Two trends are still holding strong in 2009 – the popularity of Twitter and mashups. Using only XHTML/CSS and Javascript, the clan at Quodis Labs has created a beautiful real-time visualisation of updates in the Twitterverse. Dubbed Tori’s Eye, visitors simply click each origami bird as it “flies” across your screen and read the message it’s carrying. You can always change the default search (twitpic) to anything that interests you. Truly a different and quirky way to present information.

Comics meet couture in a clever mashup at Barney’s New York. This display for fashion designer Azzedine Alaia repurposes two mannequins as the iconic black and white spies from Mad’s long-running comic, Spy vs. Spy. Barney’s is known for its great windows, but the innovative aesthetics continue inside the department store, too. We love it!

We’ve written about the music of Daft Punk, Barack Obama action figures and Daft Punk designer toys, but I never imagined I’d have the occasion to write about all three in one post. In the latest mashup of politics and pop culture, UK DJ/producer Adam Freeland remixes Daft Punk in a video animated by the progressive directing team, GOLD. The stop-motion music video is meant to function as a celebration to commemorate the upcoming inauguration of Obama as the 44th president of the United States. While plastic Obama makes an appearance, designer toy fans will be interested to see Qees, Be@rbricks and other mini-figures getting down on the dancefloor. How many items from your own toy collection can you spot in the video?

Mash-ups? Over? Never! While it’s kind of a fad to say you’ve moved on, don’t forget how many disparate flavors still haven’t been swirled. The question now is one of quality. The Jaydiohead album doesn’t stick to just one album by either Jay-Z or Radiohead, allowing for more options to match instrumentals with rhymes. It makes for a listen gilded with more than just one ‘a-ha!’ moment. We’d rather not give away all the surprises, but here’s one to whet your appetite: ‘Dirt Off Your Android”. Check it out at Jaydiohead.com – It’s free!

With summer blockbusters now an afterthought, and Christopher Nolan’s masterful $500 million plus Dark Knight film slowly fading from memory, it’s time to hit the refresher button on one of our favorite superheroes. Batman has existed in many incarnations, perhaps one of the most unsung is Batman:The Animated Series, which enjoyed a fruitful after school run in the early to mid-1990’s. The magic of this embodiment of the Caped Crusader was apparent to many a comic book and cartoon fan, including Philly-based MC, producer, and percussionist Blame The Kid. Blame (a.k.a our very own Abdullah Saeed) was recently so inspired by this version of Gotham city goings on that he decided to turn his childhood muse into some rather dope music. Pooling melodic samples and dialogue from the show and combining with his own talents for programming, beat culting, and playing, he’s concocted quite the musical mashup. A love letter, if you will, with Batman: The Animated Album. Faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap buildings in a single bound…oh wait, that’s the other guy. Just download the album, take a listen and enjoy the ride.

UrbanMedium is Derek and Heather, a husband/wife design duo who use paint, paper and the street to broadcast messages. Their iconic images use a mashup of pop culture and historical figures to provoke thought. One of their best-known prints, CheTrooper, reimagines the Marxist revolutionary as part of the Imperial starfleet. Back with some new screenprints, UrbanMedium now turns their attention to Kim Jong Il and Charles Manson. For the former, the duo presents a set of three prints, Kim Jong-iLL, mixing up the North Korean dictator with ODB, Michael Jordan and James bond. For the latter, Hello Charlie, UrbanMedium asks the question of what happens when an icon of evil is replaced by its absolute pop culture opposite.

If there was any doubt that in the 21st century toys = bonafide art, Christie’s recent pop culture auction — including $625 vinyl figures from Huck Gee and Joe Ledbetter –settled it. Now, Phillips de Pury & Company is following suit with an urban art auction to be held in London on September 6th and in New York on October 25th. The selection of original works includes paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, mosaics, record covers and yes, toys, by urban street artists like Bansky, Blek le Rat, DFace, Faile, Shepard Fairey, KAWS, Dave Kinsey, Adam Neate, Barry Mcgee and Swoon.

While the full catalog won’t be made available until a week before the auction, PdP and Co. did drop a teaser: New York City-based Suckadelic created DJ Stormtrooper, an exclusive 12-inch Star Wars-based figure for the sale. The iconic mashup is 1:6 scale, wears a custom track suit, mini-headphones and spins his collection of records on a double turntable stand. DJ Stormtrooper is estimated to go for between £750 – 1000. This is on the low-end as compared to works from Brooklyn collective, Faile, which have estimates of £10,000 – 25,000.

Finally, this one goes out to all the elitists who like to debate “What is art?” Los Angeles’ Buff Monster, who has slapped his signature style of pink monsters, ice cream and squirting breasts on many toys, will be introduced to auction (eBay not inclusive) by PdP for the very first time.

Gregg Gillis, better known as Girl Talk, might just be the Mash Up king of the world. (Here are some tracks to listen to and tour dates to keep up with on his Myspace page.) His latest album creation, Feed The Animals, is — if I may borrow some slang — off the hook. Dirty South rap mixed with Motown; pop music mixed with rock — wait, did I just hear Ace Of Base? You have to listen to believe it. Similar to Radiohead, Gills has deployed a pay-what-you-wish model that has been allowing people to download the entire album as a high-quality 320kbps MP3. You can nab it for free, pay $5 for FLAC files and a seamless mix, or $10 and get all of the above plus a packaged CD when it becomes available. Or you could just throw the guy a $20 … because he is single handedly making music fun to listen to again.

London is so awesome this summer you should forget the price of airline tickets and high exchange rate, and just bite the bullet. May we make a recommendation? How about the Hide and Seek Festival (June 27th through the 29th)? We mentioned it a little while ago in connection with Snap-Shot-City, and now it’s here! The Southbank fest features everything from lectures on the future of play to digital/real world mashup, and even a tour guide who pretends London has turned into Tokyo. Brought to you by the Blast Theory Artists group and more, these alternative reality games are touting themselves to be the future of fun. Almost all the events are free, have a look at the list and sign up for something.

I have a few events coming up before the end of the year and I knew my mashup of blazers, slacks, and dress shirts from different designers no longer passes muster for a suit. I knew I had to get a real suit, and rather than paying exorbitant costs for an off the rack solution atn a local brick and mortar, I decided to have one custom made to my specific measurements. I first learned about Jason Hue’s company, Thick as Thieves, at the beginning of this year through the StyleForum message boards. Given his reputation on the site, it was not a surprise when he announced he was starting a line. TaT was born out of frustration at the higher price points commanded for suits with a slimmer, more fitted physique and those that featured finer details such as full canvassing and premium (Mother of Pearl, horn) buttons. Pricing varies, depending on fabrics and special requests, but most fall in the $500 range with an average completion time of three weeks. The one-button suit is his “signature” cut, though 2 and 3 button variations are available as well. Each one is created specifically for each customer which must provide a set of 13 measurements. While the end result varies depending on preference, basic themes such as slim lapels, shorter jacket length, and slim trousers with a slightly lower rise than normal are prevalent. There are currently over 20 fabric options, and nearly any solid color can be specified as a lining. Not one to limit himself, Jason has expanded the line recently, with a knitwear collection which currently includes a cardigan, and soon, a v-neck tennis jumper.

Fashion site StyleMob has created a new mashup that’s part Hot or Not, part MySpace, and part StreetPeeper/fashion mag. The new site encourages users to post photos of themselves that represent their personal style and allows other users to vote on their hot new look. Unlike Hot or Not, StyleMob isn’t so much about rating the person in the picture, but rather their fashion sense (choice?). I’m partial to Zana Bayne’s Computer Hood personally (pictured here), but I’m not sure it comes in a widescreen edition. StyleMob also features a social networking function where users can create their own profile including areas for fashion comments, questions, and advice.

According to StyleMob co-founder Sasha Cagen…”StyleMob is more than a website, it’s a mindset and a way of life. StyleMob is about injecting creativity into getting dressed every morning. It’s about getting inspiration from other people whose taste and budgets match their own.”

More simply put, StyleMob is more of an online hipster hideout than a runway fashion review. It also serves to remind me, again, that my jeans need to get waaaaay tighter before I could ever verge on “hipster” myself.

via TechCrunch.

–Danny Nathan

There are still a (very small) handful of tickets available for the Mashup 2007 conference presented by my friend Anatasia of Ypulse. If you’re going to be in the Bay Area July 16th and 17th and want to get the nitty-gritty on how to reach the totally wired youth generation of today with technology, this looks to be an awesome event. Speakers include Sam Altman of Loopt, Dana Boyd and many others.

Related: Go watch me talk about the Digital Youth at Google Zeitgeist in Europe!

Let’s get one thing out of the way before we begin: I don’t like Twitter. Yes, you heard me. I simply don’t “get” it and this is not for lack of trying. Just check out what people post on there, things like “Drinking orange juice and waiting tillclass [sic] is over 12:22.” Are you kidding me?

On the other end of the social networking mashups, we have Pownce. Started by Digg founder Kevin Rose and his newly formed Megatechtronium posse consisting of Daniel Burka, Leah Culver, and Shawn Allen, Pownce is described as a combination of IM, Twitter, and I bet I’m the first to suggest this, Hello. While no single part of Pownce is original, bringing them all together is and I think it’s a combination that may prove useful. Currently invite-only (what self-respecting startup isn’t?), the site is very much a Web 2.0 product, complete with loads and loads of Javascript; there’s also a desktop companion which we’ll discuss later on. READ MORE…

We have been enjoying assembling these ‘from the vault‘ posts in the past week. We figure it’s a great way to give you a ‘wrap-up’ of what we have been posting recently without having to dig through the archives– just in time for the holiday gift buying season I might add. Here are some of our favorite music posts from the past year or so. Mashups, pure rock, acoustic guitar and hip hop. Something here for everyone, enjoy!

• Sometimes I Rhyme Slow: Hip Hop meets acoustic guitar as Jose Gonzalaez's album Veneer (which is amazing to begin with) gets reworked and blended with hip hop lyrics. Sometimes I Rhyme Slow is an updated take on fusing acoustic guitar samples with funk… Continue Reading

• Ben Kweller: We sure do, actually we've got a few questions for the indie-pop superstar. We're sitting down with Mr. Kweller tonight… Continue Reading

• Q-Unit Greatest Hits: Ah, yes, another mash-up record. Q-Unit is a 50 Cent meets Queen mix with stellar hits like “This is How We Bite The Dust”… Continue Reading

• The Bird and The Bee: Having met during the recording of her 2005 album All Rise, Inara George and Greg Kurstin have labored away in the last three years in Southern California… Continue Reading

• Ray Lamontange: New Hampshire born, Ray La Montagne’s acclaimed 2004 debut, “Trouble”, quietly sold over 250,000 copies, thanks to word of mouth praises from grassroots fans… Continue Reading

• Phoenix: It’s Never Been Like That: Phoenix is hands down one of my favorite bands and their new album, “It’s Never Been Like That”, released May 15, 2006, has only fueled my loyalty… Continue Reading

• Waking Rothko: I wanted to give a special nod to the ingenuity behind the campaign promoting Waking Rothko, a local Denver band clearly comprised of more than just stoner musicians– they're musical strategists… Continue Reading

• Kid Koala: Your Mom’s Favorite DJ: I'd consider Eric San (aka Kid Koala) a musician more so than the limiting definition of DJ… Continue Reading

• Kaki King: Until We Felt Red: Until We Felt Red is the third and latest album from Kaki King, the pretty-faced, guitar demigod-ess we've come to know and love…Continue Reading

• John Mayer: Continuum: You can't help but notice John Mayer. The self-described awkward kid from Connecticut turned what was once an escape into an inspiring career… Continue Reading

• TV On The Radio: Plug in your nicest set of headphones for this one—you will need them to fully appreciate the deep, layered audio of the newest from TV on the Radio…

• Explosions In The Sky: Chance is that even though you’ve never heard of Explosions in the Sky, you’ve probably heard their music whether it be on the masterfully done soundtrack to Friday Night Lights… Continue Reading

By now we’ve all seen the awe-inspiring Sony Bravia commercial, Bouncy Balls, that sent 250,000 multi-coloured ’superballs’ bouncing down the streets of San Francisco. The beautiful mood was set by guitarist José Gonalez– we’ve come to know and love his debut Album ‘Veneer’, and subsequent mashups. The latest TV ad simply called ‘Paint‘, directed by Jonathan Glazer (Radiohead, Jamiroquai), features massive paint explosions which took 10 days and 250 people to film. Like the Bouncy Balls spot, this commercial is truly inspiring. After the filming it took 5 days and 60 people to clean up every drop of paint– good thing it was a special non-toxic water-based blend which was easy to scrape-up once the water evaporated.