music is free now

Podcast:
[Mp3] César Alvarez - Live iPod Mashup #1 31'01"
mixed live on 9/27/06

Live iPod mashups. It’s really simple: I have 2 iPods running simultaneously on shuffle drawing from the entire library. And through layering, volume, shuttling, manual looping, skipping, etc I create real time mash-ups and/or plunderphonics. Sometimes songs are recognizable and sometimes they become cacophonous, ambient, mangled, or perfect composites. After the performance I go back on the iPod and note which songs were prominently featured. In this way the “playlist” turns more into a retroactive list of ingredients.

What’s so brilliant about mp3 players is that the playhead can jump from genre to genre in a split second, making rapid choices that I never could have imagined. Music is free now. Not only does it not cost anything but it’s free from all of the boundaries that localize recordings within their own genres. I feel like the main thing keeping musical genres in tact are people’s nostalgia for the way we used to experience music. Music is free now. It’s everywhere. It’s liquid.

"Ingredient List" for podcast #1
(This list is not in exact order and only contains prominently featured tracks)
Sueltame Dark Latin Groove
A Baby for Pree - Jeff Mangum
Misery is a Butterfly - Blonde Redhead
Don't Go Down - Elliott Smith
Teeth in the Grass - Iron and Wine
Le Le Low - Hot Hot heat
Graveyard - Jeffery Lewis
California Stars - Wilco & Billy Bragg
Iowa - Dar Williams
Body Below - Mirah
Damn Damn Leash - Be Your Own Pet
You know so well - Sondre Lerche
Cracklin Water - Giant Sand
Fame - David Bowie
River Boat Fantasy - David Wilcox
The Build Up - Kings of convenience
The Legionnaire's Lament - The Decemberists
Father Blues - Olu Dara
The Anchor Song - Bjork
The Widow - The Mars Volta
Jersey - Dibs
Cosmiz Debris - Frank Zappa
Paper Tiger - Beck
From the Faucet fell an Apostatic Drop - Audio Ovni
Que Sera - Unknown
Big Pimpin'- Jay-Z
Damn Damn Leash - Be Your own Pet
Poor Edward - Tom Waits
Pica Luna - Arab Strap
Flamingo - Duke Ellington
Are you Ready for the Country -Neil Young
I forgot - The Moldy Peaches
Mean Mr. Mustard - The Beatles
The Needle and the Damage Done - Neil Young
La Bamba - Richie Valens
Smoked - The Crystal Method
Virgin With a Memory - Destroyer
Street Life - Roxy Music
My Baby Just Cares for Me - Nina Simone