Over a thousand Purdue students gathered on Slayter Hill Sunday, April 18, to watch mash-up performer Girl Talk kick off Grand Prix Week with a free concert. The event took donations for the Haiti Relief Fund and was hosted by Purdue's Grand Alternative, an organization that promotes substance-free fun during Grand Prix.
Girl Talk, created by Greg Gillis, is a one-man band famous for its digital samplings composed of multiple preexisting songs. While mash-up audio recordings have been around for years, Girl Talk has exposed a younger, more mainstream audience to this style of music. The problem, however, lies in whether or not this genre of music violates copyright laws.
The fact that Gillis does not seek permission from any of the artists he samples has raised flags with the recording industry. Whether or not companies will sue Girl Talk has yet to be determined.
Despite the controversy, students of all different classes and schools arrived Sunday dressed in hot pink suspenders, leg warmers, neon green sunglasses, bandannas, and other '80s-inspired clothing to enjoy the digital hip-hop sounds of Girl Talk, Hollywood Holt, and Antennas Up.
"It looked like Slayter Hill had been time warped back to a different decade," said Lauren Nichols, a freshman in the school of Liberal Arts. "The clothing was not something you see every day."
Even opening act Hollywood Holt commented on the audience's funky fashions, announcing that he's never seen a crowd with more "fresh style" than that at Purdue.
The evening began at 5:30 p.m. when the first opening act Antennas Up filled the air with their ectro-pop rock sound. Dressed in blazers, slacks and ties, the band played 6 original songs while spectators began to fill the venue.
Following Antennas Up was Chicago-area rap sensation Hollywood Holt, who used comedy and bass-pumping beats to energize the crowd and start a mosh pit at the base of the stage.
Megan Mustaine, a senior in the school of management, described Hollywood Holt as a pleasant surprise.
"I had never heard of him before tonight, but I don't think I'll forget him anytime soon," said Mustaine. "He got the audience so involved and made me want to get up and dance."
About two hours into the show, Gillis and his turntable took the stage and invited 20 or so people to dance and sing along with him on the platform.
His first song blended sounds and lyrics from numerous pop, hip-hop, and even folk artists including Rihanna, Train, ACDC, James Taylor, and 50 Cent.
Purdue junior Ryan Dafforn described the outcome of one of Girl talk's creations as "magical."
"That's the crazy thing about Girl Talk," said Dafforn. "Somehow these strange, completely different songs all fit together to make something cool."
After over 90 minutes of performing, Gillis thanked the crowd for being a "ridiculous" audience and exited the stage.
The next Grand Alternative event is the Army ROTC XBOX competition Monday, April 19, at 6 p.m.
Monday, April 19, 2010
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