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Greg Gillis performs "Hold Up"

The things I’d give to be a fly on the wall at one of Greg Gillis’ legendary, semi-nude live shows. The man known as Girl Talk is the reigning master of the mash-up, and if you aren’t the type to dance around solo in your living room (or wherever your speakers are the loudest), then his latest, Night Ripper, may be wasted on you. This is party record that beats all for fun and games and is arguably the best dance recording ever. Derivative though it may be, anyone who’d deny this guy is talented at what he does needs to ease the hell up. Night Ripper is what Negativland’s Mark Hosler once called “plunderphonica” at its all-time best. You get so much music you know by heart —along with some things you may not want to know and quite a few things you’re probably trying to forget, but who cares. Imagine all this on a recording that you’ll actually want to listen to over and over again: Micheal McDonald (yikes!) meets Mariah Carey, with Genesis, Oasis, the Pixies, 50 Cent, Wheezer, the Verve, Manfred Mann, Eminem, Alicia Keyes, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Slim Thug, Pharcyde, Nirvana, Nelly, Public Enemy, Nas, James Taylor, Paula Abdul, Arrested Development, Elton John, Biggie Smalls, Beyonce, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jefferson Airplane, Steely Dan, Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani, Nin Inch Nails, Digable Planets, Kanye West, En Vogue, Better Than Ezra, Salt-N-Pepa, George Michael and so much more. It’s hard to pick a favorite track out of all this (and even harder sometimes to pick who’s on that favorite track), but I’ll leave you with this: From “Track 3,” lyrics from 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and Nas’ “Hate Me Now” over the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” and Wheezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” as backbeat. Or “Track 9” which mashes Jay-Z “I Know What Girls Like” with the Waitresses classic “I Know What Boys Like.” It’s just great.