Ok folks, time to bring you all a very special musical treat.  My inbox gets hit all the time with unknown artists saying ‘check me out.’  Sometimes they are less than amazing or just a bit of work away from making the BDN cut, but when I got an email from Deskhop the other day, I must say I was blown away.

He compared his sound to Girl Talk and E-603, two of my favorite mash-up laptop-dj’s.  I’ve heard that before, so I was skeptical of the actual product.  Click play….”Holy shit, this is rad!” I say to myself while bumping my macbook speakers beyond their manufactured limitations.  After repeated listens I agree that Deskhop fills a seat in the class of pop-hop mash-up greats and passes with straight A’s.

He has two releases, a 50 Cent sample riddin full length album from the summer of 2008 titled ‘Spaceheater’ and a Three Six Mafia heavy four track ep called ‘Variations on the Sensible Manifold’ released January 2009.  Both can be attained from his website on a “pay what you want” system from $0 to $infinity, and beyond.  Their is a slight but noticable growth in his production skills from ‘Spaceheater’ to ‘Variations,’ but both are truly entertaining and worthy of significant praise.

Deskhop - Ego in E-flat Minor (from ‘Spaceheater’)

Deskhop - The Mall (from ‘Spaceheater’)

Deskhop - Reductive Materialism (from ‘Spaceheater’)

Deskhop - Commodity Fetishism (That’s what I want (from ‘Variations on the Sensible Manifold’))

Deskhop - Make Me Dead (from ‘Variations on the Sensible Manifold’)

Deskhop - Easterization (from ‘Variations on the Sensible Manifold’)

I had a chance to pick Deskhop’s brain with a short interview where he talks about his inspirations and what we can expect in 2010, here is what he had to say.

WJ: Where do you reside?

DH: I go to school in upstate New York, at Cornell University.

WJ: Who is your most significant musical influence?

DH: If I had to choose one, it’s got to be Girl Talk. There’s obviously a lot of influence there. I started producing around the time Unstoppable came out, so it’s been really wild watching him break into the mainstream. I’ve also learned from people like Oh Astro, Deepak Mantena, and ‘N Sync.

WJ: Mac or PC?

DH: PC. But it’s coated in Red Bull and Colt 45 (the ‘R’ key is completely shot, I’m currently typing on an external keyboard), so I’ll be looking for a replacement soon.

WJ: What does 2010 have in store for Deskhop?

DH: I’m doing a few more college shows this spring, then dropping a new full-length, professionally-mastered album. It’s been a year since Variations, and in that time I’ve been mostly working on live stuff and playing live. So I’m really excited to drop the new album. Expect that around May.

WJ: Five artists we should look out for?

DH: Hmm, I don’t know — isn’t that your department?

WJ: Why did you decide to release your music via “Pay What You Want” and how has that worked for you so far?

DH: I benefit from the free transit of music, so I think my listeners should benefit as well. Plus, it’s a good way to get my stuff out there, to get people listening. I’ve had a bunch of really generous donations, which mean even more this way. 

WJ: What impact have music blogs had on your art and which have been the most important to you?

DH: I’ve gotten a few very nice reviews, one in Washington University’s Eleven Magazine, one on Wampoholic, but for the most part my music hasn’t hit the blog scene. At this point, I get most of my feedback, support and motivation from individual fans — I love going out and playing for people, interacting with the audience, making a connection and seeing how much I can screw with the sound without losing that connection.

We can’t wait to see what Deskhop bangs out this summer, until then we will be rocking his tracks non-stop.  Do yourself a favor and get both albums and donate whatever you can, even just a couple bucks, Im sure he would appreciate it!  Also be sure to check out his live shows if you are in the Northeast and let us know how sweaty you get.