2013 was a particularly prolific year for Diplo. It included releasing music and embarking on a tour as one half of Major Lazer, his side-project with London-based DJ and producer Switch. It's also meant hitting the road for concerts at both the X-Games and Coachella. He even announced a new collaboration with Skrillex, called Jack U, which saw them make their live debut in San Diego in September. He followed that performance with a set of his own at Tomorrow World in Atlanta.
LA’s globe-conquering, trend-setting producer extraordinaire is perhaps most famous for his in-studio collaborations with the likes of Beyonce, Snoop Dog, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and countless other hit-makers. However, Diplo cut his teeth as a performer in the underground clubs of Philly under the moniker Hooked on Hollertroniks in the early 2000s, drawing the likes of Bun B and M.I.A. out to see the growing legend for themselves. He would go on to collaborate with the latter on a number of mix tapes, starting with 2004's "Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1" and three full-length LPs. Their song "Paper Planes" (which further enlisted the help of Switch) nabbed a Grammy nomination and reached #4 on Billboard’s US Hot 100. He translated his success further to the mainstream in 2011 when he worked with Beyonce on songs "Run the World (Girls)" and "End of Time" for her fourth studio album "4," and produced singles for Usher and Marina and the Diamonds in 2012.
October 2013 saw the release of “Elastic Heart,” a song Diplo produced for former Zero 7 singer Sia as part of the "Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack." The track also features "The Weeknd."
Whether he’s performing solo at a private party or with Major Lazer in front of a towering array of LED displays, Diplo's genre-bursting cocktail of dub, dancehall, crunk, acid house, baile funk, Afro, and any other street beat he can get his hands on is just the ticket for party-goers around the world ready to wave anything that glows in the dark.
