If Girl Talk Is a PC, Who's a Mac?

Mash-Up Artist Declares Love for Cling-Wrapped Windows Rig

Posted by Charlie Moran on 11.07.08 @ 03:22 PM

This is Greg Gillis, who goes by the name Girl Talk, and he's joining others like Pharrell in cutting an extended "I'm a PC" clip to support Crispin's recent campaign for Microsoft. What's odd is that Gillis is actually a legitimate PC user and therefore a perfect spokesperson, which I would have made more explicit if I were cutting this nice little blog-baiting video (you're welcome, Microsoft!).

From a recent New Yorker piece by Sasha Frere-Jones, here's how he works:

He uses a cheap P.C. software package called AudioMulch, which enables users to import audio, create loops, and then stack them in a very simple interface. While we were talking, Gillis grabbed part of a Tupac Shakur song, looping both a vocal snippet and part of the drumbeat. (The software is able to lock all these loops into one time signature.)

Gillis brought up a series of windows on his screen, each representing a collection of loops that could be played in any order. To perform a live set, Gillis has to turn a new loop on and off every few seconds, or choose to let several go on longer if he feels like getting up and dancing. The software is not set up to execute a long, complicated series of decisions on his behalf. He has to re-create the mix every night.

Maybe this cheapo software isn't that sexy, but it would have made for a better Windows-based demo. Better yet: Why doesn't M*soft sponsor the guy and get him some fancy software or cling-wrap or something?

[Via The Daily Swarm]