Not that Diplo needs any more excuses to plant his hybrid seeds within the mainstream musical garden, yet his Major Lazer project allows him to express not only his love of the dancehall sound, but do so with a cavalcade of like-minded artsts. Since 2009, Major Lazer has been associated with blending genres, breaking down boundaries, and doing so with a wide array of talents. From hardstyle to dubstep, Diplo’s ship is unafraid to travel into foreign waters, and through shared appreciations for these sounds, their output has awoken a spirit within today’s iTunes nation, where genre names are eschewed for loving whatever moves you.
With their Free the Universe album finally in stores, DAD wanted to take a look back and dig into the tracks that made us love this project from the start. It’s crazy to think about how dance music has changed within the last four years, and Diplo always seems to be at the forefront, dipping into the new styles and appropriating them into his own sonic jambalaya. Here are the 10 best Major Lazer tracks.
10. Cajmere - “Percolator (Major Lazer Percumajor)”
This Chicago classic got the Major Lazer rerub, which couldn’t have been easy. Somehow they figured out a way to revamp an anthem and make it feel like a VIP version that we’re just privy to get our hands on. At points it really feels like nothing more than their marching bad snars and percussion over it, but it works.
9. No Doubt - “Settle Down (Major Lazer Remix)”
Baauer’s remix tops this one, but it’s dope to hear this moombah-tinged rework of No Doubt’s “Settle Down.” It’s all carribean flair, making it a pretty interesting cut. You’ve got Diplo and No Doubt, artists who found a way to take their love for reggae/ska/dancehall and incorporate it into their respective vibes. It’s almost too much to think about, especially when you can’t help but getting yours on the dancefloor when this one gets going.
8. Major Lazer ft. The Partysquad - “Original Don”
While Flosstradamus’ remix of this one is seen as the origin of the current trap wave through EDM, it’s funny to know that its jumpstyle/hardstyle original could have been used as source material for Flosstradamus’ X album. Linking up with The Partysquad, it’s awesome to hear some dancehall/dub sounds thrown atop that kind of style. It shouldn’t work, but it does.
7. Gyptian - “Hold Yuh (Major Lazer Remix)”
The original “Hold Yuh” was a huge dancehall hit a few years ago, and it got the remix treatment from everyone from Shy FX to Toddla T, but the way Major Lazer dipped into that hypnotic, heavy house sound from years gone by made this one an obvious winner. Gyptian’s melody rides perfectly over this one.
6. The Prodigy - “Smack My B***h Up (Major Lazer Remix)”
It’s hard to top “Smack My Bitch Up,” but you can’t deny the trap rework that Major Lazer threw onto this EDM classic. The build-up on this one is perfect, allowing you to get lulled into feeling like you’re just rocking to the original if you’re not careful. Drop some 808s under that noisy bassline and you’ve got a winner, apparently. This is Diplo/Major Lazer at their best; refixing one sound without abandoning what made the original tick.
5. Major Lazer ft. Flux Pavilion - “Jah No Partial”
Anything with a Johnny Osbourne vocal on it trumps most things out there. Add dubstep don Flux Pavilion to the scene? There’s no way this track would be a slouch. FP adds the right pinch of subwoofer assault, bringing his huge, melodic bass to the Major Lazer party. It’s all funky aggression.
4. Major Lazer - “Pon de Floor”
One of the true testaments of this EDM/dancehall hybrid sound, with Diplo, Switch, and Afrojack meeting somewhere and creating a twisted, marching anthem. Vybz Kartel is in and out of the track, as that warped melody takes center stage. Bonafide party starter.
3. Major Lazer ft. Amber Coffman - “Get Free”
The first single we heard from Free the Universe, Amber Coffman’s vocals make this track. The dub-wise track, all chilled keys and slinky bass, is lush on it’s own, but her “look at me!” hits you somewhere deep. Something about this track just let you know that Major Lazer was moving into the next phase of their sound.
2. Hot Chip - “Look At Where We Are (Major Lazer Remix)”
This is a truly deep, truly unique trap take on a Hot Chip track. There’s something about that hook, where we have a bevy of synths, 808s, and that “look at where we are” vocal staring us right in the face. This might be underrated in their full catalog, but it ranks high in feeling.
1. Major Lazer - “Hold the Line”
This is the first many people heard of Diplo & Switch’s dancehall output, and in true Mad Decent style, they threw everything at this riddim: a hypnotic surf rock guitar, a looped Santigold vocal, cellphone rings and vibrations, and Mr. Lexx’s intoxicating lyrics. You could just FEEL the cultures colliding, and couldn’t help but winding your waist in tune to the track.
