Paul McCartney, mash-ups, Macs and iPods

While the Apple Computer versus Apple Records case wends its way through the courts, former Beatle Paul McCartney isn't shy of new technology. As a thank you gesture at the end of his last US tour (which took place between September and November last year), McCartney gave everyone who toured with him a video iPod. A source also told Macworld that McCartney also uses Macs in his UK recording studio on the South Coast. McCartney also raised eyebrows when he performed at the Grammy Awards earlier this month. He sang a version of "Yesterday" with Jay-Z and Linkin Park. The reason is simple, the source said. When mash-up artist DJ Danger Mouse created the infamous 'Grey Album', he chose to mix the vocals from Jay-Z's 'The Black Album' and the Beatles' 'The White Album'. Though the remix was subjected to a cease and desist order by EMI, the move did win Danger Mouse one interested potential fan - Paul McCartney, who listened to the album in his car. "McCartney remains really interested in what's going on in the creative world," the source explained, "He likes to know what's going on." This interest in modern music culture also led McCartney to take UK DJ, remixer and musician The Freelance Hellraiser (Roy Kerr) along with him on his tour. Kerr won fame with a mash-up called "A Stroke of Genius", which combined an instrumental edit of The Strokes' track "Hard To Explain" with Christina Aguilera's pop hit "Genie in A Bottle". The DJ was given unique access to McCartney's own tracks in order to create remixes to play to the audience before each show.
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