If you thought Diplo peaked with Hollertronix or plateau’d with M.I.A. or repeated himself with Santogold, or if you think you’re just over the baile thing altogether, you really need to stop thinking and go dancing or something. Besides, Brazil’s not even where Diplo is at these days — his Mad Decent label has such scattered signees as DJ Blaqstarr, Crookers, and the South Rakkas Crew. This Friday, a Mad Decent–sanctioned show rolls into the Middle East, and the sounds will be as random as one of Diplo’s mixes. Here’s what to expect.
Diplo, “Must be a Devil”
This track first burst through on Diplo’s 2007 iTunes Live Session EP, but it’s so much more at home on the Blow Your Head 12-inch. Not only does his first new vinyl release under his own name in more than two years sport this beast (with its mouthful of Pixies), it’s also got three mixes of “Wassup Wassup” by Crookers, Bart Bmore, and Philly’s DJ Sega, plus a gruesomely awesome sleeve by Gunsho.
Abe Vigoda, “Bear Face”
LA’s most notable tropical punks (by way of the increasingly infamous Smell, of course) might seem a little bit out of place on this Mad Decent bill, but they’re out of place everywhere — did you get that “tropical punk” bit back there? This doozy off their newest, Skeleton, is as cute and catchy as it is deeply disturbing. Bring shoes you don’t care about.
Boy 8-Bit, “The Suspense is Killing Me”
Don’t let the name fool you: though the South London artist (and resident DJ at the popular Body Clap night) likes his primal bleeps and bloops just fine, he’s no chiptune purist. You can still hear (literal) bits of the Amiga he grew up on laced through “The Suspense Is Killing Me,” but the rest of this track is a few comfortable steps ahead of right now.
Telepathe, “Chrome’s on It (Mad Decent Mix)”
Although they’re not on the Mad Decent label themselves (their Chrome’s on It EP is freshly out on IAMSOUND), the laconic, dreamy, early 4AD vibe of Brooklyn’s Telepathe is perfect twiddle fodder for restless retrofetishists like Diplo. Witness this grubby reworking of the single’s lead track.
