Diplo ’s Caribbean bass collective, Major Lazer , has returned with their long awaited follow up to ‘ Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do ’ with another instalment that features every thing from Reggae to Dancehall to Dirty Dutch in ‘ Free the Universe ’. Much like its forbearer, it leaves no genre sacred as it jumps around the all-in Jamaican infused party.
Unlike the first Major Lazer release, this record has been put together sans Switch , as Diplo now teams up with Jillionaire and Walshy Fire . Even without Switch this album is certainly not limited to the creative minds of three people. It seems that when Major Lazer put the call out for collaborations, people answer.
The album features around 20 massive colabs across 14 tracks, but just incase you forget who you’re actually listening to, they also casually name drop themselves around 34 times. On the record you can hear names from all walks of the musical world, from Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend to Shaggy (gee he must be wrapped to be working again) and most importantly perhaps, Dancehall legends likes Elephant man and Vybz Kartel . This inclusion of many local Caribbean talents seems to be an obvious move as the Major Lazer collective continues to strive to prove its authenticity in the tight knit Dancehall community.
While authenticity is the aim, and is mostly achieved, this is not only an album that is firmly rooted in a niche Dancehall sound. ‘Free the Universe’ is a record that changes genres sporadically from track to track, and listens almost like a diverse playlist from BBC1 Xtra ’s ‘ Diplo and Friends Show ’. This is not a bad thing.
Often many of the collaborations on this album are as ambitious as they are sporadic in the sounds they are trying to achieve. Thankfully they often work, too. Take for example, the monster hit of 2012, ‘ Get Free ’. Amber Coffman ’s soul filled vocals pair perfectly with the slow dubs beats, which creates a pairing of worlds that has clearly struck a chord with thousands.
In ‘ You’re No Good ’ a less dominating (by comparison to the rest of the album) percussion and bass arrangement forms the foundation for its A-list vocalist line up, which gets the message across clearly. Long time Diplo collaborator Santigold , Danielle Haim (of Haim ) and Yasmin all provide delicately haunting vocals throughout while the ‘badman’ spittin Vybz Kartel can get across his thoughts on 50cent and Eminem, amongst other topics. It’s another example of moulding a song to the talents presented on it – not having a name added as an after thought.
Welcome and expected heavier moments come on the album from tracks like ‘ Mash Up the Dance ’ (feat. The Party Squad and Ward 21 ) and ‘ Jet Blue Jet ’ (feat. Leftside , GTA , Razz & Biggy ) with a highlight being the current single ‘ Watch Out For This (Bumaye) ’ featureing Busy Signal , The Flexican , FS Green and that mind drilling Willie Colón trumpet sample.
Fierce, fast and vulgar female MCs Peaches and Timberlee are a highlight on the driving electro beat of ‘ Scare Me ’. While ‘ Play Ground ’ continues the Reggae-dub vibes in good balance.
Much of the success of these ambitious collaborations depends upon the delivery of those who have been enlisted. And on a couple of occasions they fall flat. Ezra Koenig, a man who has had much experience with world music, can’t quite deliver an engaging performance in the faux-reggae ballad ‘ Jessica ’ and as a result the song quickly becomes old. Shaggy and the queen of mediocre vocal dance hooks, Wynter Gordon , deliver a much expected dull radio friendly performance in ‘ Keep Cool ’. The track is no doubt catchy, and may even get some radio love, but is a disappointing feature on a record that is obviously trying to push the boundaries of EDM and Dancehall.
As a whole, ‘Free the Universe’ offers a diverse and engaging insight to what Diplo and his BFFs have been up to in the last couple years as they travel around Jamaica and the world. There’s no doubt that the Major Lazer collective has grown much more mature and diverse since ‘ Pon De Floor ’ first hit our internet and this maturity is starting to show in this album, while still managing to not take itself painfully seriously. It’s an interesting album that goes from full throttle dancefloor tunes to deeper Kingston brewed dub. It wont be for everyone but if you like what you’ve heard of it so far, chances are you’ll have your twerking skills down pat in no time.
WORDS BY Matt Bladin
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