Review: Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do
The duo individually known as Diplo and Switch collectively bring the best of each to the studio as Major Lazer. One part saxon soundsystem and one part Ibiza, the album offers a new style that will soon be copied by everyone else in the scene. Don’t be surprised when you start seeing DJs backspinning their records and playing them from the beginning in 6 months. The astute DJ will be on the next style by then.
It’ s important to understand the individual ingredients to best taste the final product. Diplo is arguably the best DJ’s DJ, by which I mean his song selection, his mixing techniques, his production and ear for new sounds is exceptional, but may not be realized by the untrained ear. When mashups became high fahion, he went was already throwing in different electro sounds and off beat rock and ska sounds into his mixes. It seems as though he’s so far ahead of his time that when you first listen to his mix, you are immediately blown away by the creativity and begin the search to find the songs in his mixes. Not that it does you any good to have them, because at 4th or 5th listen you still have no idea where he came up with the idea to drop Vibez Cartel on the track with Rihanna on the verse. Switch shines when given a large canvas and a fine tipped sharpie. His sound is much more minimal than most without being “minimal”. He doesn’t overwhelm the track with 20 tracks mixed down to a thick soup. His post production relies on his mastery of constructing a rythmn with an ear for particular sounding beats and instruments. Good luck finding a sample of a switch track that sounds remotely like his version (aside from his cheeky ones). That compounded by his unique taste for upcoming styles makes an extremely dancable song while leaving room in the mix to go any way you want. Switch would be a dangerous DJ to follow because of his simplicity in style but extremely danceable and smooth beats.
The final album takes the best of Diplo and Switch. The album is overwhelming Diplo in style but definitely has its Switch moments. Together they bring a new Soca / Reggae / Dancehall style that I forsee being the flavor of the summer of 2009, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.
