Featured DJ Chart – Diplo (Best of 2009)
Best of 2009 chart: Diplo
For the uninitiated, Diplo is a Philadelphia-based DJ with a penchant for baile funk and Miami Bass. He runs his own hugely successful label Mad Decent and is one half of dancehall duo Major Lazer – in other words, a hugely talented (and busy) man. The ubiquitous Major Lazer debut LP Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do was the ultimate soundtrack of summer 2009, well received by both critics and dancefloors. Juno Plus quizzed Diplo about his favourite tunes from what has been a hectic 12 months…
1. Laidback Luke & Diplo – Hey! (Foamo remix) (Dim Mak)
   |
“This is a track I made with Laidback Luke when I visited Amsterdam in early 2009. After we made it I was like, wait, does it say “hey” too much? But it leaked and EVERYONE went nuts for it, so yeah – whatever works! Steve Aoki put it out on Dim Mak and Foamo made this remix which is probably the hardest, craziest remix anyone could have come up with…”
2. Prodigy – Take Me To The Hospital (Rusko remix) (Take Me To The Hospital)
|
“Rusko is our newest member of my label Mad Decent, if you know dubstep then you know he’s basically one of the pioneers of that whole scene. We’re just finishing up work on his full length album forthcoming in 2010, and he just moved to Los Angeles and bought a dog named “Pupsko”. This Prodigy remix he did is BIG, and totally represents what I would call signature sound.”
3. Emalkay – When I Look At You (Dub Police)
|
“A lot of my live sets lately have been at festivals as Major Lazer (my project with Switch), so I have keep the crowd really energized and into it. This track is hard to do that with, so when I play other settings and get to bust this out it’s a treat because people go nuts for it, the sub bass is insane. Check out Emalkay’s track “My Story” too – really good.”
4. L-Vis 1990 – United Groove (Mad Decent)
|
“This record is awesome, I put this out on Mad Decent about two months ago and it’s getting so much attention. L-Vis 1990 is a young dude from the UK who is making really good music by not sticking to any set genres. He also makes dope videos, search him on YouTube for those. Him and BOK-BOK just toured the US and played at my club/house in Philly and smashed the place! Kids crowdsurfing and all that, the cops came and shut us down right after Joker played!”
5. Boregore – Saturday Night (Shift Recordings)
|
“Boregore is crazy, he’s coming up really fast on this weird grind-step sound. Probably like the craziest LFO/wobble/synth’s I’ve ever heard in dubstep. This was the first song and still favourite that I heard from him, it’s so nuts! His rapping tracks are still a bit too much for me but keep an ear out for this dude, he’s picking up a lot of steam…”
6. Diplo & Blaqstarr – Get Off (Jack Beats remix) (Mad Decent)
|
“Another one from my label Mad Decent, I made this track in Philly with Blaqstarr. Wanted to make something that worked in the club but had crossover appeal too. Jack Beats did this remix of it that basically will make your head explode, so I had to put out the single again as a remix EP so we could feature this. It’s like a remix played through a car alarm.”
7. Chuckie – Aftershock (Can’t Fight The Feeling) (Chuckie & Silvio Ecomo remix) (Dirty Dutch)
|
“The Dutch sound is so huge right now in house music, they’ve been making awesome tunes for years but it wasn’t really until Laidback Luke and Bar B More blew up stateside that it really picked up in popularity everywhere. Chuckie is such a big name right now, he just did a track with Lil John that’s on the radio in LA like every 10 minutes! “Let The Bass Kick” is still my favorite Chuckie track, never gets old to me.”
8. ZINC – Because (Bingo Bass)
|
“ZINC just put out this “Crack House EP” and it’s SO dope! One of those albums you can put on and listen the whole way through. It’s like garage/rave/downtempo/awesome/hard-to-describe all rolled up in one. He’s been big since the drum and bass days too. His track “138 Trek” is still so relevant, I saw Toddla T drop it at our Carnival party in London this September and the place went mental!”
9. Invasion – Spells of Deception (Boy 8-Bit remix)
|
“Invasion are awesome, they have the craziest sound and coolest music videos. Our man Boy 8-Bit did this really proper remix for them, it’s one of those tracks with no expiration date on it. Boy 8-Bit is definitely one of the most original red headed producers I’ve ever met, he’s the man and Mad Decent family. Check out his record “Suspense Is Killing Me” that we put out last year.”
10. Malente & Dex – Lions (feat New Kidz – Douster remix) (Exploited)
|
“Douster is making really cool music right now, like a big weird blend of tropical, Baltimore club, house and I don’t even know what else. This remix is super dope though, it’s got those classic Baltimore horns worked in with just the right amount of everything. Check out Malente & Dex’s track they did with Analogik “Gipsy Kings” – so good, cool Balkan flavour.”