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Have you heard of the new Green Day album? It's a fabulous collaboration between the punksters and a host of other music acts. Listen to the trio jam with Oasis and U2. Hear them rock out with Bryan Adams. Dig that trippy song starring The Wallflowers and The Bangles. And witness as Green Day work with the late Johnny Cash and Freddie Mercury. Amazing? Yes, but don't go looking for it - this album is banned.

When mixing duo Dean Gray released 'American Edit', they produced a masterpiece. Based heavily in the genre of "bastard pop" or "mash-ups", the album represented a growing movement that has existed for a while, at least in concept. Pop Will Eat Itself lifted its name from an NME article that mused whether you could produce a new popular song if you mix two popular songs together. Pop literally ate itself and the mash-up was born.

Out of this subculture a whole host of different songs have emerged, ranging from Blondie kicking it with The Doors to Prodigy and Aqua redoing 'Barbie Girl' to The Strokes adding some edge to 'Genie in a Bottle'.

None official, though, as these are the works of professional artists and bedroom mixers - and often done illegally, since the songs are rarely sold and the mixers can't afford the license fees. It took iconic mash-up group 2 Many DJs two years to clear the licenses for one of their albums, comprising about forty songs and more samples.

Dean Gray stepped into this ring and released 'American Edit' for free online. With samples taken from dozens of sources, including The Offspring, Smokey Robinson, The Eagles, Depeche Mode, and even sound clips from George W. Bush and Dr. Who, the album is far from a cloning of 'American Idiot' and truly a unique work.

'Novocaine Rhapsody', a mix largely between the song 'Novocaine' and Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', is inspired. While critically we can dissect the album for its flaws, there's little doubt about 'American Edit' as a new piece of work, albeit a remix culture one.

Warner Music didn't agree and slapped the duo with a cease and desist order. Since the album was being distributed for free and the work itself can't serve as a substitute for 'American Idiot' (hence, Warner's profit line), the order is pointless and robs us of a great piece of work, arguably better than Green Day's own effort.

Legally Warner is within its rights, but it's not losing anything with American Edit in circulation. Wired magazine and BoingBoing founder Cory Doctorow said it best: "Censoring this art is tantamount to saying, 'This music must go because it displeases us'."

The cease and desist was accepted at first with cheers. Online mixing forum Get Your Bootleg On congratulated Dean Gray, as an internet cease and desist is practically a merit badge on the web.

But this soon mobilised in what will be the web's second Grey Tuesday. In 2003 DJ Danger Mouse mixed The Beatles' 'White' album with JayZ's 'Black' album to create the so-called 'Grey Album'. It was a bold piece of work and is as much criticised as it is acclaimed. EMI slapped Danger with a cease and desist, so the internet community, led by Uphillbattle.org, hosted Grey Tuesday.

For one day over 170 websites made the album available, allowing thousands to download it. Today the 'Grey Album' has been copied by millions and stands as both lore and an example of internet protest.

Tuesday December 13 is Dean Gray Tuesday. As with the original protest, a few hundred sites plan to upload the album just for the day, prompting mass downloads and making it hard for Warner and the RIAA (Recording Industry of America) to find someone to sue.

The action didn't even originate from Dean Gray or Uphillbattle, but the latter supports the event (the former isn't involved for obvious reasons).

There are two differences that separate this event from Grey Tuesday. Danger Mouse attracted EMI's ire because he also made limited edition vinyls to recoup some costs. Dean Gray never made a cent anywhere. And while 'The Grey Album' is important, it's a piece of hip-hop, using selective edits and looping to manipulate samples.

'American Edit' is true mash-up, robust in its music taste and eclectic in its use. So Dean Gray Tuesday is a truly pivotal event in the online mixing culture. It's also a chance to get a free album that you won't hear anywhere else.

For more info, head to http://www.americanedit.org/home/ae/.