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Home » articles » Diplo: Diplo – Album Review

Diplo: Diplo – Album Review

March 2, 2022 by Talia Andrea

Diplo

Diplo deep-dives into electronic music in all its forms for his first full-length album in 18 years.

Diplo, who might be better known by some as one-third of Major Lazer, one-third of LSD (as the ‘D’ to Labrinth and Sia’s ‘L’ and ‘S’), or half of GRAMMY-winning Silk City, proves he can hold his own under no other name but his own, with his first full-length album in 18 years. Maybe this is why the album is simply, and aptly, titled Diplo.

As expected, the album is a far cry from the hard-hitting trip-hop of his 2004 album Florida. Jasper Goggins, president of the Diplo-founded label ‘Mad Decent’, describes Diplo as “purpose-built for Diplo’s favourite places to play in the world; a testament to his undying love of DJing live in front of people”. This is clear from the sheer amount of floor-fillers, both old (On My Mind, Looking For Me, Promises, Don’t Be Afraid, One By One) and new, that fill the album’s 51-minute runtime.

Diplo

Don’t Forget My Love with Miguel kicks off the album with a pleasant but forgettable pop-tinged sound over a typical electronic drumbeat, which unfortunately isn’t a one-off; the similar-sounding Promises and Looking For Me sound purpose-built for mainstream radio airtime, which doesn’t exactly disprove Goggins’ initial statement that “the features and collaborations may look like contemporary industry algorithmic engineering”. 

The rest of the album isn’t so unadventurous, however—Your Eyes with RY X veers into ambient house, with dreamy, filtered vocals and more scattered drum patterns, while deep-house Humble features slippery autotuned rap vocals and thumping bass that much better suits Diplo’s dancefloor-focused vision. Forget About Me (Nite Version) sounds more built for a night drive than a nightclub, spinning the original track into spiralling synthwave; the plaintive Make You Happy takes a similar route, sounding like it’d be the last song of a set, despite not being the last in the album. 

Right 2 Left with Mele is the album’s standout track by far—the kind of track that could get anyone moving with its frenetic percussion and addictive hook, even without rap legend Busta Rhymes’s call to “all of my people moving around”.

Across its 14 songs, the album features a staggering 20 guest artists, each of whom bring something of their own to the table. Recent Khruangbin collaborator Leon Bridges brings a soulful touch on High Rise, while Jungle’s falsetto vocals and funk guitar on Don’t Be Afraid align the track more with Tame Impala on double speed than with Diplo’s fellow dance-music DJs. Waiting For You with Seth Troxler and Desire is oddly 2000s, but it somehow (almost) works. After all, the album is about reaching back to his roots—despite its standard-radio-house moments, it’s also a love letter to electronic music before the streaming era, where it was best (and only) played in front of a crowd.

Diplo is an album that’s impossible not to imagine played loud and danced-to, and given Diplo’s upcoming tour, many fans won’t have to settle for just imagining. It also cements Diplo’s status as electronic music royalty, whose reign isn’t expected to end anytime soon.

Score 3.5/5

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Filed Under: Review

About Talia Andrea

There's always music playing somewhere in Talia's home, and there always has been since she was very young—so one day, she decided to start writing about it.

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  1. Diplo Joined Tinder To ‘Connect’ With Fans About New Song – Hollywood Life - Hot and Viral News says:
    March 11, 2022 at 5:11 pm

    […] “woven new features with his signature beats for an LP full of magic.” In its 3.5/5 review, Vinyl Chapters said that while the album isn’t as adventurous as they would have liked, reviewer Talia Andrea […]

    Reply
  2. Diplo se juntou ao Tinder 'para se conectar com os fãs de novas maneiras' e compartilhar sua música 'Don't Forget My Love' - Bosa de novidades says:
    March 11, 2022 at 5:16 pm

    […] recursos com suas batidas de assinatura para um LP cheio de magia”. Dentro sua revisão 3.5/5, Capítulos de vinil disse que, embora o álbum não seja tão aventureiro quanto eles gostariam, o revisor Tália […]

    Reply
  3. Diplo ist Tinder beigetreten, um sich auf neue Weise mit Fans zu verbinden und seinen Song „Don’t Forget My Love“ zu teilen - presse nachrichten says:
    March 11, 2022 at 5:28 pm

    […] charakteristischen Beats für eine LP voller Magie verwoben“ habe. Im seine 3,5/5 Bewertung, Vinyl-Kapitel sagten, dass das Album zwar nicht so abenteuerlich ist, wie sie es sich gewünscht hätten, […]

    Reply
  4. Diplo Joined Tinder ‘To Connect With Fans In New Ways’ & Share His Song ‘Don’t Forget My Love’ – HollywoodLife – Haelden entertainment says:
    March 12, 2022 at 5:02 am

    […] new features with his signature beats for an LP full of magic.” In its 3.5/5 review, Vinyl Chapters said that while the album isn’t as adventurous as they would have liked, reviewer Talia […]

    Reply

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