The dark art of the mash up is something very difficult to get right and it's especially difficult to get right over a full album. Here are some of my favourites.

1. Dean Gray - American Edit

American Edit, a mash up of various artists with tracks from Greenday's American Idiot (Dean Gray, get it?), is an absolute joy. Some of the tracks thrown together on here are bonkers, like Dr Who on Holiday which, you guessed it, combines Holiday with the Dr Who Theme. Another track seamlessly mixes Boulevard of Broken Dreams with Oasis, Travis and Freddy Mercury. Other artists thrown into the mix are Queen, Johnny Cash, The Eagles, The Bangles, The Offspring...the list goes on. If you don't find yourself singing along with this one then you have no soul.

At one time American Edit was very difficult to find online but now, many of the songs are on YouTube and the whole thing is available on Soundcloud.

2. The Legion of Doom - Incorporated

No, not the legendary 90s WWF tag team partnership but an epic mash-up album featuring almost every Post Hardcore / Emo / Screamo band you can think of from the early noughties. This album definitely won't be for everyone as it's pretty heavy but if you grew up during this scene it's absolutely essential. Some of my favourite tracks are Stupid Kill (Thrice Vs. Alkaline Trio), Destroy All Vampires (My Chemical Romance Vs. A Static Lullaby) and Hands Down Ghandi (Dashboard Confessional Vs. Sage Francis) but to be honest every song has something to offer.

If you can't find it online to download then the full album is available on YouTube here. 

3. Wait What - The Notorious XX 

The XX are a band that I couldn't care less about but throw the flow of the Notorious B.I.G. over the top of their debut album and you get something truly special. From start to finish this album is infectious and breathes new life into classic hip-hop like Dead Wrong, Juicy and Hypnotize. If you're a big Biggie fan then you might see this as sacrilege but for more casual hip-hop fans it should provide an instant ear boner. 

You can "name your price" for the full album on Bandcamp.

4. Tor - Illinoize 

Illinoize is a reimagining of Sufjan Stevens' classic Illinoise album which takes the essence of those songs mixed with some original beats and the rap talents of artists like Aesop Rock, OutKast and Brother Ali. My favourite tracks are Dumb I Sound/ATLiens, John Wayne Gacy Jr/Specialise, Kill/Any Type if Way and Night Zombies/Talkin My Shit. To be completely honest I prefer this album to the original Illinois, please don't hurt me.

The full album is available to stream on Soundcloud. 

5. J Period and K'Naan present: The Messengers

This mash-up collection is more of a concept and tribute album formed from three parts. Each part focusses on a different artist who brought their own message to the world: African protest legend Fela Kuti, reggae master Bob Marley and folk poet Bob Dylan. It's a lovingly crafted tribute which combines original hip-hop with classic tracks from each artist. Highlights are The Story of Fela (Open and Close), Johnny Was Feat. Netic The Rebel (Marley Tribute) and Don't Think Twice (Dylan Tribute). If you like any of these artists I urge you to give The Messengers a try.

The full tribute is available on Bandcamp free of charge. There's really no excuse not to give it a go.

6. Amerigo Gazaway - Fela Soul

An absolute cracker of an album mixing the afrobeat legend that is Fela Kuti (also see above) with rap masters De La Soul. For fans of old school hip-hop this is an absolute must. I was lucky enough to pick Fela Soul up as a limited edition cassette tape which has the full songs on one side and the instrumentals on the other. Seek this out and you won't be disappointed.

 The album is available from Bandcamp on a "name your price" basis.

Well there you have it, six of my favourite mash-up albums. I'd absolutely love it if the rest of these could be released on Vinyl or Cassette for Record Store Day or Cassette Store Day but sadly it's highly unlikely. One can dream. Let me know your favourites in the comments.

Peace.