published the 2009-06-22 18:00:00

When Switch the American and Diplo the British put their talents together to create Major Lazer, one can expect heavy stuff, and it’s heavy stuff that one obtains.

Major Lazer is way more than a band. It’s the meetjng of two peerless Dj’s  but above all, it’s a huge project…Major Lazer is a character who makes his way on reggae, dancehall and electro tunes to fight against the villains. Hey, yes ! Major lazer is a kind of musical Rambo, a bad boy who was born in Lazerville, who lost his arm in 1984 during the war against zombies…one even heard that the American have replace his arm by a laser, since then, he’s nicknamed Major Lazer! His mission? Spreading good music on the surface of the planet with booty shakings and fighting against evil forces with the help of his Lazervillians partners, Diplo and Switch who produce a multi-influenced music that will dumbfound more than one!

The album has been recorded in Jamaica, and you feel it: ragga and dancehall beats, a reggae touch and the electro signature of the two Dj’s for an inimitable result that one can identify miles away. “Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do”, that’s the name of the album, is rich and varied; in one only song, one can alternatively hear R’n’B, dancehall and electro without noticing it. The album tells the story of Major Lazer in a world made of very eighties graphic design and imaginary, as it is in the first clip from the album, “Hold the Line”, a song in which Santigold sings.

Many guests participated to the recording of the album and each song has a peculiar atmosphere: Santigold, the Nina Sky, Vybz Kartel, Ms Thing, Elephant Man, Turbulen, many artists that fight together on Major Lazer’s side to promote good music.

After a very American opening, with the sound of military drums that remind westerns, the album emancipates and provides a ragga/dancehall music that is played on pretty odd samples (“Hold the Line”). What follows is an answer to that first song but insists on the ragga aspect using oldies samples (“When You Hear The Bass Line”). The whole album is made of this dancehall dynamism and sometimes rests with reggae songs (« Can’t Stop Now », « Lazer Theme », « Cash Flow »). Major Lazer is experimentation and musical discovery. Diplo and Switch delighted themselves and here provide astonishing compositions, as in “Baby” where a baby crying is used as the electro base. Everything ends perfectly with “Jump up” that leads you straight ahead on the dancefloor.

No doubt, Major Lazer is the musical event of the moment…no excuse to be missed. The strange atmosphere, the quality and the creativity of this album give a result above all expectations.

Damien CAHEN

Source: jiwa