Girl Talk's Gregg Gillis tells B-Sides how not to be a douchebag at his sold-out Pageant show, while hip-hop producer D Scorch'd of the Bakery Productions reveals what he's cooking up

Girl Talk's pop-music mashups have spawned the type of highfalutin analysis that keeps Ph.D. programs humming — which is fitting, because GT main man Gregg Gillis is a biomedical engineer. But academic stodginess has nothing to do with Girl Talk's tunes: Last year's Feed the Animals (like his breakthrough, Night Ripper) crashed rock, pop, new-wave, hip-hop and rap together in an ADD-addled, booty-shaking party.

A Girl Talk concert is just as chaotic. The crowd swarms around Gillis and his laptop as he mixes songs and beats like a mad-scientist DJ — he creates an egalitarian environment where the wall between performer and audience breaks down. This can lead to unsafe conditions and shuttered shows. (At Girl Talk's last St. Louis show, an attendee was tased.)

In the hope of preventing a repeat occurrence of this incident at Girl Talk's sold-out Pageant show, B-Sides asked Gillis for some concert rules of etiquette.

Give yourself a little bit of space.
"It's not like going to a dance club, it's not like going to a concert. At the same time, it's still dance and celebration music to me. You can do that in a crowded room, you can do that shoulder to shoulder. But a lot of time at shows, everyone's pushing forward, everyone's trying to get onstage, everyone's trying to be involved so much — and again, I really respect that enthusiasm. But you should take a step back and realize that it might be really fun to have an inch of breathing room, so you can dance with someone and enjoy it. Sometimes the shows where the crowd is actually spread out a little bit, it can be very conducive for the show, and everyone can get a lot more insane — rather than being smooshed together for a half hour."

Respect the interest of everyone else around you.
"When the people next to you are having a good time, the people next to them are going to be having a good time, and it's going to be spread throughout. And everyone can kind of do their own thing. Everyone has a different style at the show. So you have to respect that. A lot of times, people complain to me that people are pushing by them. Maybe there might be a crew of your friends who like to do a sort of mosh-like activity — and that's cool, but other people there are going to be dancing, other people there are going to be watching."

Be comfortable where you're at.
"If I was attending a show like mine, I would probably be chilling in the far back, just enjoying myself. It's not going to get better based on change of position. You should really just enjoy your space that you have. Getting a few feet forward — or getting close to the computer — doesn't mean it's going to be better in any way. The whole concept of front or back would be completely dismissed at an ideal show."

Celebrate and practice your dancing at your house — be comfortable with it.
"A lot of people come out to the show, and they don't typically go to a show where they might be dancing with strangers. Because of that, they have a fear — [and] they need to get completely wasted to go dancing. I'm all for getting drunk and having a good time, but a lot of times...I see it every show, people definitely overdo it, people [are] being dragged out of the show before it gets started, just because they drank so much for fear of dancing, basically. You're gonna enjoy yourself more if you're comfortable with your moves."
— Annie Zaleski

8 p.m. Thursday, January 8. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. Sold out. 314-726-6161.

Fresh From the Oven
St. Louis may have a wealth of local talent, but when it comes to hip-hop production, the area doesn't boast many household names. However, locally based company the Bakery Productions is poised to get on the short list of go-to guys.

The Bakery scored its biggest hit to date with Huey's "Pop, Lock & Drop it" in 2006. The track hit No. 6 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 2007 and scored them a feature in the acclaimed Scratch magazine. B-Sides spoke with one of the Bakery's core members, D Scorch'd, about what else he has cooking.

B-Sides: What made you choose music as your profession?

D Scorch'd: My inspiration really came from Mannie Fresh back when the Hot Boyz were big in the late '90s. I've been playing instruments since I was eleven years old, and since music was something I've always loved to do, I figured I could apply my knowledge of instruments towards composing.

What instruments do you play?

I play the trumpet, trombone, a lot of brass instruments.

Do use your instruments in your music?

I haven't done much live recording yet; I'm mostly working with MIDI. I use a Triton LE [keyboard] with some VST plug-ins, and do sequencing in ProTools or Cubase.

Who's a part of "The Bakery Productions"?

Other than myself, there's three other producers: Po-Po, Krazy Jay and Marco. Then there's my manager, Dodie. I'm in the audio production program at Webster University, and Marco's down in Florida going to Full Sail [Universoity] for audio. The company started back in 2005, and we basically make hip-hop and R&B music. Sometimes we get into alternative hip-hop or alternative pop.