Continued from two weeks ago. Click the art to open the songs in SoundCloud.
…Because You’re About to Get Mindf***ed – DJ Strongarm
Slim Thug, Mannie Fresh, and Young Jeezy, over a crunchy complextro backing track? Couldn’t be too bad. Actually, it’s incredibly well arranged, from the silly intro quotes to the sparsely-lyriced breakdowns, to a piano-heavy build that provides a refreshing contrast to the intense synths. Like many great mashes, this one is chiefly a product of organic combinations. A great party tune, for sure.
Heart is my Religion – Blake Jarrell (no art available)
Up front, I’ll tell you to skip to about 2 minutes in. This mashup’s intro is way too long. The post-intro content redeems it fully, though. There’s not much going on in this mashup, but if you were to play it to people blind, 9/10 would call it a remix. It seems completely planned – the REM vocals go perfectly with the way the axwell track adds layers of synth – and just when the chorus starts, the track breaks into an intense dance anthem. I’ll admit – if an REM purist heard this, they’d hate it. As a fan of the re-imagining of classic tracks, though, this one is a keeper.
Journey Without You – 3LAU and Acetronik
I think I mentioned something similar in my first round of favorites – if a mashup can create a good song out of multiple tracks I dislike, I tend to hold it in high regard. Such is the case with this mashup and it’s featured “Don’t Stop Believing.” Yeah, I like Journey, but that goddamn song isn’t their only hit, despite what our generation seems to believe. Anyway, the result just makes me smile when I hear it, it’s an incredibly uplifting mashup.