The Slap Chop Remix is a remix video made from an infomercial for the Slap Chop kitchen gadget. It uses editing, repetition, rhythm, and sampling to turn advertising language into a piece of music. Although it is funny and informal, it is also a good example of remix culture and how media texts can be re-edited to create a new meaning.
The structure of the remix follows the structure of the original advert. At the start, the product name and chopping action are repeated to create a hook. In the middle, the video uses demonstration sections, such as chopping potatoes, mushrooms, salad, tuna, breakfast ingredients, and salsa. Later, it includes the cleaning and hygiene claims from the advert. Near the end, the remix builds up to a slogan-like section around the idea of “one slap at a time,” before returning to the main hook.
One important technique is repetition. Phrases such as “watch this,” “Slap Chop,” and “one slap at a time” are repeated until they become musical motifs. This changes their function. In the original advert, these phrases are instructions or sales slogans. In the remix, they become hooks, like the chorus of a song. The repeated language helps the audience remember the video and makes it feel catchy.
The remix also uses sampling. Sampling means taking existing sound or video from another media text and using it in a new context. The creator samples the presenter’s speech from the advert and cuts it into short pieces. These clips are then arranged to fit a beat. This means the source-ad language is chopped up in the same way the product chops food, which makes the editing style match the subject of the advert.
The source advert already has a strong rhythm because infomercials use short, persuasive phrases. The advert uses problem-and-solution language, for example showing boring food and then presenting the product as the solution. It also uses demonstration, comparison, and exaggeration. The remix takes these persuasive techniques and makes them more obvious by looping them.
The humour comes from exaggeration and recontextualisation. Recontextualisation means putting something into a new context so it is understood differently. A normal kitchen advert becomes a music video. The presenter’s confident sales pitch starts to sound like a performance. This is funny because the subject is very ordinary, but the tone is very dramatic. The remix makes chopping vegetables seem like a major cultural event.
The video is catchy because of its percussive sounds and editing rhythm. Words like “slap,” “chop,” and “watch” have hard consonant sounds, so they work almost like drum hits. The editor uses repeated cuts and loops to create a predictable rhythm. The audience can anticipate when phrases will return, which makes the remix satisfying to listen to.
The remix is also an example of participatory media culture. Instead of only watching the advert as consumers, internet users can take the advert, edit it, and turn it into something new. This changes the meaning of the original text. The advert was designed to sell a product, but the remix is mainly designed to entertain and be shared online.
Overall, Slap Chop Remix shows how editing can transform a media text. Through sampling, repetition, rhythm, and recontextualisation, a simple infomercial becomes a comic music video. It also shows that advertising language is already quite musical, because it relies on slogans, repetition, and memorable phrases.