Party Ben
Encyclopedia
Party Ben is a DJ in San Francisco who spent many years working at local radio station Live 105 and is one of the more notable figures in the mashup
scene.
in Santa Barbara and 91X in San Diego. Party Ben was also a member of the "Untitled Friday Night Show" along with Madden and Miles the Intern on Live 105. In 2008 Party Ben started collaborating with Slacker Radio, an internet radio service, to mix and DJ their "New Sounds" station.
In late 2004, Party Ben created the "Boulevard of Broken Songs
" mashup, featuring elements of Green Day
's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams
", Oasis
' "Wonderwall
", Travis
' "Writing to Reach You
", and Eminem
's "Sing for the Moment
", which itself sampled Aerosmith
's "Dream On
". A later version replaced the Eminem sample with the Aerosmith sample. The track became his most widely-spread work and received worldwide attention, including that of Billie Joe Armstrong
, who mentioned in an interview that he thought it was "cool."
"Boulevard of Broken Songs" was the impetus for Party Ben to work with Team9
on the American Edit
album under the alias Dean Gray, where the two mashed up the songs from Green Day's American Idiot
album. Recently he mashed "Every Breath You Take
" by the Police
and "Chasing Cars
" by Snow Patrol
to create "Every Car You Chase". The mash-up got the attention of Snow Patrol, and it appeared on 2011 romantic comedy Just Go with It
.
Party Ben was one of the resident DJs at Bootie
. One of his earliest works include a mashup of "Ohh La La" by the Wise Guys and "Summer Nights" from Grease
.
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...
scene.
Mashups
From June 2003 to December 30, 2005, Party Ben hosted the "Sixx Mixx" on Live 105, a weekly program of mashups. After the "Sixx Mixx" ended, he began airing mixes on KJEE-FMKJEE
KJEE is a commercial radio station located in Montecito, California, broadcasting to the Santa Barbara, California area on 92.9 FM.KJEE signed on in 1994 as a commercial modern rock music radio station. It has retained its format to this day....
in Santa Barbara and 91X in San Diego. Party Ben was also a member of the "Untitled Friday Night Show" along with Madden and Miles the Intern on Live 105. In 2008 Party Ben started collaborating with Slacker Radio, an internet radio service, to mix and DJ their "New Sounds" station.
In late 2004, Party Ben created the "Boulevard of Broken Songs
Boulevard of Broken Songs
Boulevard of Broken Songs is a popular mash-up mixed by San Francisco, California DJ and producer Party Ben in late 2004...
" mashup, featuring elements of Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Generally, "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" refers to Sunset Boulevard, due to its historically being both the primary location for live entertainment in the Los Angeles, California metropolitan region and a red-light district ."Boulevard of Broken Dreams" may also refer to:-Music:* "Boulevard of...
", Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
' "Wonderwall
Wonderwall (song)
"Wonderwall" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Owen Morris and Gallagher for their second album, Morning Glory?...
", Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
' "Writing to Reach You
Writing to Reach You
"Writing To Reach You" is the first single taken from Indie band Travis' second studio album, The Man Who.-Background:The song was written by Fran Healy, who admitted that he took the guitar chords from Oasis' "Wonderwall"; as an overt acknowledgement of this, the song contains the lyric ""What's a...
", and Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's "Sing for the Moment
Sing for the Moment
"Sing for the Moment" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the album The Eminem Show, released in 2002. It was released as a music single in 2003.-Song information:Eminem samples the song "Dream On" by rock group Aerosmith...
", which itself sampled Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
's "Dream On
Dream On (Aerosmith song)
"Dream On" is the first single by Aerosmith from their 1973 debut album, Aerosmith. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, this blues-influenced power ballad became their first major hit and classic rock radio staple...
". A later version replaced the Eminem sample with the Aerosmith sample. The track became his most widely-spread work and received worldwide attention, including that of Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong is an American rock musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, main songwriter and lead guitarist for the American punk rock band Green Day...
, who mentioned in an interview that he thought it was "cool."
"Boulevard of Broken Songs" was the impetus for Party Ben to work with Team9
Team9
Team9 is the work of the English-Australian producer Neil Mason. Most of their work are unauthorized mashups.Team9 formed in 1997 as a five piece band and released two albums, Gas and Air in 1999 and My Tape Machine in 2002. Originally playing guitar based pop, by 2002 Team9 were incorporating...
on the American Edit
American Edit
American Edit is a mashup album released by Party Ben and Team9 under the shared alias Dean Gray. Its primary basis is the Green Day album American Idiot — the name "Dean Gray" is a spoonerism of "Green Day." If the name "Dean Gray" had been spelled as "Dean Grey," it would have been an anagram of...
album under the alias Dean Gray, where the two mashed up the songs from Green Day's American Idiot
American Idiot (album)
American Idiot is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was released on September 21, 2004 through Reprise Records and was produced by longtime collaborator Rob Cavallo. In mid-2003, the band began recording songs for an album entitled Cigarettes and Valentines...
album. Recently he mashed "Every Breath You Take
Every Breath You Take
"Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police on the band's 1983 album Synchronicity, written by Sting and Andy Summers . The single was one of the biggest hits of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the...
" by the Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
and "Chasing Cars
Chasing Cars
"Chasing Cars" is the second single from Snow Patrol's fourth album, Eyes Open. It was recorded in 2005 and released on 6 June 2006 in the US and 24 July 2006 in the UK as the album's second single....
" by Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
to create "Every Car You Chase". The mash-up got the attention of Snow Patrol, and it appeared on 2011 romantic comedy Just Go with It
Just Go With It
Just Go with It is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The film was released on , 2011...
.
Party Ben was one of the resident DJs at Bootie
Bootie (club night)
Bootie is the first club night in the United States dedicated solely to mashups and bootlegs, and is now the biggest all-mashup party in the world, with regular parties in several cities around the globe...
. One of his earliest works include a mashup of "Ohh La La" by the Wise Guys and "Summer Nights" from Grease
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
.
External links
- Party Ben Information Systems
- 2007 2-part interview with Party Ben
- Spin.com featuring Party Ben as "Band of the Day"
- San Francisco Chronicle profiles Party Ben and discusses "Boulevard of Broken Songs"
- Los Angeles CityBeat profiles Party Ben, calling him "Mashup Man"
- "Slacker Radio enlists Party Ben for "New Sounds" station"