Girl Talk (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Girl Talk
Girl Talk performing in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Gregg Michael Gillis
Born	(1981-10-26) October 26, 1981 (age 43) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Plunderphonics mashup hip hop
Instruments	Laptop, sampler, turntables
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Illegal Art, 333 Recordings, SSS Records, Spasticated Records, 12 Apostles
Associated acts	Trey Told 'Em

Girl Talk is the stage name of Gregg Michael Gillis (born October 26, 1981), an American DJ famous for his mash-ups. A mash-up is a song created by blending parts of many different songs together. Using a technique called digital sampling, he mixes bits of pop, hip-hop, and electronic music to create new, high-energy tracks that are great for dancing.

His live shows are known for being like huge parties. He often invites people from the audience to dance on stage with him. Gillis became well-known for albums like Night Ripper (2006) and All Day (2010). He released them for free online, which helped him gain a large following. His music has made people think about the rules of using other artists' music in new creations. Before becoming a full-time musician, Gillis was trained as an engineer.

Early Life and School

Gillis started making electronic music while he was a student at Chartiers Valley High School near Pittsburgh. He later went to Case Western Reserve University to study biomedical engineering, a field that uses engineering to solve problems in biology and medicine. Even while studying science, he continued to create music and started his solo project, "Girl Talk."

Musical Style and Influences

Gillis has said that artists like Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, and Nirvana have inspired him. He was also interested in punk rock and an experimental style called noise music. He learned about a genre called plunderphonics, which is the art of making new music entirely from samples of other songs. Gillis has always loved hip-hop and pop music, and as he got older, he also grew to appreciate classic bands like The Beatles.

Music Career

Becoming a Full-Time Musician

Gillis used to work as an engineer, but he quit his job in May 2007 to focus completely on his music. He creates his mash-up songs by taking dozens of small samples from different tracks and mixing them together. Because he doesn't always get official permission to use these samples, some people have wondered if his music is legal.

However, Gillis believes his work is protected by the idea of fair use. Fair use is a part of copyright law that allows people to use parts of copyrighted material without permission for purposes like commentary or criticism. Gillis argues that by changing the samples so much, he creates something new.

Why the Name "Girl Talk"?

Gillis has given a few different reasons for his stage name. He once said it came from a poem by Jim Morrison and another time from a different music project. In 2009, he said it was a reference to the 1990s band Tad.

In an interview, he explained that he wanted a name that would stand out in the serious, experimental music scene he started in. He said:

The name Girl Talk is a reference to many things, products, magazines, books. It's a pop culture phrase... I wanted to pick a name that they would be embarrassed to play with. You know Girl Talk sounded exactly the opposite of a man playing a laptop, so that's what I chose.

Sharing Music with the World

Girl Talk performing in 2006

Girl Talk released his fifth album, All Day, on November 15, 2010. He made it available for free on the Illegal Art record label's website. Because he releases his music under Creative Commons licenses, fans can legally use his songs to create their own art, like fan-made music videos. One filmmaker, Jacob Krupnick, used the entire All Day album as the soundtrack for a dance movie called Girl Walk//All Day.

In 2014, Girl Talk began working with other artists. He released an EP called Broken Ankles with the rapper Freeway. That same year, he performed at the famous Coachella Festival and brought several rappers on stage to perform live with him, including Busta Rhymes, Too Short, and Waka Flocka Flame. Since then, he has continued to produce music for many other artists.

Album Pricing

After the success of his album Feed the Animals, Girl Talk decided to let fans choose how much they wanted to pay for it. This "pay-what-you-want" model was so popular that he made all of his older albums available the same way on the Illegal Art website.

Awards and Recognition

Girl Talk's albums have been praised by many music magazines.

• Night Ripper was named one of the best albums of 2006 by Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Spin.
• Feed the Animals was named one of the top ten albums of 2008 by Time magazine.
• His hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, honored him by naming December 7, 2010, "Gregg Gillis Day."

Film Appearances

Gillis has appeared in documentaries about music and copyright. In 2007, he was in Good Copy Bad Copy, a film about remix culture. In 2008, he was featured in RiP!: A Remix Manifesto, which explored the idea of fair use and argued for changing copyright laws to support artists who remix and sample.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Secret Diary (2002)
• Unstoppable (2004)
• Night Ripper (2006)
• Feed the Animals (2008)
• All Day (2010)

Collaborative Albums

• Full Court Press (with Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T. and Smoke DZA) (2022)

EPs

• Stop Cleveland Hate (2004)
• Bone Hard Zaggin' (2006)
• Broken Ankles (with Freeway) (2014)

See also

In Spanish: Girl Talk para niños