Night Ripper

Every once in a while, an album comes around that completely defines or redefines a genre. DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing. The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper. Girl Talk’s Night Ripper.

This is the quintessential mashup album. This was the peak of the genre, reached before mainstream acceptance, before anyone really knew who Greg Gillis was. It is the best mashup album of all time, bar none.

Before Night Ripper, mashups were a mere gimmick. The occasional mp3 got posted on Digg, and The Grey Album got a ton of attention, but they were still seen as a kind of trick – something to show your friends to get a reaction. Not Night Ripper. Night Ripper is a undeniable masterpiece, combining hundreds of samples together to make an ADD-riddled, fully listenable album.

The samples on Night Ripper are fantastic. From the genius combinations (Tiny Dancer + Juicy) to the ones that fit perfectly (Scentless Apprentice + Soul Surviver), every single sample lines up perfectly, and none feel out of place. They last the perfect length, leaving the listener longing for more and coming back time after time.

Almost none of the mashup artists today would be around if not for Girl Talk and this album. Almost every single mashup artist lists Girl Talk as an influence, and rightly so. His album is so perfect it’s effectively the how to guide for mashup making. Hell, it even got released on vinyl.

There’s not much more I can say about this album. Night Ripper is one of those albums that defines a genre – it stands next to Ok Computer, Nevermind, and many others. Night Ripper is undeniably Girl Talk – and the entire genre’s – magnum opus. It’s perfect in every way.

Rating: 10/10