Jul042011
Although there are many widely used mis-spellings of the word A Capella (acappella, acapella, accapella, etc) the true spelling “A Capella” is of Italian origins meaning ‘in the manner of the church’.
An a capella is the pure vocal track without any form of instrumental backing.
What Are A Capellas Used For?
They can be used to create remixes or mash-ups with other instrumental tracks as long as the vocal and the underlying track are in the same key or fit together well. Masters of the commercial mash-up, in my opinion, are the Cut Up Boys who have released mash-up compilation albums for the last few years in a row.
A capellas can also be used when produces are remixing tracks.
Where Can I Get Them?
A capellas in general are not especially hard to find but if you are trying to track down the vocals for a specific song then depending on the artist, you may have to search harder for it than others. In 2000, Defected Records famously released Defected Presents - Accapellas Vol.1 on vinyl for some of their biggest tracks.
You can buy a capellas individually from most of the online specialist dance music vendors and they will usually cost the same as a single. If you are lucky, you may find one or two on Soundcloud. Here’s one from Felix Leiter and one from Calvin Harris, both of which you can download for free.
Keep It Legal
Be careful using them. Just because you bought an a capella or freely downloaded an a capella from the artists’ website it doesn’t mean you have the bought the rights to use it in a commercially available track. That’s a whole different ball game. Licencing samples and vocals to be used as mash ups and remixes is quite a long and complicated process and often you will come across bootlegs that use a cheeky uncleared sample or vocal that sidesteps these rules. These tracks will often be clearly labelled “bootleg” and are made just for a bit of dance floor fun rather than any kind of big time commercial success.
Practical Use
Keeping a few a capellas in your DJ box can be quite handy as an extra tool to your trade. You can perform ‘live’ mash-ups on the fly and because the vocal track and instrumental track are independently fed into the mixer, there’s a whole world of effects you can play about with to chop each up and create your own unique individual style.
Oct192010
Today might be your lucky day - I’m giving away a pair of tickets to see the Cut Up Boys live at Sakura in Reading on Friday 29th October 2010.
The Cut Up Boys are probably most well known for their Mash-Up Mix series and are definitely not to be missed!
All you have to do is drop me an email to dj@paulvelocity.co.uk before 26th October and I’ll sort it out for you. If I get more than one email then I’ll pick one winner at random.
I’ll only be contacting you if you are chosen. There are no physical tickets - your name will be added on the door. I will not be there on the night, I am basically giving up my guest list spot so someone else can go. You will receive two free entries to the club - you plus one. I cannot guarantee you entry to the club - you must observe their dress code and club rules. ROAR. Please don’t be daft and get thrown out or something equally stupid.
Good luck!
Dec202008
I was driving home last night after a very long week. I was tired, exhausted and not feeling too great. then I heard a song on the radio that instantly picked me right back up again.
As you may have guessed by the title of this post, the artist is Timmy Vegas and the track is called Another Dimension. Timmy Vegas is one half of Soul Central who are probably most well-known for their Strings Of Life release a few years back. He’s also a DJ, a Scorpio and a poker player which means we both share a lot in common. Well, three things.
This track is not due out until around the 12th January, but I’ve managed to get my hands on a pre-release promo that I will be throwing into my January mix in 2009.
It’s an all-out sample-fest mash-up that ‘borrows’ inspiration from Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman and Beastie Boys- Intergalatic with additional vocals by Bad Lay Dee.
Listen to an MP3 of Timmy Vegas And Bad Lay Dee - Another Dimension or check it out on YouTube.
Check it out when I drop it in next month’s mix, then go and buy it from Amazon.
Apr302006
Finally I have managed to get my act together and upload a few more of my mash-up tracks. The can be found at the mash-ups page…suprisingly.
Jun272005
Its always nice when people say positive things about what I do. I have been sending out a few CDs of my mash-up tracks recently and I have been getting some really good comments.
Dont Go Playing With Knives is an instant classic…I will look out for your name in the future for sure!
L Owen
That your love mix is blinding
S Newland
Awesome…its the bollox!!
M Clinkard
Jun052005
CD Pool are one of the best promo companies around giving DJ’s the opportunity of receiving all the latest promos by leading artists, labels and remixers from around the world up to six weeks ahead of commercial release. Their customer service is absolutely spot on and the track listings on the CDs never fail to impress me. No matter what style of music you play, check out CD Pool.
Apr172005
The mash ups page is now updated with another new track. First aired earlier today on KissFM, the track Push The Love Away is an oldskool mash-up of NightCrawlers “Push The Feeling” on vs Raze “Break 4 Love” vs True Faith “Take Me Away”. Its in the list of mp3s on the mash up page, download it now!
Apr152005
Make sure you tune into KissFM this Sunday 17th April 2005 with Streetboy and Kisstory from 20:00(GMT), or you can listen online. I’ve been asked to do a mash-up remix for the show and it should be getting some airplay this Sunday night. Once it has been played out I will be uploading it ot the site.
Mar282005
KissFM is London’s biggest and most popular dance music radio station. Every Sunday is Kisstory on KissFM with resident DJ Streetboy, playing out club classics from mid to late nineties. Streetboy has played out one of my mash-up tunes this week and put myself on the air. For the next seven days (until Sunday 03.04.05) you can listen to the audio and fast forward to Renegade Dancer @ 1h 10m 44s, chat 1 @ 1h 18m 02s, chat 2 @ 1h 21m 45s.
