DJ abSRD: Mash Class 101: Addition and Subtraction of Beats

By Stefan Walczak

DJ abSRD releases his latest, Mash Class 101, and it is sure to get listeners dancing. As a mashup album, this is an album with pretty big club vibes all around. The album opens with “Haydn Has Level Hands,” and a sample from the popular Pretty Lights track “Finally Moving,” which samples Etta James’ opening line from “Something’s Got a Hold on Me.” “Ohhh sometimes, I get a good feeling,” James sings; a popular hook which is a great way for Mash Class 101 to start. Unfortunately, DJ abSRD’s newest doesn’t fully capture my interest completely. The dance and club vibrations are there in full force, yet I feel like there is still something missing, either in the flow of the album, or the subject matter of some of the rapper’s or singers that don’t really feel engaging.

The many samples that pass through each of abSRD’s tracks shows the incredible amount of work the DJ put in to create Mash Class 101. While some of the songs featured here work pretty well with all the different sounds being sampled, some tracks may sound a bit off at times, such as the track “Go Without Me,” where the melodies seem to clash every now and then. Nevertheless, it is a treat to be brought back to the heydays of Eminem when his sampled verse from his popular song “Without Me” jumps into the mix. Other notable samples include the Enrique Iglesias song “Tonight,” featured on “Three Cheers For Tonight” and Ellie Goulding’s much remixed track “Lights,” which makes an appearance on the mash track “Special Light Fixtures.” DJ abSRD has plenty of special electronic bits that come in and out of the mix as well. Hints of dubstep and breakbeat sift through the spacey dance track “Voyage on 44’s,” and the heavy bass wobbles especially blow up in the Mash Class bonus track “Haydn Has Filthy Hands.”

All in all, Mash Class 101: Addition and Subtraction of Beats is a solid effort from DJ abSRD. It is very bright and shiny club and dance album, and any fan of popular bar and dance music should check it out.

Rating: 7.0/10

Leave a Reply