As another month rolls on, the team over at Fabric in London keep pushing the boundaries to come up with the most eclectic collection of artists to helm their eponymous CD releases. Known for his legendary Cut and Paste mixes, DJ Yoda aka Duncan Beiny is the latest in line to tackle the FabricLive CD duties. Despite having a history in hip hop, DJ Yoda’s diverse musical tastes come to the fore, with an unpredictable mix that jumps from hip hop to pop, new jack swing, Baltimore house, drum n’ bass, Baile Funk and even dub step. FabricLive 39 is an excursion into the twisted sample-crazy mind of DJ Yoda.

Right from the opening, where a countdown leads into The Thunderclaps’ Judgement Day (Donkey Work Re-Edit), which features a sample of Dies Irae from Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem Mass, Yoda sets the scene for something epic. The apocalyptic sounding opera has featured in many movies, but then the mix strangely moves from classical to the folk punk of the Violent Femmes and their huge hit Blister in the Sun. It’s clear Yoda is pulling no punches with his selection, as next up is Tika Toc by Skibadee. Three songs in we’ve already visited three different musical genres. But that’s kind of what you come to expect with Yoda.

One thing I noticed, however, is the difference in musicality to his How to Cut & Paste series. Yoda claims that this is the first mix he’s laid down that is somewhat akin a set that he’d play at a club. And it shows. Not afraid to revisit the past with the old school hip hop of Run DMC’s It’s Tricky, Gang Starr’s Just To Get A Rep, Ice Cube’s Jackin’ For Beats and Salt N Pepa’s Push It, Yoda is equally at home in utilising the Brazilian sounds of Bonde Do Role’s Marina Gasolina, the new jack swing of Bel Biv Devoe’s Poison, the quirkiness of the Chemical Brothers’ Salmon Dance and bonus beats from Tittsworth and Scottie B.

The real highlights, however, come from tracks that on paper seem incongruent to any other musical genre, but in Yoda’s hands fit perfectly. The Hot 8 Brass Band contribute a lively instrumental version of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing, the whistle register reached by American singer Minnie Riperton on Lovin’ You and the calypso vibes of Lord Kitchener’s London Is The Place For Me. Yoda also visits harder ground, entering drum n’ bass territory and starting off with the reggae infused Come Around by Collie Buddz before leading into Adam F’s Circles, DJ Zinc’s Super Sharp Shooter and his own track Chatterbox featuring rapper Sway amongst them in the middle.

It’s a pretty mismatched collection of tracks, that wouldn’t work in the hands of any other DJ. But Yoda brings a certain musical frivolity to the mix that, while it isn’t the best of the FabricLive series, is quite different to all the releases before it. But on the other hand, it’s a different Yoda on display here. The experimental pop culture loving Yoda has been switched for one with a dancefloor sensibility. That’s not to say that people wouldn’t dance to his Cut & Paste mixes; it’s just that time has allowed him to mature as an artist, while still keeping his originality. If you’re after a party starting set that’s different to a lot of the mixes out there, then get FabricLive.39, you must.