Mashed - Review

Review by Jack Foley
MASH ups are nothing new. Underground DJs have been splicing together classic cuts for several years and there are some pretty sought after cuts out there.
Mark Vidler, a producer/remixer/DJ based in Watford, England, has even set up his own company, Go Home Productions (aka GHP), which has produced well over 100 mash-ups since May 2002, many of which have been played on both national and independent radio stations around the world.
It’s little wonder, then, that he has finally put out an album of mash-ups – some successful, others not so.
The main fun is to be had in finding which tracks have been selected from each artist and who they’ve been ‘mashed’ with.
The mix is mostly surprising but sometimes ill-advised, such as the horrid concoction that becomes Horny As A Dandy, aka The Dandy Warhols’ Bohemian Like You and Mousse T’s wretched Horny.
The Dandy’s distinct guitar riffs still sound terrific but they’re ruined by the pop tones of Mousse T’s crass Horny.
Faring much better is the fusion of Malcolm McLaren and Franz Ferdinand (Take Me On) on album opener Franz Buffalo, which works surprisingly well, and Peggy Lee and Igg Pop on Passenger Fever, a firm album highlight.
New Order’s Blue Monday works effectively enough when mashed with Mylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head – although the general rule of thumb seems to be that if a rock/indie track gets paired with a pop-dance record, the mash simply doesn’t work.
Eric Prydz and Pink Floyd’s recent chart smash is a lamentable fusion of crap with quality that tarnishes the memory of a seminal track.
But if you’re willing to overlook some of the more forgettable moments, then Mashed has a few tracks to recommend it.
Also worth noting are Rapture Riders (which fuses Blondie’s Rapture with The Doors’ Riders On The Storm), Notorious Trick (Kelis’ Trick Me versus Duran Duran’s Notorious) and Sing Back Connection (which somehow pits Elastica’s scuzzy Connection with Moloko’s Sing It Back).
Oh, and for pure pop cheese Doctor Pressure, Mylo’s clash with the Miami Sound Machine, is the pick of the mainstream offerings.
Download picks: Franz Buffalo, Passenger Fever, Can’t Get Blue Monday Out Of My Head, Doctor Pressure, Rapture Riders, Notorious Trick, Sing Back Connection.
Track listing: