Versions & edits
Mashup
A mashup combines elements of two or more separate records into one — most often one track’s vocal over another’s instrumental. It is distinct from a bootleg, which is an unofficial edit of a single record.
In practice
Two records into one. Key and tempo have to agree first — everything else is arrangement.
Start from the vocal, because it is the least flexible half: find the instrumental that fits it rather than the other way round. Match tempo without pitching either part more than a couple of per cent, check the keys are compatible rather than merely close, and cut the instrumental’s own vocal or lead so the two are not competing for the same register. Then live with it for a week before you play it out — the test is whether it still works when the surprise has gone.
2+
Records combined
Vocal first
Which half to start from
A week
How long to live with it
Where these come from: Mashup-building practice. The measured version data for each release type is on the extended mix, remix and VIP pages, and the five-way comparison is in the linked article. For what we can measure, see the one-record version.
Why it matters
The distinction from a bootleg is the one people get wrong, and it matters because the two have different problems. A bootleg has one record’s rights to worry about and one arrangement to respect; a mashup has two of each, and the two have to agree in key and tempo before anything else is possible.
For a DJ a mashup is the most reliable way to own a moment nobody else can play. It is also the most work: the pairing has to survive being heard twice, because a mashup that is clever once is unbearable the second time a crowd hears it.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a mashup and a bootleg?+
A mashup combines two or more records; a bootleg is an unofficial edit of one. The mashup has two sets of rights and two arrangements to reconcile, which makes it the harder of the two.
Do the two tracks need to be in the same key?+
Compatible rather than identical, and compatibility is a stronger requirement here than in a transition — the two are playing together for minutes rather than bars, so a marginal pairing has nowhere to hide.
Can I release a mashup?+
That depends on the rights in both records and on where you are, and it is not a question a glossary should answer. The linked article walks through what the systems actually do.
Related terms
Bootleg
A bootleg is an unofficial edit or remix released without the rights holder’s permission. It circulates on USB sticks and private links rather than through stores, which is exactly why you will not find many for sale.
Acapella
An acapella is a vocal with no instrumental behind it, released so DJs and producers can lay it over another record. It is the raw material for a mashup, and it is rarely sold alongside the tracks it came from.
Edit
An edit is a rearranged version of an existing record — a longer intro, a trimmed breakdown, a drop moved — made by a DJ for their own sets. The original parts stay; the running order changes.
Flip
A flip takes a record and turns it into something else — usually a different genre or tempo — while keeping a recognisable piece of the original. It is looser than a remix and more transformative than an edit.