Mashups have been around since the ‘70s, thanks to singer-songwriter, Harry Nilsson. He created what's regarded as the first-ever mashup in 1967 after he did a cover of the Beatles song You Can't Do That and overlaid over a dozen Beatles songs into one track.
Though today, mashups usually include just two songs that are seamlessly woven into one another. Some people can do this on production software like Ableton, while DJs can do this on the fly in real-time.
Though most of us haven’t been able to see many DJs lately thanks to club and bar closures as a result of the ensuing pandemic, if you’ve been hankering for a tasty little mashup, look no further than TikTok.
The app has become home to numerous DJs and producers fighting boredom by sharing their genius mashups with the world — and some even accept requests.
At first glance, this trend mightn’t seem like much but at the heart of it is a burgeoning culture of music discovery, which hasn’t felt like a tangible part of music in a long time. Now, new music fans are discovering ‘90s hits, iconic ‘80s riffs and even undiscovered ‘00s moments.
So what exactly is it about these mashups that make them go viral on TikTok? Simply put, if you're a fan of half of the song you’re quite likely to be a fan of a Frankensteined version of it. Here are some of the best DJs on TikTok creating dreamy mashups and making us miss the club.
BYNX
@bynxmusic My High School Self is Screaming
The best kind of mashup leaves your jaw on the floor, and BYNX is capable of doing that every single time. Whether he's infusing Green Day into Adele’s Hello, or creating a Chainsmokers flavoured rendition of Vanessa Carlton's iconic song, A Thousand Miles, the Californian DJ always gets it right. But our favourite of his concoctions has to be his mashup of Miss Independent by Ne-Yo with the Justin Bieber-assisted hit by The Kid Laroi, Stay.
ALTÉGO
@altegomusic Reply to @user6379927839 Prime time?#mashup #fyp #foryou #anotherlove #tomodell #rollinginthedeep #adele #remix #djmix #altegomusic #ThenNowForever
If you’ve seen two guys who look alike on TikTok sit by CDJs and create face-melting mashups, then it’s probably Altégo. These twin brothers who are based in London have a knack for pairing wildly popular songs together with nothing but their mixing skills — and it’s pretty impressive. Our favourite mixes include their mashup of Lil Nas X That's What I Want with Good 4 U by Olivia Rodrigo and their disco creation that mixes Let's Groove Tonight with Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's iconic hit, WAP. But it’s only their most viral hits that get released in full on Soundcloud and let’s just say once you hear this mashup of Doja Cat and Rihanna, you may never want to go back to the originals.
Read more: This Mash-Up Of Cardi B And Fleetwood Mac Is The Perfect Way To Get Your Relatives Into Rap
DJ LBeats
@dj.lbeats Heads Will Roll just hits different ##thotshitmegan ##headswillroll ##mashup ##megantheestallion ##dj ##foryou
DJ LBeats aka Liana Biktimirova is based in Niagara, Canada and she is always at her decks creating magic. Whether she’s comparing current and former twerk anthems or showing off her skills by doing six mashups in 30 seconds, LBeats has the masses entertained over on TikTok. Her speciality definitely seems to be hot girl anthems, so it may come as no surprise that one of her best mashups is Meg meets blog house.
DJ Paris Lawrence
@djparislawrence use this sound ?? #updown #tpain #50cent #justalilbit #updownchallenge #fy #fyp #djmashup #mashup #djing #dj #djmix
Australian DJ, Paris Lawrence is also getting busy on TikTok showing off her slick mashups. Based in Sydney, Lawrence has almost 750,000 followers to date, with one of her sounds becoming the focus of a viral TikTok. She also shows her followers songs that use popular samples, shares her top 5 songs from new albums and creates megamixes of mashups. Though it’s her mashup of T-Pain Up Down and 50 Cent's Just A Lil Bit — coming in with almost 300,000 likes — that remains our favourite mashup and we hope to hear it in the clubs whenever they reopen.
DJ Talisha
@dj_talisha If it’s lovin that you want ? #mashup #dj #girldj #rihanna #boasty
Talisha is another Sydney-based DJ sharing her fun creations on TikTok. The 24-year-old has been busy this lockdown, sharing her NSW Lockdown Mix and educating the masses on TikTok about her favourite Australian artists including Hooligan Hefs and HP Boyz. But our favourite mashup of hers is a club-ready seamless bop, layering Rihanna’s If It's Lovin' That You Want with the Idris Elba-assisted banger, Boasty.
