DJ and mash-up specialist Gregg Gillis--better known as Girl Talk [ tickets ]--kicks off a long headlining run this week behind his latest sample-heavy set, "Feed the Animals."

The laptop wizard and Pittsburgh native kicked off the two-month run last night (10/9) in Philadelphia. Support for the 30-city outing will alternate between a variety of indie-rock, electronica and hip-hop acts; check Girl Talk's MySpace page for information on specific dates.

"Feed the Animals," the DJ's fourth studio set, was released in June by underground sampling label Illegal Art. The label used the increasingly popular pay-what-you-like digital-release scheme, similar to one employed last year by Radiohead for the initial online distribution of "In Rainbows." Fans can download the album via its official website and can choose to pay any amount--including nothing at all.

"Anyone can download an album for free through file-sharing networks as soon as it's released on the Internet," Gillis recently told San Francisco culture journal Metrowize.com. "I just wanted to acknowledge reality. When Radiohead went with this model, it legitimized it as a way to release music. I think it makes it easier for people to get their hands on the music, which is my number one priority."

The set--which is due to appear in stores as a physical CD and vinyl LP release Oct. 21--follows Gillis's 2006 effort, "Night Ripper," which, like the DJ's current release, consists mostly of snippets of sample material from other artists, along with some original instrumentation.

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