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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Summerfest Review (Girl Talk)

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Girl Talk

I need a refresher on this group; what are they known for?

Girl Talk aka Gregg Michael Gillis isn’t known for original material; his specialty is taking others works and repurposing it in the form of mashups for the sake of modernization, party jams, or just experimentation.  In 2008, his album Feed the Animals was named on Time magazine’s Top 10 albums of the year.

Is this the same band I listen to on Spotify? (On a scale from bad cover band to live studio recording)

Given the uniqueness of Girl Talk’s act, that his music plays exactly the same as his album, his sets rely heavily on improvisation through his djing abilities and rave gimmicks (giant toilet paper blower, smoke machines, and an ensemble of dancing fans onstage). 

If I made this band a Pandora station, what other groups would play?

Girl Talk recently released an EP, Broken Ankles, with Philadelphia rapper Freeway that was very well received and shows Gillis’s knack for mixing the lyrical abilities of MC’s with the catchy beats of a dance hit.  He is also linked to similar acts Milkman and The Hood Internet (both groups can be found on Soundcloud).

Highlight of the set?

Being a big fan of rap, even I felt that GT opened up the set with a little too much trap influence, failing to intertwine enough of the classic 70’s and 80’s songs that I had come to love in his music.  After about 30 minutes of rotation through the newest club banggerz though, GT settled into the night nicely and the crowd came alive; rolling through songs that utilized samples of Queen’s “Under Pressure”, Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T.”, ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky”, and Daft Punks “One More Time” everybody started to dance the night away.  However, my favorite part was when Girl Talk played “Let It Out” which samples General Public’s “Tenderness” and Jay-Z’s “Can I Get A…”among others.

Will I fit in?  (Atmosphere of the set)

Like I said, Girl Talk works very well with catchy hip-hop and dance tunes so if you aren’t capable of getting down to rhyme of any kind, then this show might not peak your interest.  However, there was a litany of different music fans at the show, and Girl Talk’s range of musical knowledge (crazy good) can speak to many a concert attendee.

Worth seeing again? (1-5 beach balls of summer fun)

Four beach balls of fun; while there was a lull in the action at some points, Girl Talk was able to rev the crowd up whenever he needed too with fast paced tunes and a sing-a-long.

 

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