Tunes swiped, but inspiration original

Gregg Gillis, also known as Girl Talk, is a DJ known for mashing up songs. He is touring in support of his latest album, “All Day.”

He’s taken a Jay-Z track and mashed it with Black Sabbath. If that’s not enough, he’s also taken a Bananarama track and mashed it with Lady Gaga and Depeche Mode songs, which amounts to three minutes of his usual 90-minute albums.

Gillis, who is known by the stage name Girl Talk, has created a niche in the music – some like his material, others don’t.

“I’m always thinking about how I can make things better,” he says during a recent phone interview. “I’ve never had musicians complain to me personally. I’ve heard that a lot of people like what I do.”

Gillis has released five full-length albums, and his latest one is “All Day,” which came out in 2010.

“I may not write my own material, but it takes a lot of work to do what I do,” he explains. “I have to look deep into a song in order to get what I want out of it.”

Aside from using unauthorized music in his own projects, Gillis has become known for his live sets.

“It’s nearly two hours of me on stage and just going at full force,” he says. “People come to the show to dance and have fun. I also want to have fun, so we’ve got to meet in the middle.”

Gillis is often fine tuning his tour at any given moment. He says it’s important to keep things fresh because music moves at such a fast pace.

“What I’ve got going is about 50 percent of new material, and it’s been really fun,” he explains. “I’ve also been trying to push myself in my creations. I’ve been trying to produce some stuff that is outside of the box.”

It’s been a journey for Gillis to get where he is. He was influenced by hip-hop as a teen and began performing in bands with his friends in high school. But something was missing.

“I was always fascinated with pop music,” he explains. “I knew I wanted to do something different, and collaborating with pop music was the goal. I knew I wanted to make original content by recontextualizing the music. During that time, I also became an engineer, which I left when the music career took off.”

While there are critics of Gillis’ music, he sees it as an opportunity for artists to have their music known. He says that Big Boi from OutKast, Sopie B. Hawkins and The Toadies have really been into what he’s doing.

“Big Boi and I have done some shows, and it’s been great,” he says. “What’s cool is that audiences are exposed to different genres of music that they wouldn’t normally listen to. It’s a win-win situation for everyone all around.”

Girl Talk
With Dev
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9
WHERE: Sunshine Theater, 120 W. Central
HOW MUCH: $25 at www.holdmyticket.com or 886-1251