home for the end of 2k6 brought the biggest break I've ever seen from bars, shows, and generally seeking out new music. There have been albums here and there that have come close to resugring my spirits in the realm of listening, dancing, blogging, or caring, but nothing came close to last night's Girl Talk set at the Middle East Downstairs.


The Unabomber of the booty...

Starting the night off with pad thai and He-Man cartoons, we made our way to the MidEast to find a line that stretched all the way to Mass Ave, containing a mix of people that Boston hardly gets to see. Certain tribes venture to certain shows, but the overwhelming variety that were attracted to Girl Talk were both surprising and satisfying. People were drunk, but people were kind. Everyone was there to party, and party we did.



But back up a moment: earlier that day, I'd advertised the show to a friend who loves The Pill, avoids Paper based on hearsay, and generally has the ability to make a great dance mixtape for parties. "I don't usually say 'this isn't music,' but I think I'll make this the exception." I put up little fight, but this was mostly due to his argument of Greg Gillis' DJ talent being reduced to "he's just a guy with a computer...I only respect DJs who work with vinyl." Well, you've got to admit...Rolling Stone, Blender, Pitchfork, and Blogcritics can't all be wrong.


Rip it up! Rip it up!

The beauty of Girl Talk is the extraction of every great chorus to every great song in the last 30 years, mashing them together to make one, long high-energy record that never lags. I remember when I was younger I thought that if I took my favorite lyrics from my top 20 songs, I'd probably have one phenomenal track. (This never happened, as the actual deciding upon those 20 or so songs was too much of a task for my lazy, goth adolescence.)

As you may have figured from reading Onward Charles, I love dancing. I love electronic music, and my years as an avid fan of all facets of electronica (oh yeah, you bet I had my drum n' bass days too...), and these days with the oversaturation of dance parties, it's hard to find outlets that really bring back the nostalgia of a few years ago. Where there's little awareness, unimposed natural etiquette, and a lot of sweat. Buckets.



Some thoughts from Resonator to piggy-back on: "This is his third cd of the style and its very well done and a ton of fun to listen to. While other people are claiming he's just jumping on the diplo bandwagon, I say he's keeping up to his style. Mashups were invented way before diplo and that whole crew hit the scene, they just brought it to the 'mainstream' (yeah mini-rant, it happens)." Apparently, Hollertronix's Never Scared is the record that started the mash-up revolution. And yes, it is a revolution because like the iPod it's giving license to many amateurs to call themself DJ Insert Snarky Name or whatever. Nonetheless, Girl Talk is so high up on this list simply because (a) this is exclusively what he does and (b) he does it well. He does it well, hot, heavy, and consistently. As a biomedical engineer in Pittsburgh by day, Gillis has reclaimed the party of dance party, arousing one of the best nights in song and solidarity that the dancefloor has seen in quite a while.

Talkin' Bout Girl Talk In A Town Near Youz:
01.26 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
01.27 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
02.02 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
O2.03 Columbus, OH Wexner Center
02.09 Brooklyn, NY Studio B
02.14 Las Vegas, NV Aladdin Hotel & Casino Theater of the Arts
02.16 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan League Underground
02.17 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
03.02 Athens, OH Casa Nueva
03.03 Bloomington, IN Buskirk-Chumley Theater
03.11 Sunrise, FL Langerado Music Festival
03.17 Austin, TX SXSW Fanatic Promotion Showcase
03.23 Milwaukee, WI Stonefly Brewery
03.34 Madison, WI Union South Club 770
03.30 Pittsburgh, PA Andy Warhol Museum
04.13 Buffalo, NY Soundlab
05.04 Providence, RI The Living Room


Audible: Girl Talk - "Double Pump"
Website: http://www.girl-talk.net