In 2007, UK producer Bullion took snippets of the Beach Boys classic Pet Sounds and various samples of Brian Wilson interviews/studio weirdness/obsessiveness (genius), and mixed them in with beat offerings from the late, great rap producer J Dilla. The result: an astoundingly astute, Dilla-esque rendering that’s as much a treat as it is a tribute.

Pet Sounds in the Key of Dee is required listening. It’s sonically rich and playfully inventive, beguilingly choppy yet slippery-smooth. It’s the kind of mix one can fall into and geek out over. The care given to the treatment even the most minute sample—how it fades in or out across channels, pops up or drops out in percussive synchrony—speaks of a love that borders on madness. But at the same time, it’s so easy on the ear that you might forget you’re listening to a mash-up at all. And thankfully, at no point on it does Brian Wilson attempt to rap.

Speaking of perverse situations, apparently someone, somewhere, somehow thought it would be okay to press a vinyl bootleg of this album and sell it. This was apparently done without Bullion’s consent or involvement. Don’t worry though: you can still do the ethical thing and download it for free for your benefit and enrichment.

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