I love mash-ups. Those hybrid songs that are a colorful quilt of two or more songs all mixed to make one, unique track, own not only a home, but a whole Hilton in my heart.

These days, most of the mash-ups I hear are usually mixtures of “crap-rap” (in my opinion) and indie rock, pop, or techno tunes. The bland and repetitive rap vocals often serve as the drum to a winding Indie tune, without the whiny vocals, creating an incredibly new sound, one that I believe most people could easily find addictive.

Even if you haven’t heard a mash-up, also called “bastard pop” or “bootleg,” I’m sure you’ve heard something extremely similar. Try Talib Kweli’s popular song “Lonely People," which is obviously a mixture of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and Kweli’s beats.

Mash-ups aren’t a new invention, though. While they're not played on the radio, I definitely wouldn’t call them obscure. Mash-ups can be traced back to the days of Frank Zappa, who used his technique called “xenochrony" to exract guitar solos from their original songs and place them in other songs. Another, less famous mash-up pioneer is John Oswald, who collaged illegitimate tracks out of a variety of tunes.

I’m a huge mash-up advert, but recently I’ve realized that not many people have had their eyes opened to this versatile world.

To help guide your way, I’d first suggest checking out Girl Talk, a mash-up DJ and music producer from Pittsburgh, who tends to stick with radio rap blended with, well, you name the genre, and he will probably have done it. If you don’t like Girl Talk, try out DJ Danger Mouse, Diplo, DJ Shadow, DJ Spooky, Plan B, or Soulwax.