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Girl Talk (musician)
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician specializing in mashups
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
and digital sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art
Illegal Art
Illegal Art is a sampling label that was started by a person using the name Philo T. Farnsworth in 1998. The label was instantly launched to infamy with the legal threats surrounding Deconstructing Beck, a compilation made exclusively from sampling Beck's music. This was followed by two other...
and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles
12 Apostles (record label)
12 Apostles is an independent record label based in London, England and Brooklyn, USA.Founded in 2000 the label was created as an antidote to the increasingly corporate approach of independent dance music record labels around the world and is inspired by British dance collective The KLF and ...
.
Career
Gillis began making music while a student at Chartiers Valley High SchoolChartiers Valley High School
Chartiers Valley High School is a public school in the Bridgeville borough of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The school's on-site stadium is home to the professional soccer team the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The school has an indoor swimming pool which is open to the public three evenings a...
in the Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
suburb of Bridgeville
Bridgeville, Pennsylvania
Bridgeville is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bridgeville is located along Chartiers Creek, about southwest of downtown Pittsburgh at ....
. After a few collaborative efforts he started the solo "Girl Talk" project and continued making music under the Girl Talk alias while studying biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. In school, Gillis focused on tissue engineering
Tissue engineering
Tissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions...
. He later worked as an engineer, but quit in May 2007 to focus solely on music.
He produces mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
-style remixes, in which he uses often a dozen or more unauthorized samples from different songs to create a new song. The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
has called his music "a lawsuit waiting to happen," a criticism that Gillis has attributed to mainstream media that wants "to create controversy where it doesn't really exist," citing fair use
Fair use
Fair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders...
as a legal backbone for his sampling practices.
He has given different explanations for the origin of his stage name, once saying that it alluded to a Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
poem and once saying that it alluded to an early Merzbow
Merzbow
is the main recording name of the Japanese noise musician , born in 1956. Since 1979 he has released in excess of 350 recordings.The name "Merzbow" comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork, "Merzbau”. This was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic...
side project. Most recently, he attributed the name to a grunge band called Tad
Tad (band)
Tad was an American grunge band from Seattle, Washington led by Tad Doyle. Among the first of the many bands which came out of Seattle in the grunge era, Tad was notable for the fact that its music had a noticeable 1970s metal influence, rather than the punk which influenced most other grunge bands...
, based in Seattle.
In a 2009 interview with FMLY, Gillis stated:
The name Girl Talk is a reference to many things, products, magazines, books. It’s a pop culture phrase. The whole point of choosing the name early on was basically to just stir things up a little within the small scene I was operating from. I came from a more experimental background and there were some very overly serious, borderline academic type electronic musicians. I wanted to pick a name that they would be embarrassed to play with. You know Girl Talk sounded exactly the opposite of a man playing a laptop, so that’s what I chose.
Gillis is featured heavily in the 2008 open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
documentary RiP!: A Remix Manifesto
RiP!: A Remix Manifesto
RiP!: A Remix Manifesto is a 2008 open source documentary film about "the changing concept of copyright"directed by Brett Gaylor.Created over a period of six years, the documentary film features the collaborative remix work of hundreds of people who have contributed to the Open Source Cinema...
.
Since Gillis releases his music under Creative Commons licenses
Creative Commons licenses
Creative Commons licenses are several copyright licenses that allow the distribution of copyrighted works. The licenses differ by several combinations that condition the terms of distribution. They were initially released on December 16, 2002 by Creative Commons, a U.S...
, fans may legally use it in derivative works. Many create mashup video collages using the samples' original music videos.
For possible future projects, Gillis is considering creating individual songs rather than full-length albums with the songs tied together.
Girl Talk released his fifth LP All Day on November 15, 2010 - free through the Illegal Art website. A U.S. tour in support of All Day began in Gillis's hometown of Pittsburgh with two sold-out shows at the new Stage AE
Stage AE
Stage AE is a multi-purpose entertainment complex located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It contains an indoor concert hall with room for 2,400 spectators and an outdoor amphitheatre that can accommodate 5,550. Additionally, the complex contains a nightclub that can hold 350 to 400...
concert hall.
Album pricing
After the success of his album Feed the AnimalsFeed the Animals
Feed the Animals is the fourth album by Girl Talk , released on Illegal Art in 2008. It is composed almost entirely of samples taken from other artists' songs, plus minor original instrumentation by Girl Talk...
, for which listeners were asked to pay a price of their choosing, Gillis made all of his other albums similarly available via the Illegal Art website.
Awards
In 2007, Gillis was the recipient of a WiredWired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine Rave Award.
Feed the Animals was number four on Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
s Top 10 Albums of 2008. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the album four stars and ranked the album #24 on their Top 50 albums of 2008. Blender magazine rated it the second-best recording/album of 2008, and NPR listeners rated it the 16th best album of the year.
Gillis' hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
named December 7, 2010 "Gregg Gillis Day".
Film appearances
In 2007, Girl Talk appeared in Good Copy Bad CopyGood Copy Bad Copy
Good Copy Bad Copy, A documentary about the current state of copyright and culture, is a documentary about copyright and culture in the context of Internet, peer-to-peer file sharing and other technological advances, directed by Andreas Johnsen, Ralf Christensen, and Henrik Moltke.It features...
, a documentary about the current state of copyright and culture.
In 2008, he appeared as a test case for fair use
Fair use
Fair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders...
in Brett Gaylor
Brett Gaylor
Brett Gaylor is a Canadian documentary filmmaker living in Montreal, Quebec. Born in 1977, he grew up on Galiano Island, British Columbia. He is a member director of EyeSteelFilm documentary production company and its Head of New Media....
's RiP!: A Remix Manifesto
RiP!: A Remix Manifesto
RiP!: A Remix Manifesto is a 2008 open source documentary film about "the changing concept of copyright"directed by Brett Gaylor.Created over a period of six years, the documentary film features the collaborative remix work of hundreds of people who have contributed to the Open Source Cinema...
, a call to overhaul copyright laws. His parents, in one scene, complain to him about his frequent stripping
Stripping
Stripping is a dying trade in which film negatives are arranged in a pattern, which will create a series of pages. There is an individual negative for each color to be printed on a printing press. Colors are arranged in order to fit together with the other colors to be printed...
during his performances. He also discusses his medical career and how laws affect his research.
Albums
- Secret DiarySecret DiarySecret Diary is Girl Talk's first album, released in 2002 on Illegal Art. The album can be purchased at a pay-what-you-want price through Illegal Art's website.-Tracklisting:* 1. "Let's Start This Party Right"* 2. "I Want You Back"...
CD (2002, Illegal Art) - Unstoppable CD (2004, Illegal Art)
- Night RipperNight RipperNight Ripper is the third album by Girl Talk. It was released on Illegal Art in 2006 and re-released as a pay-what-you-want download on Illegal Art's website in June 2009. It is composed almost entirely of samples taken from other artists' songs, with minor original material by Gillis...
CD (2006, Illegal Art) - Feed the AnimalsFeed the AnimalsFeed the Animals is the fourth album by Girl Talk , released on Illegal Art in 2008. It is composed almost entirely of samples taken from other artists' songs, plus minor original instrumentation by Girl Talk...
CD (2008, Illegal Art) - All Day (2010, Illegal Art)
EPs
- Stop Cleveland HateStop Cleveland HateStop Cleveland Hate is a limited edition vinyl-only EP release by Girl Talk released on 12 Apostles.-Track listing:# "All Eyes on Me" – 5:09# "Non-Stop Party Now " – 4:06# "Touch 2 Feel" – 3:40# "Cleveland Shake" – 4:23...
12" (2004, 12 apostles) - Bone Hard Zaggin'Bone Hard Zaggin' (EP)Bone Hard Zaggin' is a limited edition vinyl EP release by Girl Talk released by .-External links:* on * on MySpace...
7" (2006, 333 recordings)
Compilation appearances
- bricolage #1 CD (Illegal Art) - "Killing a Material Girl" – 3:37
- Illegal Art 2007 Sampler MP3 (Illegal Art) - "Let's Run This"
- Circuits of Steel CD (SSS) (2003) - "On Nesbit"
- Ministry of Shit CD (Spasticated) - "Let's Run This"
- Love and Circuits CD (Cardboard Records) - "All of the Other Songs Remixed" (under Trey Told 'EmTrey Told 'EmTrey Told 'Em is a collaborative project between Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk and Frank Musarra of Hearts of Darknesses focused on "remix and production work."-Remixes:...
) - Circuits of Steel II CD (SSS) (2007) - "Andy Van Slyke Marijuana Sensitivity"
Remixes
- Beck – "Cellphone's Dead" (2006) (unreleased)
- Peter Bjorn and JohnPeter Bjorn and JohnPeter Bjorn and John are a Swedish indie rock band, formed in Stockholm in 1999 and named after the first names of the band's members: Peter Morén , Björn Yttling and John Eriksson .They are best known for the 2006 single "Young Folks", which...
– "Let's Call It OffLet's Call It Off"Let's Call It Off" is the second single from Peter Bjorn and John's Writer's Block LP. A new mix of the song from the album was used for the single, featuring what has been called more of a "calypso" sound. The song has also been used in a popular remix by mash-up DJ Girl Talk...
" (2006) - Grizzly BearGrizzly Bear (band)Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band, composed of Edward Droste , Daniel Rossen , Chris Taylor and Christopher Bear . The band employs traditional and electronic instruments...
– "KnifeKnife (Grizzly Bear song)"Knife" is a song by Brooklyn-based indie rock band Grizzly Bear, from the band's second studio album,Yellow House. The song was released as a single on May 21, 2007.-Music video:...
" (2007) - Bonde do RoleBonde do RolêBonde do Rolê is a Funk Carioca-influenced electropop group from Curitiba, Brazil, consisting of MCs Pedro D'Eyrot, Laura Taylor, Ana Bernardino, and DJ/MC Rodrigo Gorky...
– "Gasolina" (2009) - Bad Brilliance – "Non-Tradition (Girl Talk Remix)/It's So Fun (Andrew WK Remix)" (2009)
- Tokyo Police ClubTokyo Police ClubTokyo Police Club is an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It consists of vocalist and bassist David Monks , keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook , and drummer Greg Alsop ....
– "Cheer It On" (2007, under Trey Told 'EmTrey Told 'EmTrey Told 'Em is a collaborative project between Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk and Frank Musarra of Hearts of Darknesses focused on "remix and production work."-Remixes:...
) - Simian Mobile DiscoSimian Mobile DiscoSimian Mobile Disco are a United Kingdom-based production and remix team formed in 2005 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production...
– "I Believe" (2007, under Trey Told 'EmTrey Told 'EmTrey Told 'Em is a collaborative project between Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk and Frank Musarra of Hearts of Darknesses focused on "remix and production work."-Remixes:...
) - Professor MurderProfessor MurderProfessor Murder is a dance punk quartet from New York City that mixes synthesizers and percussion-based compositions in a method that has drawn comparison to post-punk and new-wave bands of the early 1980s and late '70s. They released their critically hailed debut EP, Professor Murder Rides the...
– "Dutch Hex" (2007, under Trey Told 'EmTrey Told 'EmTrey Told 'Em is a collaborative project between Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk and Frank Musarra of Hearts of Darknesses focused on "remix and production work."-Remixes:...
) - Of MontrealOf MontrealOf Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
– "Gronlandic Edit" (2007, under Trey Told 'EmTrey Told 'EmTrey Told 'Em is a collaborative project between Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk and Frank Musarra of Hearts of Darknesses focused on "remix and production work."-Remixes:...
) (unreleased) - Thrill Jockey RecordsThrill JockeyThrill Jockey Records is an American independent record label established in 1992 in New York City by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards.-History:...
– Super Epic Thrill Jockey Mega Massive Anniversary Mix (2007, under Trey Told 'EmTrey Told 'EmTrey Told 'Em is a collaborative project between Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk and Frank Musarra of Hearts of Darknesses focused on "remix and production work."-Remixes:...
)
Production credits
- Grand BuffetGrand BuffetGrand Buffet is a hip-hop funk duo from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, made up of Jackson O'Connell-Barlow and Jarrod Weeks . Their music is a unique brand of humorous, often satirical rap...
– Pittsburgh Hearts (2003) – "Cool as Hell" - Jim JonesJim Jones (rapper)Joseph Guillermo Jones II , better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and original member of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is Co-CEO of Diplomat Records...
– "Believe in Magic" (feat. LloydLloyd (singer)Lloyd Polite, Jr. , who performs under the mononym Lloyd, is an American R&B recording artist, who experienced as a member of the group N-Toon before embarking on a solo career in 2004....
) (2011)
Software
In an interview with Triple JTriple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
on January 29, 2009, Gillis noted that he uses Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is a digital audio workstation from Adobe Systems featuring both a multitrack, non-destructive mix/edit environment and a destructive-approach waveform editing view.-Origins:...
and AudioMulch
AudioMulch
AudioMulch is modular audio software for making music and processing sound. The software can synthesize sound and process live and pre-recorded sound in real-time....
.