[Pop] MØ – Kamikaze (prod. Diplo)

_MØ_
Kamikaze

With the success of “Lean On,” Danish vocalist  is well on her way to stardom, and rightfully so–she glides over electronic soundscapes with a grace and character matched by few of her contemporaries. If you’re not familiar with the rest of her catalogue, we’d highly recommend giving her album No Mythologies To Follow a listen. Yesterday, Annie Mac premiered MØ’s latest Diplo-produced single, which serves as a fitting progression in their ongoing series of collaborations. “Kamikaze,” similar to “Lean On,” features a markedly downtempo backdrop with an understated catchiness designed to grow with every listen. Once again, MØ proves she knows exactly how to bring out the best in Diplo’s production and that not every pop song has to be obnoxiously formulaic. Here’s what she had to say about working with Diplo:

 I love working with Diplo. It’s always such a fun and open-minded creative process. It’s about making memorable songs but, more than that, it’s about making pop music that wants to push boundaries. I’ve been loving all kinds of pop since I first fell in love with the Spice Girls, but pop needs to bring something new to the table, it needs balls. And that’s what you get working with Diplo. Making Lean On and being a part of that tornado these past eight months has been one of the greatest experiences in my life so far, and I’m super happy that “Kamikaze” is made in a collaboration with the same group of my friends.

Here’s to hoping the stream of MØ and Diplo collabs continue!

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[Electronic] Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On (feat. MØ)

Major Lazer & DJ Snake
Lean On (feat. MØ)

Major Lazer and DJ Snake aren’t names you’d generally associate with laid back vibes but they’ve both proven versatile in their ability to go the chilled-out route. Today, we get one of several anticipated collabs between the two with “Lean On,” featuring talented Swedish vocalist “Lean On” carries a smooth island feel matching MØ’s flawless voice, which exudes her perfected pop sensibility. The addicting chorus employs DJ Snake’s signature vocal manipulation but, rather than tear the roof off, it builds an infectiously uplifting groove. There’s some parallels to be found between the beauty of this track and “Get Free,” another gorgeous Major Lazer tune guided by a powerful female voice. Give this one a spin above–we can guarantee it’ll be in heavy rotation after one listen.

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[Event Review] Mad Decent Block Party – San Diego

(PC: Fixation Photography)

Last Sunday, following the recent heat wave that everybody would soon forget about, Mad Decent took their members and friends to sunny San Diego. The venue is located at Park Boulevard and Imperial Avenue near Petco Park and downtown SD. With only one giant stage put in the parking lot area, the artists definitely brought down the house with their high-energy performances and star power. Participating in this year’s lineup, we have artists like Cashmere Cat, Diplo, Flosstradamus, Laidback Luke, STRFKR, Thurz, TJR and Zeds Dead. It was a great mix of music, showing off their roster and connections with diversity.

With Kaytranada‘s set being cancelled due to personal reasons, STRFKR started off the one-day festival with some of their indie psych rock music to get the crowd in the mood. They put on a great show as people were just starting to roll into the venue and vibing their way into the crowd. Their mellow and enjoyable tunes are the epitome of a great band performing at a great festival.

Next up we have Thurz, a member of the underground hip-hop duo U-N-I. It was a smart choice for him to come on after an indie band. His high-energy performance definitely got the crowd going by playing some familiar rap songs and some of his own. At this point there was already a good amount of people in the audience, slowly and reluctantly making their way into the front of the stage even though the immense heat was getting onto everybody. Cashmere Cat, who was the next act, warmed up the crowd even more with his clever remixes of trap and hip hop tracks. His music covers a wide range of genres and sub-genres which take everybody on a fun and exciting joyride of both hype and chill music.

TJR was definitely the dark house of the festival. For those who weren’t familiar with who he is, the crowd referred him as “the mysterious bald guy who stole the show at Mad Decent”. The talented producer from Connecticut showcased his skillset with a variety of turn-up jams spanning the trap, house and funk genres. He incorporated funky drops and fast-paced trap beats into remixes of popular songs, which got the crowd pumped up like no other. His jaw-dropping performance definitely left the crowd in awe.

As the sun set and the heat gradually submerged into the horizon, the crowd was all warmed up and ready to get crazy. From the moment Laidback Luke got on stage, that’s when the real block party started. The Dutch DJ/producer got everybody on their feet and bobbing their head left and right with his incredible electro/deep house goodness. It is difficult as a house DJ to channel the right energy into a crowd at an open stage/venue, but Laidback Luke did just that. With lasers shining at your eyeballs, you just couldn’t help but dance your pants off to these hard-hitting house beats.

One amazing act following another, the artist introduced and welcomed Flosstradamus on stage. This is what the crowd came here to see, and what Floss were the best at doing. Needless to say, the Chicago-based duo delivered and killed it with style. The crowd was super loud and riled up, especially when they dropped a song like “Mosh Pit”, that there were a good amount of moshing going on throughout his set. To bring up the energy even more, the two hype men brought out special guest Waka Flocka, who gave his 110% at pumping up the stage with his anger and aggressiveness.

The headliner of the festival and Mad Decent’s frontman, Diplo, was undoubtedly the best act of the night. With so much energy and creativeness in his performance, Diplo always brings the most entertaining and trendiest electronic music to the stage. Mixing hip-hop with trap and electronica, the 35-year-old veteran never ceases to amaze everyone and never stops the innovation of his music. From taking off his shirt to bringing girls on stage for a twerk contest, Diplo sure knows what the crowd wants to hear and see. There was never a dull moment in the entire duration of Diplo’s set, and the crowd got about as loud and turnt up as they could be.

Amongst the shuffling pits, dance circles, exchange of kandies and fist pumping, the celebration never stopped for the Mad Decent crowd. Ending the night with a bang, Zeds Dead provided everyone with some hardcore drum & bass and dubstep. At this point, the lasers and lights were in full throttle. And with the heavy bass shaking the whole place down, you just couldn’t help but viciously headbang back and forth.

By assembling their roster and inviting friends and fellow artists to perform at their shows, Mad Decent has done it once again. With that said, our Ninja crew will be back for next year’s block party. We can’t wait to see what these talented performers have in store for us in the near future.

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[NEW] Dawn Golden – All I Want (Diplo Remix)

Dawn Golden
All I Want (Diplo Remix)

Few established producers have demonstrated as much versatility as Diplo, who has delved into and succeeded in nearly every genre. On his latest re-work, the eclectic Mad Decent founder puts a heavy twist on Dawn Golden’s airy, self-described #SadBanger, “All I Want.” The track still holds the hazy-pop stylings of the original until it slowly develops introducing some enormous, Hudson Mohawke-esque horns. The result is a unique dynamic that manages to relax and energize simultaneously.

Dawn Golden is the monicker for Dexter Tortoriello, of the duo Houses, and “All I Want” can be found on his debut solo project Still Houses, available now on iTunes. Happy Turnip Tuesdays, ninjas!

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[NEW] Frank Ocean, Diplo, Mick Jones & Paul Simonon – Hero

Frank Ocean + Mick Jones + Paul Simonon + Diplo
HERO

With summer somewhere around the corner, Converse has decided to revive their “Three Artists. One Song.” series, which has given way to some pretty amazing gems in years past. To kick off this year’s compilation is an unlikely collaboration between Frank Ocean, Diplo, and The Clash‘s Mick Jones & Paul Simonon. Automatically disregard any banger alerts that sentence might have set off, because this is far from anything you probably expected.

“Hero” doesn’t draw its sound distinctly from any one of the artists represented here; rather, it’s a true collaboration that provides room for everyone to shine. Packing plenty of soul, the single begins with Ocean laying the groundwork over some rustic guitars. Hints of bass are scattered throughout until the song reaches a crescendo shortly after the one minute mark, where the trio really begin to rock out, before once again gently descending back to earth through the combined efforts of a children’s choir. It makes for a fascinatingly beautiful piece of music, and is a true testament to what can happen when exceptionally creative minds come together.

Grab the free download above from Converse, and stay tuned for more from the collaborative series in the coming months.

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[Trap] Beyoncé – Drunk n Luv (Diplo Remix)

Beyoncé
drunk n luv (diplo remix)

We told you there were a ton of remixes to this single didn’t we? What it basically sums up to is that if you weren’t listening to Beyoncé last night, you weren’t doing Valentine’s Day right. As the third major remix to drop in the last 24 hours (we promise this is the final one), Diplo definitely makes sure to stand out from the crowd (as he always does). Dropping a massive, festival ready tune, Diplo’s reinterpretation certifies that this song won’t be escaping your rotation anytime soon.

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[NEW] Major Lazer – Aerosol Can (Feat. Pharrell)

Major Lazer
Aerosol Can (feat. Pharrell Williams)

The year of Pharrell carries over into 2014, as the Grammy award winning musician collaborates with Major Lazer for this brand new single. While he’s worn many hats throughout his career (including this very ugly one), it seems like it’s been an eternity since we’ve heard from Pharrell the rapper. Premiered earlier today by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio One, the N.E.R.D. frontman sounds perfectly at home on this beat, enough so that you’d think he produced it himself. Stream the track above, and be on the lookout for Major Lazer’s new Apocalypse Soon EP, set to drop on Februrary 25th and include additional features from Sean Paul, Machel Montano, RDX, Moska, and Mr. Fox.

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