He can still do it – alone and over quite some distance. After all, these six new tracks Wesley Pentz produced under the name of Diplo are the first released as a whole since 2004. Of course he wasn’t inactive at all during the last eight years: He gave Major Lazer to the world, traveled to far-away countries looking for the freshest beats, spun records and collaborated with promising musicians – and alongside all this, he managed his label Mad Decent and worked as a producer and author. Some of his musical acquaintances are audible here, the range goes from Nicky Da B on the title track to Dancehall-veteran Elephant Man. Also his wide diversity in genres goes from New Orleans Bounce to Dancehall. The strongest song is indeed the pre-released single »Express Yourself«, but the rest of the tracks are also packed with freaky beats, sirens and other sounds. As coarse as his tools might be, he always manages to use them in an almost subtle way and to embrace international party-sounds. Diplo even produces unexpectedly soft melodies on the last track »Set It Off« – and that’s definitely no disappointment.
Express Yourself
