Adam Wentz, better known as DJ Diplodicus or Diplo, has made a career out of combining the freshest and most exotic styles of dance music from all over the world into his own brand of danceable party music. He has experimented with hybrid genres like favela-funk and electro-house. He crafted some cacophonous collaborations with M.I.A., and orchestrated the grimy dancehall freak-out of Major Lazer. Now, with Blow Your Head, Volume 1: Diplo Presents Dubstep, Wentz has set his sights on the increasingly popular brand of British club music.
Though dubstep’s wobbly, subterranean bass lines and skittering synthesizers have been crushing the eardrums of British clubbers for the better part of a decade, the genre is just beginning to gain ground stateside. Released through Diplo’s own label, Mad Decent, Blow Your Head attempts to capitalize on the genre’s burgeoning popularity in the States by bringing together a broad sampling of prominent dubstep releases in the past year.
Those hoping to find a concise summary of essential moments in dubstep would do better to look elsewhere—Blow Your Head is much more interested in demonstrating the wide breadth of sounds within the genre. From the minimalist, wonky thump of early dubstep pioneer Benga to the post-Timbaland space-hop of Bristol wunderkind Joker, the disc does a better job of showcasing the genre’s sonic diversity than defining it.
For the uninitiated, this is a good thing. These tracks constantly honor dubstep’s sonic forebearers, giving newbies a frame of reference that makes the genre easier to appreciate. Lead single “U Don’t Like Me,” draws a line between harder dubstep and the spastic aggression of the now-defunct crunk movement, resurrecting Lil’ Jon to scream over ferocious compressed drums and a ghostly synth line. Another track finds Skream—an enormous figure in dubstep—remixing Major Lazer’s 2009 hit “Hold the Line,” an important reference point for the Mad Decent audience.
Hardcore fans of the genre won’t find much fresh material to get excited about—all but three of these tracks have already appeared elsewhere, and Diplo himself only produces two of them. But ever since “Paper Planes” catapulted him and M.I.A. into international stardom, Diplo has functioned more as a tastemaker than a musical innovator, using Mad Decent to promote groups like the trance rap collective from Alabama, Paper Route Gangstaz, and electro house duo Crookers. Blow Your Head is nothing more than one very influential man’s vision of the most exciting sounds in an exciting, expanding genre. For those with a decent subwoofer and an ear for bass-heavy beats, it’s a great place to start.
Voice’s Choices: “Sweet Shop,” “Sunset,” “Hold On”
