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Atlanta Local Diplo is now producing for Hollywood A-Listers such as Beyonce, M.I.A. and Usher. NPR Music Interview
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Diplo: Building A Bridge From The Underground To The Mainstream : The Record : NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/06/12/154862431/diplo-building-a-bridge-from-the-underground-to-the-mainstream[6/14/2012 7:12:46 AM]
04:40 pmJune 12, 2012
by NPR STAFF
Diplo: Building A Bridge From TheUnderground To The Mainstream
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All Things Considered[8 min 19 sec]
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The music made by Thomas Wesley Pentz, better known by his
stage name, Diplo, is one part club-music mashup and one part
pop music forecast. In 2009, he took bubblin' — a syncopated
house style born in the clubs of Holland — as inspiration and
collaborated with fellow DJ Switch, his partner in the group
Major Lazer, to make the dance-floor hit "Pon de Floor." But he
wasn't done with the bubblin' sound yet. In 2011, he used that
song as basis for "Run the World (Girls)," a single by the pop
star Beyonce. Over the last few years, Diplo has made a name
for himself as a tastemaker, traveling the world in search of
interesting sounds and making them popular.
Explore Diplo's full NPR Archive
DJ Diplo Melds Eclectic Sounds
Diplo Cranks Out An Unending String Of Hooks
Sasquatch 2011: Major Lazer, Live In Concert
ABOUT US
The Record is a blogabout how people find,make, buy, share andtalk about music. We area collaboration betweenNPR's Arts Desk andNPR Music. Read more.
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Enlarge Jordan Strauss/Getty Images
The DJ and producer Diplo, who also records as Major Lazer, has produced songs for M.I.A.,Beyonce and Usher.
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Diplo: Building A Bridge From The Underground To The Mainstream : The Record : NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/06/12/154862431/diplo-building-a-bridge-from-the-underground-to-the-mainstream[6/14/2012 7:12:46 AM]
song of the day
Hear Diplo's'Express Yourself'
On his latest release, the Express Yourself
EP, Diplo explores styles from two old
port cities: New Orleans and Washington,
D.C. In a conversation with NPR's Audie
Cornish, he describes the title track as his
"dip into doing a bounce record,"
referring to the electronic version of hip-
hop that originated in New Orleans nearly
20 years ago. "Express Yourself" features
the genre's trademark call and response
vocals — supplied by New Orleans singer
Nicky Da B. On "Set It Off," Diplo references Washington, D.C.'s
latest dance-floor mongrel, moombahton. "Set It Off"
supplements moombahton's blend of European house and Latin
American reggaeton with, as he puts it, a "pop chord
progression" and a cappella "vocal stabs."
Some have leveled the criticism that Diplo is only a middleman
— that time and again, he hijacks a sound from a culture or a
place and, in pushing it toward the mainstream, becomes the
face of it. "I think that's been an argument and a controversy for
me since I started, since before I had any press," he says. "I
never thought I would be producing Beyonce or Usher or No
Doubt."
He says that he aims to act as a link between musicians in niche
genres and casual listeners. "I want to let people hear this music.
I want people to listen to something like 'Express Yourself' and
just dance to it — not have to think about why it's interesting or
what it is. I want it just to reach them immediately. So that's
always my goal — to make music that can reach people."
Despite his rising fame, and the fact that he's become a
spokesman for more obscure musicians, Diplo says that the
relationships he's cultivated with artists from around the globe
best represent who he is. "You're not going to find an artist that
I've ever collaborated with that has some kind of [negative]
feelings about me," he says. "That's what I care about — the
people that I work with, and representing them, and helping to
make their music apparent for the rest of the world."
So what will Beyonce's next chart-topper sound like? Diplo says
we should look out for what he calls "Tribal," a style made by a
few musicians in Monterrey, Mexico, that mixes African and
Mesoamerican sounds with "cheesy techno riffs." You can hear
his explanation of the sound below.
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Diplo: Building A Bridge From The Underground To The Mainstream : The Record : NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/06/12/154862431/diplo-building-a-bridge-from-the-underground-to-the-mainstream[6/14/2012 7:12:46 AM]
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Recent First
Stephen Dintaman (Haccduder) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 3:21:48 PM
Jake Romero (Jakesly) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 2:47:03 PM
Mark P (KarlPopperFan) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 12:34:31 PM
Christian Milam (christles) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 12:06:52 PM
Joseph McGuire (JmcDad) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 11:42:24 AM
Curt Fredrikson (X_Ray_Eye) wrote:
Anyone know the brand name of those giant blocks that Lego makes so kids under 3 can'tswallow them?
Mark....Curt...crawl out from under those rocks, k?
it's nice NPR is appealing to the ecstasy using rave crowd
This comment has been removed because it did not meet the NPR.org CommunityDiscussion Rules.
... and now Diplo
.This if more evidence, if any was needed, that organized sound isn't necessarily music.
"Musical aggregator" is a good job title for this guy. He collects things, arranges them andtweaks them a bit. As one whose musical tastes formed in what may have been the biggestoutburst of real musical innovation in history, I think that this process is pretty slim oncreativity. It is more like throwing it all at the wall to see what sticks.
I recognize that there is less unexplored musical territory available than there was in themiddle of the 20th Century and that coming up with something that sounds good and iswithout precedent is hard work. However, I think that those on the selling end of thetransaction have, consciously or unconsciously, figured out that the audience will settle for
commentsPlease keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use. Seealso the Community FAQ.
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Diplo: Building A Bridge From The Underground To The Mainstream : The Record : NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/06/12/154862431/diplo-building-a-bridge-from-the-underground-to-the-mainstream[6/14/2012 7:12:46 AM]
Recommend (2)
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Wednesday, June 13, 2012 11:36:14 AM
Joseph McGuire (JmcDad) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 11:31:23 AM
Christopher Thompson (BoxyBrown) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 9:01:40 AM
Christopher Thompson (BoxyBrown) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 8:55:25 AM
Christopher Zalewski (zoologic) wrote:
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 5:45:11 AM
View all comments (26)»
less if they have gone long enough without something better..
I love articles like this; I actually referred it to my nephew as he studies music. I have tothank NPR for turning me on to such artist as ATR and Fiona apple over the years. It's greatto have a public station that is so multidimensional.
I find it hilarious that you people are tuning into a show called "All Things Considered" andgetting upset at the fact that they are considering all things.
You complain that NPR wasted your time, but then waste even more time by e-whining abouthow NPR wasted your time. If you don't like it, move on to the next story.
ME: I wonder what the next article is.NPR: Next on NPR: Keith Urban.ME: ...On second thought, perhaps I'll make a sandwich.
See how easy that is?
@Nikki1913: Diplo did a whole podcast about the history of Baltimore Club. Made me missthe city dearly :-( You should find it. It's excellent workout music!
if the "loyal" audience is generally represented by the singer/songwriter and jazz genres thathave absolutely dominated (and of which i have had to suffer listening to withoutcomplaining about) on NPR for the better par of the last 10+ years, i say good riddance,dinosaurs. may your asteroid arrive sooner than you think.
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