Back in 2007, Diplo and Switch were ready to release the music they’d made together; they just had to figure out what to call themselves. They each randomly select a bunch of words, write them on a piece of paper, and drop them into a hat. They came up with two, the first being “Main” and the second being “Laser”.
Thus, one of the most influential dance music projects of the late 2000s and 2010s was officially born.
bulletin board news In a rare joint interview with Diplo and Switch, the two discussed the origins of Major Lazer and the 15th anniversary of the band’s debut album. Guns don’t kill…lasers do.
The pair first met at Fabric London, realizing, Switch says, that “we both had a soft spot for Jamaican music at the time, and we were both doing our individual sounds, so it was a good excuse for us to come together and do thing.”
Both producers have worked with MIA on her albums Alura and KaraDiplo calls her “the catalyst for our music.” Shortly thereafter, the men were traveling to Jamaica monthly to make music, immerse themselves in the local music community, and have music recorded by Jamaican artists including Vybz Cartel and TKTK, eventually debuting on Major Lazer.
When they heard their song “Pon de Floor at a Gas Station in Kingston,” they knew they were doing something right, Switch said, realizing their music was “penetrating what we think is a very special market.” They brought their sound from Jamaica to the UK and played their first big show at London’s Notting Hill Carnival. Guns don’t kill…lasers do It was released on June 16, 2009, and ranked No. 169 on the Billboard 200 the following month.
The band’s catalog – which included Diplo, Walshy Fire and Jillionaire after the Switch exit and now features Walshy Fire and Diplo and Ape Drums – has since amassed 4.8 billion streams, according to Luminate.
“Through our videos and everything we do, [Major Lazer] will be canceled [nowadays] Before we get started,” Diplo said. “Because people won’t give us a chance. They’ll say ‘we don’t really understand this and that’s not true. ’ But at the time, no one really cared. They said, ‘I like the way this sounds. “There are so many trendsetters and rules these days.
The band continues to have breakthrough moments, with Beyoncé sampling “Pon de Floor” on her 2011 hit “Run the World (Girls)” and Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On” becoming Spotify’s most-streamed song at the time song time.
“We did invent something in the Major Lazer language,” Diplo continues, “but with the second project we were able to make a really hit record. It’s awesome to see the trajectory we’ve taken, something so chaotic. , and then built something meaningful to people.
Watch the full interview above to hear the two discuss why Switch left the band, why Diplo thinks “Get Free” is Major Lazer’s best song, and what it was like working with Beyoncé in the studio.
