However, there is one track that I would go back to every day of my life if I could think of something new or better for it - Colonel Bagshot's "Six Day War". The track which was so wonderfully treated by DJ Shadow on the Private Press album, has long remained one of my favourite songs of all time. Classic late 60s psychadelia where the lyrics seem as pertinent today as they did back then (the 1967 Arab-Israeli War) with hard funky beats and soulful backing built in by Shadow.
And it holds a special place in my heart as it was one the main part of one of the first mashes I made - Six Day War (I've Got Something to Say mix), which if truth be told, was probably a little sloppy but got me noticed and made me a few friends along the way. Hell, after everything I've made, it's still the favourite track of 95% of my friends who listen to my stuff.
And then there was the mash I made with Janis Joplin vs. DJ Shadow - Mercedes Benz vs. Walkie Talkie. Again, I think this was the 2nd track I ever made, and I still love it now, nearly one year on. Another anti-war mash.
I was in the car the other day listening to the DJ Shadow Live at Brixton Academy set from 2006, just after the release of the Outsider album (I went to the gig in Birmingham on that tour - an amazing night of music, scratching and German Kirschbier - trippy!), and early in the set Shadow plays an amazing live mash of his own "Six Day War" with "Walkie Talkie". Something clicked. I had made mashes based on both tracks, so why not re-mash them in to one mighty mash - my Opus Magnum, my celebration of nearly one year in mash-up land, my celebration of Bush's final months in term...
I was inspired and jumped straight to work. To my delight, the Bagshot original fitted Walkie Talkie with a few minor tempo adjustments and cuts here and there. But I wanted to get Janis Joplin in there too, to make it a Colatron vs. Colatron, or Colatron Squared gimmick. Problem being, Walkie Talkie is only about 2:30 minutes long. Janis had to go (although she did help out on the intro, setting the theme of the record against Georgie boy's gibberish ravings), but still, I wanted to extend the track.
Again, sat in the car, only this time listening to my CD of Shadow's "Live! In Tune and On Time" set from 2004 (if anyone's wondering - I love DJ Shadow!), I checked out his live mix of Walkie Talkie and was struck by the mixing of the track with drum n' bass maestro Sci-Clone's "Red Fever". Gives it a real menacing feel. Perfect for the sound of war. I had to somehow blend the original with the live version and I think I've managed to blag it.
Then, dropping in the obligatory sounds of Bush sounding like a hypocrite/idiot/war-mongerer/the devil incarnate, a few choice sounds of horror, a few samples from Paul Hardcastle's amazing anti-war track "Nineteen" of Albert Dobbs and Peter Thomas (thanks to DJ Prince for posting a superb sample pack over at GYBO) and the sample of Shadow himself closing the track, I had myself the sequel I've always wanted to my original anti-war mash.
It still moves me...I hope it moves you too.
Six Day War part II (And the War Goes On...)
Colonel Bagshot vs. DJ Shadow vs. George W. Bush (w/ Paul Hardcastle and Sci-Clone)
Six Day War vs. Walkie Talkie
MP3 Download Page Here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?30emldxy5tn
The full list of tracks used are:
DJ Shadow - Changeling
George W. Bush - Various speeches from 2001 - 2004
Janis Joplin - Mercedes Benz
DJ Shadow - Walkie Talkie
Colonel Bagshot - Six Day War
Paul Hardcastle - Nineteen
DJ Shadow - Six Day War (from Live! In Tune and On Time; feat. Sci-Clone - Red Fever)
various samples of the souds of war
"Ladies and Gentlemen..."
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