Diplo ‘Florida’ (Big Dada)

Diplo a famed DJ from Philly in the USA has released his debut long player. Hailing from Hollertronix fame, Diplo has been providing East Coast grooves for quite some time, sashaying around playing drunken, crunk parties everywhere, and generating lots of PR.

It all seemed to be going well until the mighty Ninja Tune, through their sister label Big Dada, got hold of him. Ninja Tune, sometimes more retired sumo than stealthy assassin, has decided to fill a rather large gap left by more worthy predecessors such as Shadow et al. By stitching together a variety of styles, from dancehall to rap to hip hop, Diplo is trying to create new life with eclectic fusions and exotic combinations. Sometimes it works like with ‘Diplo Rhythm’, but overall the work largely appears a little laboured. Diplo whips a multitude of styles into a fine silt but they will not settle or emerge as anything new.

Working with pre-eminent collaborators such as former Tricky vocalist Martina Topley-Bird and Jamaica’s newest production star Vybz Kartel, Diplo had all the ammunition at his disposal and access to some very fine samples. But the moody pop with crunk beats sounds simply like a jittering and agitated funeral dirge. The violins and moog organ combo in ‘Big Lost‘ made me wince as it plodded along to some sort of Doors meets '9 Lazy 9' conclusion. ‘Money Power Respect’ started promisingly but pushed the yawning double bass thing too far, while using voice samples too obscure to make an impact. Boards of Canada can pull this kind of thing off, but Diplo struggles.

It’s this total absence of rigour - artistic rigour - that makes this eclectic mix-tape vibe appear so, well, Frankenstein-esque: body part here, body part there and all too visible scarring and bolts. Lets hope it crashes through the window and eats its deluded master in a triumphal fit of schadenfreude.

words: Rufus Sanders

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