It’s been a while since a good mashup really made its rounds, and it looks like 3LAU decided to take matters into his own hands and do something about it. The Las Vegas-based DJ/producer was clever enough to find a common thread between Fetty Wap’s “679,” Daya’s “Hide Away” and Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On” featuring MØ, weaving them together in an unexpected synthesis that would yield “Lean Away.”
Underscored by the beat for Fetty Wap’s “679” (and thankfully none of the vocals), the top line alternates between the acapellas for the other two tracks. While 3LAU had to bump MØ’s vocal contributions to “Lean On” into a higher key to work with the other elements of the track, the whole of the mashup still works as an arrangement that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
While 3LAU still has yet to turn out many compelling originals in 2015, his inventive use of the mashup art form makes for a good reason to keep an eye on him into 2016.
