If Z-Trip and 2ManyDJs are the Godfathers of the Mash-up, then Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis) is their up-n-coming, more calculated cold-blooded killer. The difference being that Girl Talk does all his edits on a computer, while Z does his thing live. That’s a big difference. But Gillis is also the fist to admit he’s no DJ, and relying on the mouse-n-keystroke lets him unleash mashes impossible to duplicate on 2 pieces of vinyl.

His upcoming album, Feed The Animals (out Oct 21 on Illegal Art), is actually better than Night Ripper, his previous effort that made him a club staple from Park Slope to Hollywood. His mixes are irresistible dancefloor magnets, especially seductive to the less music-savvy due to his ample usage of Top 40 tunes — twisted into clever aerobic fatburners. Take the aptly named track below, “Shut Down the Club”, as evidence — Gillis has a knack for dicing and chopping the meat, then interlacing disparate tracks and making them sound as if they were always meant to be together. Like the first time you tried mango salsa. How else do you explain the ability to take a terminally annoying track like Avril’s “Girlfriend” and transforming it into a potent sample stab?

Upcoming Tour Dates after the Jump

Busier Than James Brown Tour Dates:
Fri-Sep 19, 08      Saratoga Springs  NY    Skidmore College w/ Prefuse 73
Thu-Oct 9, 08      Philadelphia          PA    Starlight Ballroom w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Fri-Oct 10, 08      Washington           DC   9:30 Club w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Sat-Oct 11, 08      Baltimore              MD  Sonar w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Mon-Oct 13, 08    Carrboro                NC   Cats Cradle w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Tue-Oct 14, 08    Asheville                NC   Orange Peel w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Wed-Oct 15, 08   Knoxville               TN   Valarium w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Thu-Oct 16, 08    Atlanta                  GA    Variety Playhouse w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Fri-Oct 17, 08      New Orleans         LA     House of Blues New Orleans w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Sat-Oct 18, 08     Houston                TX    Warehouse Live w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Mon-Oct 20, 08   Austin                   TX    Emos w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Tue-Oct 21, 08    Dallas                   TX    Palladium Ballroom w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Thu-Oct 23, 08   Tucson                 AZ    Rialto Theater w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Fri-Oct 24, 08     Los Angeles          CA    Henry Fonda Theater w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Sat-Oct 25, 08     Los Angeles          CA    Henry Fonda Theater w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Mon-Oct 27, 08   San Francisco      CA    The Fillmore Auditorium w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses
Tue-Oct 28, 08    San Francisco      CA    The Fillmore Auditorium w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Thu-Oct 30, 08   Salt Lake City       UT    In The Venue w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Fri-Oct 31, 08      Denver                 CO    Ogden Theater w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Sat-Nov 1, 08      Lawrence              KS     The Granada Theatre w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Mon-Nov 3, 08    Minneapolis         MN   First Avenue w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Tue-Nov 4, 08     Milwaukee            WI   Turner Hall Ballroom w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Wed-Nov 5, 08    Urbana                 IL      Canopy Club w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Thu-Nov 6, 08     Nashville              TN    Cannery Ballroom w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Fri-Nov 7, 08       Louisville              KY    Headliners Music Hall w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Sat-Nov 8, 08      Chicago,               IL     Congress Theatre w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Sun-Nov 9, 08     Cincinnati            OH    Bogarts w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Mon-Nov 10, 08   Cleveland             OH   Beachland Ballroom w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Tue-Nov 11, 08    Pontiac                 MI    Eagle Theatre w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Wed-Nov 12, 08   Toronto               ON    Koolhaus w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Thu-Nov 13, 08    Montreal             PQ    Club Soda w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Fri-Nov 14, 08      Foxborough        MA   Showcase Live w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Sat-Nov 15, 08     New York            NY    Terminal 5 w/ The Death Set, CX KiDTRONiK
Sun-Nov 16, 08    New York            NY    Terminal 5 w/ Grand Buffet, Hearts of Darknesses