The Reborn Identity

Is it that time again so soon? I guess so. Here’s my pick of the best mashups released this April.

1. DJ Schmolli - In-a-Gadda-Blue-Monday [MP3]
2. MadMixMustang - Viva Les Boys (Part 1) [MP3]
3. Ben Double M - Dazed Girls & Boys [MP3]
4. Apollo Zero - 30 Seconds to Show Me Love [Fairtilizer]
5. Bobby Martini - Get Lucky & Complicated [MP3]
6. Marc Johnce - Your 22 Love [MP3]
7. DJ Morgoth - I Don’t Care About Sunrise [MP3]
8. DMF - Chasing Cars That Way [MP3]
9. Amoraboy - My Iron Redemption Song [MP3]
10. ToToM - Slave to David Bowie [MP3]

1. DJ Schmolli - In-A-Gadda-Blue-Monday [MP3]
- New Order - Blue Monday
- Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
New Order’s Blue Monday is the cornerstone of many excellent mashups and with his latest release, DJ Schmolli proves there’s still plenty of life left in the track. With the vocals and guitars from Iron Butterfly’s psychedelic classic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Blue Monday is transported from the Haçienda to a distant, drug-addled world.

2. MadMixMustang - Viva Les Boys (Part 1) [MP3]
- Coldplay - Viva la Vida
- Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town
All traces of Chris Martin’s grating pretentiousness are blown away here by the honest, down-to-earth vocals of Phil Lynott. Coupled up with the iconic guitar riffs from The Boys Are Back in Town, Viva La Vida is recast as a catchy working class anthem.

3. Ben Double M - Dazed Girls & Boys [MP3]
- Good Charlotte - Girls & Boys
- JdO - Daze
Good Charlotte’s Girls & Boys is more of a track for dark teenage bedrooms than neon-lit dancefloors. This superb trance hookup from Ben Double M should flip that on its head. Vastly better than many commercial mixes, this deserves to be a big club hit.

4. Apollo Zero - 30 Seconds to Show Me Love [Fairtilizer]
- Robin S - Show Me Love
- 30 Seconds To Mars - Modern Myth
Part of the charm of mashups - the best mashups, at least - is their ability to take a song in a completely new direction and give a familiar melody a totally different feeling. Apollo Zero has done that beautifully here, drawing out new depths of emotion in the Robin S dancefloor anthem with the campfire acoustic backing from 30 Seconds to Mars.

5. Bobby Martini - Get Lucky & Complicated [MP3]
- Avril Lavigne - Complicated
- Dragonette - Get Lucky
The Ministry of Mashed Sound’s recent Sounds From A New World compilation brought together a great selection of genre clash tracks from a number of different mashup producers. My pick of the bunch is Bobby Martini’s charming country-tinged mix of Avril Lavigne and electropop band Dragonette.

6. Marc Johnce - Your 22 Love [MP3]
- Lily Allen - 22
- Lime - Your Love
By making the stems for all the tracks on her latest album readily available, Lily Allen has pretty much guaranteed heavy coverage on the mashup scene for the rest of the year. Marc Johnce’s Your 22 Love is already a hot contender for the best Lily Allen mashup of the year, and a pretty safe bet for the high camp award.

7. DJ Morgoth - I Don’t Care About Sunrise [MP3]
- Fall Out Boy - I Don’t Care
- Milk Inc - Sunrise (Jackyll & Hyde Instrumental Extended Mix)
Another indie rock-meets-trance combo, DJ Morgoth’s superb I Don’t Care About Sunrise takes Fall Out Boy for a spin round the dancefloor. Like the Ben Double M track, it’s a flawless mix that sits comfortably alongside commercial mixes.

8. DMF - Chasing Cars That Way [MP3]
- Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
- Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way
Another impressive track from the partnership of Marc Johnce and Dan Mei, Chasing Cars That Way deftly papers over the overseriousness of Snow Patrol and the cheesiness of the Backstreet Boys to create an indie-pop fusion that offers the best of both worlds.

9. Amoraboy - My Iron Redemption Song [MP3]
- Bob Marley - Redemption Song
- Radiohead - My Iron Lung
Few artists send me running to the radio’s off switch as readily as Bob Marley, but this acoustic pairing of Marley’s Redemption Song and Radiohead’s My Iron Lung are surprisingly captivating. Thom Yorke’s vocal suits the stripped down arrangement really well, bringing a more gentle quality to the song.

10. ToToM - Slave to David Bowie [MP3]
- David Bowie - Moonage Daydream
- Bryan Ferry - Slave to Love
We finish up this month’s roundup with a nostalgia trip, which sees a glammed up David Bowie slow dancing with a mid-80s Bryan Ferry. Dim the lights, grab a partner and glide beneath the mirrorball’s shimmer.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 at 09:37 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.