From the very first time we heard the strange folk-blues-hip hop of “Loser,” we knew that Beck was a shape-shifter. We’re all learning about the Spoonman, and along comes this shaggy Scientologist talk-singing in Spanish and dropping lyrics about getting “crazy with the Cheez Whiz.” It seemed like some kind of musical freak show. Hell, he would later throw bossa nova into the mix and release an album titled Mutations.In the past two decades, Beck’s sound has evolved from trashy electropop to dreamy country to sampledelica and back again.

Lately, though, his musical mutations have been spreading to a host of side projects, including Charlotte Gainsbourg’s most recent work, the upcoming solo effort from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, and the Record Club cover albums that Beck records with pals (Yanni Live at the Acropolis, anyone?). Here’s how Beck transmogrifies everything he touches.

Thurston Moore, Benediction (2011) Sonic irreverence² = infinite potential for greatness. This theory will be tested when longtime friends Beck and Moore collaborate on this upcoming solo album.

Charlotte Gainsbourg, IRM (2010) Daughter of French music royalty lets Beck run wild. The result: a cacophony of computerized beats, whining strings, and plodding folk tracks. Oddly perfect.

Jamie Lidell, Compass (2010) Lidell doesn’t need much help blurring boundaries, but enlisting Beck to produce doesn’t hurt. Just look at this release,which saw Lidell transition from glossy soul revivalist to genre-spanning critical darling.

Yanni Live at the Acropolis (2010) Because Mellow Gold just didn’t deliver enough bizarre moments, Beck covers the Greek cheese god’s seminal album with assistance from some indie-rock elite. Ironic? Probably. Awesome? Definitely.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, title TBA (2011) Two products of the ’90s team up for the ex-Pavement frontman’s newest project. It’s a flannel-clad teenager’s dream realized a decade and a half too late.

Lykke Li, “Get Some” (2010) Beck proves that all it takes is amped-up bass and a few turns of a knob to morph a Swedish chanteuse’s club hit into a macho, machine-driven jam.

INXS, Kick (2010) The ’80s New Wave rockers were forever doomed to crappy jukeboxes and high school reunions until Beck and his posse (St. Vincent, plus members of Os Mutantes and Liars) reworked the group’s 1987 album into a truly new sensation.