Beatmixed

It was a little less than a year ago, in August 2003, when self-described “rebel DJs” Adrian and the Mysterious D launched Bootie, the first and only club in the United States devoted entirely to the burgeoning musical artform known alternately as “bootlegs,” “bastard pop,” or “mash-ups.” By now you’ve surely heard of them: with the use of audio editing software, the vocal track of one song gets melded over the cut-up instrumental of another, mixing up genres and creating a “hybrid” song that is often greater than the sum of its parts. These unlicensed and illegal tracks are then posted to the internet as MP3s, flaunting copyright law and delighting listeners.

Inspired by London’s long-running monthly bootleg club, Bastard, the duo sought to bring mash-ups to the American masses. “We’re kind of like mash-up evangelists,” jokes Adrian. “For the longest time, we had to explain to people what a bootleg was and where it came from.” In fact, the couple wanted to launch the club back in 2002, but held off until last year, after they had amassed so many quality mash-ups that they knew they could pull off an entire evening without having to resort to spinning countless Missy Elliott and Eminem bootlegs.

While mash-ups have been popular in the U.K. for a few years now, they’re just now gaining attention in the United States. First, there was DJ Danger Mouse’s much-hyped-about Grey Album, which cleverly mixed Jay-Z’s Black Album with The Beatles’ White Album. Then David Bowie sponsored a “make a mash-up” contest, and commissioned bootlegger Go Home Productions to mash-up “Rebel Rebel” with a song off of his new album.

But while artists such as Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Fischerspooner have all released legal mash-ups in the past year, the majority of the MP3s floating around the net are still very much illegal – which is, of course, part of the fun. Since these tracks are not readily available in stores, the only way to get them is to scour the internet searching for them – or by coming to Bootie and getting one of the free 10-track mix CDs that are given away each month. These CDs have become a collector’s series for the Bootie crowd, many whom arrive early in order to nab a copy.

“We dig around for stuff all the time,” says the Mysterious D. “But for every twenty tracks we download, we probably only keep about one or two. There’s a lot of great stuff out there, but there’s also a lot of crap.” Separating the killer from the filler is what the DJ duo do best, and the steadily growing success of Bootie over the past year is proof of that.

The music is only half of what makes Bootie what it is though. “The crowd is just as mashed-up as the music,” exclaims Adrian, who says that it’s a reflection of the diverse genres of music that get melded together at the club. Bootie brings different groups of people together, intermingling and creating one of the most mixed scenes in the city, even by San Francisco standards.

The couple are also proud of the local bootlegger community that has sprung up around the club. “Through Bootie,” says Adrian, “we’ve met other local DJs and mash-up artists that are doing amazing mixing work, such as Party Ben, Jay-R, Tripp, Stink, and Earworm. The bastard pop scene used to be very U.K.-centric, but across the pond, San Francisco is becoming known as the place where mash-ups are happening in America.”

Proof of this is the upcoming guest DJ set and first American appearance by internationally-reknowned bootlegger and remixer, McSleazy, who will be spinning at the Bootie One-Year Anniversary Mash Bash on Saturday, August 7. Widely credited with helping to start the bastard pop movement, McSleazy hails from Glasgow, Scotland, where he has created countless mash-ups and electro remixes for a variety of artists, worked for MTV Europe’s mash-up show, and created the Get Your Bootleg On internet forum.

Also spinning at the Mash Bash will be Party Ben from Live 105’s Sixx Mixx, one of the only radio shows in the country to feature bootlegs. Radio Quita, creator of the American mash-up web site Strangely Familiar, will be flying in from Nashville to do a guest DJ set as well. DJ Dada will get the night rolling with a set of rock mash-ups for the first hour, and of course, DJs Adrian and the Mysterious D will be spinning your favorite bootlegs throughout the night.

The Bootie One-Year Anniversary Mash Bash will also feature a live set at 11 PM by Smash-Up Derby, the world’s first and only mash-up rock band. Fronted by DJ Adrian, formerly of the local SF rock band Blue Period, Smash-Up Derby will perform such mash-ups as “Smells Like Billie Jean,” fusing Nirvana with Michael Jackson, and “Ray of Gob,” which pairs Madonna with the Sex Pistols.

Mash-up performances will happen throughout the night by local performers Princess Kennedy and Steven Satyricon, along with faux queens – that’s a drag queen trapped in a real woman’s body – Patty O’Furniture and Bea Dazzler. And of course, there will be bootylicious go-go dancers Marcy Meow, The Indra, and DeeDee Luxe.

Adding to the festivities will be the Bootie photo booth, where photographer Blioux will be doing professional portraiture of the partygoers. Seeing as people have been showing up in pirate garb and mashed-up outfits, it should make for some interesting photos!

Last, but not least, is the Bootie One-Year Anniversary CD, which will be given to the first 500 people through the door. Featuring mash-ups inspired by each of the Bootie flyers from the past year, and including bootlegs from many local DJs, it’s a 20-track sampler of the best of the bastard pop scene.

The Bootie One-Year Anniversary Mash Bash takes place Saturday, August 7, at Studio Z, 314 11th at Folsom, in San Francisco. Cover is $10 and includes a free CD.