Mashup – it’s the genre that can simultaneously fill a dancefloor, and have DJs and producers scoffing at its lack of originality. The latest release from Girl Talk (AKA Pittsburgh’s Gregg Gillis) Feed the Animals is a mishmash of roughly 400 songs chopped and diced to make 14 new tracks. It’s a combination of hip hop, cheesy 80s and 90s party tracks and recent pop chart smashes, and whether you like the style or not, he definitely uses a variety of genres. Included on the album are the likes of Kraftwerk, one of hip hop’s legendary founders Afrika Bambaata, the Beach Boys, Fergie and even hip hop young ‘un Soulja Boy. Some of the combos are wacky, but believe it or not, some of the best pairings include Air’s Sexy Boy and Britney Spears’ Gimme More, or when Underworld’s Born Slippy gets a hip hop reworking.

Granted, there are some seriously cheesy tracks on the album – think 90s night at your local dodgy disco or the jukebox in a country pub – but you’ve gotta admit they’re classics, and after a few beers you know you’d be singing along with your arm around your best mate. Add a few hip hop beats and you’ve got the perfect party sound. And people love it – you only have to have seen him perform live to know that.

He’s been criticized in the past for some of the dated song selections, and yeah, some are definitely way past their maximum airplay on radio stations. But maybe 10 years down the track the album will provide a banging musical snapshot of the best of the noughties. Whatever your opinion on the genre, Girl Talk has certainly got the knack of pulling out all the best bits of a track – the muffin tops of the tracks, if you will. And when you’ve got an album that’s comprised solely of muffin tops, you can’t go wrong.