Though Danger Mouse has come a long way since The Grey Album, he should still watch his back. Girl Talk, or mash-up artist and producer Gregg Gillis, is quickly rising through the ranks, catching the ears of many influential music tastemakers such as Pitchfork and Beck.

Gillis entertains the fantasies of pop-audiophiles who dream of improbable collaborations – such as 50 Cent and Weezer – by adding about a dozen recognizable samples to create compact and frenzied songs. For hipsters, techno-geeks and other niche-lovers, Girl Talk will be a likely addition to their Halloween festivities at the Black Cat on Saturday.

For example, the song “Hold Up” off Gillis’ latest album, Night Ripper, samples 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So,” D4L’s “Laffy Taffy,” The Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?” and several other popular songs in less than three minutes.

“I actually don’t necessarily consider myself a DJ,” he says, later saying he never uses turntables for his music. “I’ve been playing with samples for the past eight to 10 years.”

Before forming Girl Talk, Gillis was in an experimental noise band called the Joysticks in high school. When the band broke up, Gillis was left to his own devices.

“I thought it would be cool to have a band that sampled only pop music,” he says, explaining the basis of Girl Talk.

“It was just a name floating around – a joke at first,” he says of his peculiar pseudonym. The name stuck, and he has since released three albums under the moniker.

On Night Ripper, there are reportedly more than 250 samples used, with snippets from Britney Spears, Elton John, Lil’ Wayne and Neutral Milk Hotel – all genre-bending – to create Gillis’ masterpieces.

At his infamous interactive live shows, Gillis plays music with his laptop to get the crowd in the mood to have an all-out party.

“The line becomes blurred between me and the audience,” he says.

Being in a band and playing with various rock groups has affected his outlook on live shows. Because Gillis is not tied down to the stage during performances, he takes the opportunity to find different ways to loosen up the crowd.

“A laptop gives the freedom to do anything … push people around … These shows are more theatrical,” he says.

In preparation for Girl Talk shows, he gathers more recent samples and mixes and matches various loops to ensure a different set at every city in order to entertain fans who attend multiple shows.

Gillis’ performance in Washington is part of the monthly Bliss dance party, which falls on the Saturday before Halloween. But, Gillis says, he has no plans to dress up in costume for the holiday.

“I always get dressed up for my shows,” he says. “I might put on some makeup, if I can get my hands on some.”

Catch Girl Talk – maybe in makeup, maybe not – at the Black Cat Saturday for the Bliss dance party. The show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $8.

Contact reporter Nancy Chow at nanchow@umd.edu.