Editor’s note: We are excited to feature this guest post by our friend, Eli Feldman!
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Ever since DJ Earworm’s 2009 blockbuster, it seems like end-of-year mashups (EOYMs) are all the rage. Sadly, the quality of EOYMs varies greatly year to year, even for the same DJs. Worse yet, some DJs have quit making EOYMs altogether (*cough cough* Daniel Kim).
What’s a mashup fan to do?
Fortunately, this author put in the hours to find and review the top 3 EOYMs from 2018. Whether you like Hayley Williams or Childish Gambino, this year’s crop has something for everyone.
Enjoy!
#3: AnDyWuMUSICLAND’s The Greatest Hope Mashup
The Good:
- The crescendos are phenomenal, and some of the crosses (e.g., “Tie Me Down” by Gryffin/Elley Duhé x “Africa” by Weezer and “For You” by Liam Payne/Rita Ora x “Falling Down” by XXXTENTACION & Lil Peep) might even give the old Pop Danthologies a run for their money.
- It covers an impressive array of songs: it’s not easy to put 144 songs together, but not a single one of them sounds out of place.
- Even though everyone and their goddamn mom used “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5 as the anchor for their EOYM, this mashup does a nice job of creatively mixing it with other songs.
The Bad:
- It has a few too many distinct sections; this makes it slightly less appealing to listen to start-to-finish, since it doesn’t have one consistent tempo or vibe.
#2: Happy Cat Disco’s Pop Songs World 2018 – Mega Mashup
The Good:
- This mashup hooks you in from the first second and doesn’t let you go.
- It gets MAJOR style points for including slightly less traditional (but still great!) songs in interesting crosses – think “Hard Times” by Paramore, “How Long” by Charlie Puth, and “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man.
- It’s slightly shorter, and with only one major transition, you can easily listen to it start-to-finish without feeling like you just heard a dozen distinct songs.
- It manages to make “New Rules” by Dua Lipa (one of my least favorite songs of the year) actually sound pretty good.
- Bonus: it doesn’t use “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5 as a crutch, which most of this year’s EOYMs did.
The Bad:
- Honestly, not much. Great song choice, clever crosses, and a strong start/middle/end. This is one for the ages!
#1: DJ Trademark’s 2018 Pop it Off Mashup.
This was a pretty easy decision. Trademark (who happens to be my favorite DJ) delivers the best, single-song-length EOYM you’ll find.
In typical Trademark fashion, it’s smooth enough to make your local pimp blush, and you almost forget that the songs weren’t actually written together originally. It covers some of the major hits, but more importantly, it makes every song sound better—always a tough feat with popular radio songs.
Joshua Tree Music 