Interview with Mashed Taters
So who exactly are Mashed Taters? Ages? Names? Care to disclose any info?
Chris: Chris Bosyj, 17, and Robert Colaguori, 16. We’re from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Rob finds the tunes, I put ‘em together.
How did you get into mashups and how long have you been doing it?
Chris: I started listening to mashups in grade 10, early 2008. One of my friends thought it would be funny to put together The Bad Touch by The Bloodhound Gang and Temperature by Sean Paul, so a little weekend project turned into “Bad Temperature”. That was it for about a year until Rob started giving me suggestions for songs to try together. We ended up making enough songs to start an album and the band evolved from there.
How did you find each other?
Rob: I sat in front of Chris in grade 10 history and I’ve been bugging him ever since. One day he said “I wanna make a mashup.” This was at the time where I had no idea what they were. I thought they sounded sick and naturally wanted to start making them. We started off with songs that had the same chord progression, but have since moved on to more of a “Super Mash Bros.” acapella and instrumental/loop style. Those guys are gods behind a computer screen.
Software? Hardware?
Chris: All the mashes are done on a program called Tracktion. Fancy, I know, but seems to work for us. Rob: I use Virtual DJ to test out my ideas. I really wanna learn how to DJ live. I don’t have any DJ equipment as of yet, but I’m looking to save up and get some of my own CDJs.
What inspires you in terms of song choice for your mashups?
Rob: Well I used to look for just two songs that had the same chord progression. That was before this whole “Mashed Taters” thing even started. Right now it’s a matter of mashing my favourite rap songs with a catchy back beat. I also try to incorporate artists who I idolize. We’re both trained musicians and we try to help each other out when picking songs.Chris: I usually think of random songs to toss in while mashing. Having the songs you’re using drilled into your head seems to help.
What kind of music do you like? Favorite artists?
Chris: I’m pretty lax far as music goes, it doesn’t really matter what, I just like to listen. If I had to choose a few fav’s right now, I’d say the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bon Iver, and a little bit of Lemon Jelly on the side. Add some classical music in there too.Rob: I literally listen to anything, from opera to Metallica. I never really used to like rap all that much, but ever since starting this mash band, it’s been growing on me, haha.
Do you like listening to other mashups? Favorite mashup artists?
Rob: I’m in love with mashups. I think anyone who’s into making them really has to have a certain love for them as well. Favourite artist by far (as you may have guessed by now) is Super Mash Bros. The technical elements they use in their mashups are just out of this world. I’m also into Deskhop and Girl Talk, but less so. Chris: Yeah, once in a while I’ll go on a little mashup spree. Got some Super Mash Bros. and Girl Talk on the iTunes at the moment.
Have you played live at all?
No idea, we don’t play live…yet…
How long does an average mashup take you to make?
Chris: Depends on the number of songs and how well our original ideas work out. Usually I can do a full mash in a night or two, as long as Rob’s got the ideas ready for me and we don’t run into any problems. In the summer time we tried to release at least a mash per week, even though we’re slowing down now.
How much time do you spend on your music?
Chris: All of the time that I should be spending on school work, mainly. Actually, now that I think about it, I really should get a life…
Rob: Agreed. School work is just piling up like crazy right now. I’m actually doing a lab for chemistry class as I write this response…haha.
How does having two people effect your creation process? What do both of you do?
Rob: I think that it only adds to the creativity. Two heads are better than one in my opinion. Sometimes I’ll give Chris certain song suggestions, and he’ll play around with it and incorporate different songs/loops that I never would’ve thought of.
Chris: I had a couple of attempts without Rob, and they were alright, but I could never come up with song combos like he does. Sometimes I think he’s crazy, but it’s always cool to download a bunch of tracks and put them together to see what he was thinking the whole time.
What are you doing in your free time?
Chris: Watchin’ movies and chillin’ with my friends. Dexter and The Office have become serious addictions for me, but as soon as ski season starts, I’ll be hittin’ the slopes. But seriously, who else thought Pam and Jim’s wedding was amazing? Rob: Yeah, we’re both really into freestyle skiing. I also really love The Office. Scrubs isn’t a half bad show either.
What is your view on the legality of mashups?
Rob: In reality, no one is making money off of this, unless you play live like Girl Talk or Super Mash Bros. They shouldn’t be legal to sell, but in terms of playing live, you should be able to play whatever you want at anytime to make the crowd dance.
Chris: Yeah, I agree, we’re not making money out of this, so what’s wrong with spreading it around and letting other people listen to it. I’ve had problems before though, especially with uploading on YouTube. Apparently Sony really likes to protect their music…
Favorite song you have made?
Rob: Ezekiel 25:17 Chris: I’m gonna have to go with a song that we just finished before this interview, which has no name yet and hasn’t been released. Any suggestions for names, on this site or facebook would be awesome. When you hear it, you’ll know. Other then that it’s between Pluck Off, A.Y.G?W.O.T.D., and [insert name here].
Tips for aspiring mashup artists? Or tips on how to get started?
Chris: First, start out easy, just with a couple songs, until you get the hang of it. Second, check out some of the great tutorials online. http://www.paintingbynumbers.com/bootcamp/ taught me how to do it. Third, listen to all the awesome mashup artists that are around right now. This site is a great place to do that.
Rob: It’s really about finding the right songs to use and finding the right program that works best for you as well. Try a lot of them, and once you find that one program stick with it. I personally still haven’t found what works best. That’s what I have Chris for, haha.
Plans for the future? Any goals? What can we look forward to?
Chris: Nothing in particular, we’d just like to get the word out even more about our stuff. If you like our music, keep looking forward to more of the same.
Rob: Right now it’s all about getting through high school and going to university. We’re gonna try and keep pumping out as many songs as we can. Be on the lookout for our next album which should be released in the next 3-5 months, when there’s enough mashes.
Favorite pizza topping? Candy? Color?
Chris: 1) Between some sort of meat and scalloped potato (I know, eh?). 2) Cadbury Mini Eggs. I buy them in bulk at Easter so I can have them all year. 3) I respect all races equally.
Rob: Meat lovers (sausage, salami, meatballs, basically any Italian topping, haha). Reese’s Pieces. Golden yellow/lime green.
Any other comments?
Shout out to all of the fans on the interwebs for all their positive feedback. We wouldn’t have made it far without you. Special shout out to the IB class of 2010 (and the bossagefest.)
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