Major Lazer – “Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do” (Audio)

I have to be honest: New reggae is not my thing. I’ve got a strong love and appreciation for the classics (Bob, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Alton Ellis, John Holt, etc. and the 70s Studio One and 80s Rockers), but the “bashment” — not really gravitating to it.

BUT, D.J.-producers Wesley (Diplo) Pentz and Dave (Switch) Taylor (known largely for their works with M.I.A. and Santigold), boarded a plane Jamaica-bound with noses wide-open inhaling all things Jamaica, and a new dancehall solider was born — Major Lazer, the moniker who lost his arms in an 80s ‘secret zombie” war and the US military replaced them with experimental lasers that double as prosthetic limbs. Quite an elaborate back story compared to his former commandos Lt. Stitchie, Admiral Bailey, and General Echo.

Both D.J.’s create music with unrelenting basslines and lots of small moving parts to make a distinct sound. This concept album let them push dancehall conventions by not changing it, but simply having fun with it. The horse whinnies, auto-tuning baby wails, and with hysterical lyrical content provided by bonafide dancehall vocalists such as Mr. Lex and Busy Signal make it a head-banging piece of work. Big ups to Diplo and Switch for this! Check out the tunes below, available on iTunes also.

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Roseann V. Warren

Founder + Editorial Director at Muphoric Sounds

Roseann V. Warren is a Brooklyn, NY-based freelance writer and developmental book editor who proudly calls herself a member of the Prince army and believes Hersey's chocolate is a crime against humanity. Follow her @webdiva3000

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