It has been six years since White Panda released his last mashup. He has been focusing on remixes, which although good, have not provided the same success as early mashups like “Midnight Life” or “Lean On To The Next One.” He returns to the genre with Nightclub, a nearly 57 minute mix that spans 39 mashups in one continuous mix.
Returning to mashups comes with its own set of circumstances. First, the genre is not quite what it used to be last decade. The only real mashup artist that is still a headliner is Girl Talk and even he hasn’t released an album in over a decade. Second, mashups are largely an illegal artform. While record labels and artists may allow some “official” mashups to be made, the genre can largely not be uploaded to Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
Nightclub is made to be illegal. With distribution only through soundcloud and youtube, it is hard to find but not impossible. For those who loved the genre in the late 2000s and early part of last decade, it is worth the digging.
The first mashup mixes 2Pac with Huey Lewis and the News, a combination that could have been made in the genres salad days. As the album develops, you start hearing a more modern sound. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “Drowning” gets new life breathed into it from ABBA‘s “Mamma Mia” of all track. The female tour-de-force of Megan Thee Stallion and Taylor Swift feels like a truly inspired combination.
The unfortunate part of the album is that it is a continuous mix so there is no skipping over the weaker moments. If you never wanted to hear a mashup featuring the Zac Brown Band, you either have to sit through it or turn the album off altogether. Even though it is close to the end, its worth sitting through to get to the grand finale of MEDUZA, deadmau5, and Kaskade.
Rating: 7.3/10