I’ve recently become overwhelmed by Diplo. About five months ago I finally jumped on the Diplo train and haven’t looked back. Wesley Pentz, a kid from Mississippi, spent a great deal of his childhood in Florida, moved to Philadelphia and attended Temple University. After starting Hollertronix club night he gained more attention and began his rein as Diplo.
Pentz is heavily involved in various artists’ production and even has his own record label, Mad Decent. He has worked with MIA, Santigold, Lil’ John, and teamed with Dave Taylor (Switch), under the guise of Major Lazer and created the “Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do” album. An album which I already loved before I knew Diplo had a hand in it. The beats from Major Lazer are very Miami inspired, seeing as Diplo has a heavy Florida influence. It has a certain Latino backbeat that makes anyone want to ‘rompe’. The beats hit hard and are extremely precise. The Major Lazer/La Roux album, Lazerproof, is also one I suggest the entire world to check out. The smoothness of La Roux teamed with Diplo and Switch’s sexy beats constructs pure ecstasy. “Keep it Fascinating” and “I’m Not Your Lemonade” persistently elevate my energy and are consistently introduced at any party I can plug my ipod into.
I got my first taste of Diplo with Florida; an album that swept me off my feet. There is a serenity to his style that I can’t get over. In a sense I feel that the album somewhat illustrates a journey judging from the track titles: ‘Florida’, ‘Big Lost’, ‘Sarah’, ‘Into the Sun’, etc. In a sense it illuminates his journies in Florida, then he’s really lost in this city, meets a girl named Sarah… ect. The intrumental aspect that Diplo displays lets the listener form their own perspective on the album. Because every journey is different. However on this Florida album, ‘Summer’s Gonna Hurt You’, is by far one of my favorite songs in the past two years. I cry to this song. There is something about Diplo that I can not get past. Because once I thought I had gotten Diplo out of my system I get introduced to ‘Mansions on the Moon’ by Diplo and Benzi. From track 1 to 12, you experience pure auditorial bliss. They are mash ups and you even get a little Deadmau5 in there which no one can complain. ‘Destroy Me’ and ‘She Makes Me Feel’ are similar to the effects I feel when I hear ‘Summer’s Gonna Hurt You’. I’m a sap and these songs are the way my feelings of love sound. If they could be transformed to a sound.
Diplo never ceases to amaze me on all levels. He, like other artists are definitely preferential, but when you find that one that hits you in the right spot you can never stop listening to their songs. And for me that’s Diplo. From ‘Major Lazer’ to ‘Mansions on the Moon’ I’ve cried, danced, and cruised to all of this mastermind’s tracks.