While promoting his new project "Random White Dude Be Everywhere," Diplo AKA Wesley Pentz AKA abbreviate of Diplodaucus answered Reddit users most pressing questions on an hour long Reddit AMA.
Although some of them touched on his experience as an experienced producer - speaking on his work and opinions of artists like MO, Die Antwoord, Lenkemz, Stromae, Madonna, MIA, Santigold, SIA, Kanye West, and Walshy Fire & Jillionaire of his long-time side project Major Lazer under his record label Mad Decent - most felt up the Twitter Blondre on more personal questions regarding his son and where some of the hottest "thots" and "twerkers" live today [Hint: Siberia].
Sprinkled in the medley of inquiries were also some brief nuggets of knowledge for new DJ's, Fish Hoagie enthusiasts, and anyone even remotely interested in not-understanding why Diplo continues to superimpose his face on photo's of the Olsen Twins.
Listed below are some of our favorite questions, many of which hint at some exciting new projects in the works for Riff Raff, Jack U with Skrillex, and the current status of a 10-year strong relationship with Flosstradamus.
Read on and follow us for more news @IXICHICAGO
Although some of them touched on his experience as an experienced producer - speaking on his work and opinions of artists like MO, Die Antwoord, Lenkemz, Stromae, Madonna, MIA, Santigold, SIA, Kanye West, and Walshy Fire & Jillionaire of his long-time side project Major Lazer under his record label Mad Decent - most felt up the Twitter Blondre on more personal questions regarding his son and where some of the hottest "thots" and "twerkers" live today [Hint: Siberia].
Sprinkled in the medley of inquiries were also some brief nuggets of knowledge for new DJ's, Fish Hoagie enthusiasts, and anyone even remotely interested in not-understanding why Diplo continues to superimpose his face on photo's of the Olsen Twins.
Listed below are some of our favorite questions, many of which hint at some exciting new projects in the works for Riff Raff, Jack U with Skrillex, and the current status of a 10-year strong relationship with Flosstradamus.
Read on and follow us for more news @IXICHICAGO
"What if flosstradamus never remixed original don?" | "No |
"when is the jack u album coming out?"
[JACK U] is doing a mixtape...its gonna be very cool...fist single is called "take you there" w Kiesza i wanna try and get a stream of it out this week
I've been working with Sonny for about 5 years...he was one of the first producers i met when i moved to LA...and we just always been really close musically with our ideas. We made a song for his EP around "Bangarang" that we never finished called "Amplifier" that was remade actually and was pretty cool...he even sang and played guitar on a few Major Lazer demos for me...i have about 45 songs in the pool for the new record so i'm not sure what's gonna make it...but JAck U we just make the songs really randomly in DTLA or random places in hotel rooms very quickly
"i'm a 16 year old dj/producer and i just wanted to know if you had any advice about getting noticed?
"Don't worry about getting noticed. Just worry about making music that will last forever. U will get noticed for that."
"What was the first time you were making a song and you played it back and thought to yourself, "holy shit, this is good," and how did that moment feel?"
"I love when a song gives my goose bumps...music is really amazing when it can make u feel that way. It's one of the only things that can really lift me up and take me to another place."
"HOW did you gather the courage to say 'fuck it' to teaching and becoming a dj?"
"When i got fired from all the other jobs...back when i started there was NO WAY u could be famous as a DJ...no YouTube, Soundcloud, no way to have a instant hit like these days. I would be lucky just to pay my rent in Philly from a few jobs a week. It's crazy that kids aspire to be a DJ now. Back then the ceiling was so low, now it's like endless how far producers or DJ's can go. It's like insane."
"you seem to spend your life touring, how do you find time to actually make music?"
"In hotel rooms, or studios between shows. I made 3 great songs in Amsterdam last week between Ibiza and Paris shows...all i need is some time with nothing to do but that...i'll work tomorrow night too...this week i'm home in LA and surprising i have the least time when i'm home but i have my son here and all i wanna do is hang out with him [Lockett Pentz]."
"what does your son think about you being on the road, making music, and partying?
is he interested in music as well?
"He just started to collect music on his iPad. He has 4 songs. His favorites are "Good kisser," and "Everything is awesome." I love to drive with him and hear the random songs that he likes on the radio. He always tries to play the ukelele i got him..."
opinions on...
"What was your first original/remix where you realized you were on to something? Do you rmember that moment when you freaked out and got all excited because things were looking up?"
"When i made "Florida" i was nervous and i didn't even know what would happen next and it wasn't really that well received. Funny enough, 10 years later a lot of kids that are like 18-22 (the age when i made it) hit me up like wow this is crazy. My heroes back then were shadow Rjd2 and Dilla. I think once i did my mixtape i found an angle that no one else was really doing. Making mixtapes and finding new ways to mix music, like Hollertronix, or MIA, or Santigold Mixtapes. I found out i was good at that. I think i was good at producing too. I just know that no one else was mixing music with a new idea. So i tried to just filter everything into a new style that i hope is still evolving. I'm just lucky that i'm working in a time with so many cool kids also making music and inspiring me and i think 10 years later, people's taste in music is a lot more developed with new ways to listen and hear music and i'm ready to be a part of it." |
"When are we going to see florida 2? If you could collaborate with anyone in the music industry who would it be? have you ever released something under a pseudonym? Would you ever go back to teaching?"
"Florida...we are reissuing the album again in November. I dug up like 3 demos and touched them up. They are very, very crazy in that old style i used to work in...there are some pseudonyms i've worked under...but i just kinda became able to do whatever now and fans don't really turn it off. I'm kinda lucky that i can make a song w Lunice. then a song with Madonna or Major Lazer and then some ambient music for a Terrence Malik Film. I don't think i have to really put my stuff in a box."
what is up with the olsen twins posts you have? They're hilarious, but i don't get the context."
"Who is your favorite person to collab with in mad decent? Who is the funniest in mad decent? (name some stuff they do)"
"Well dillon and snake have me laughing so hard. and we are all really close...floss isn't on mad decent but.damn. I've been Djing with them for like 10 years...they opened for me like 10 years ago at smart bar and got me so drunk i couldn't even even use the mixer i went full retard...they also played the very first mad decent block party 7 years ago...that set was recorded online somewhere.." | |
"Will there ever be anything like the hollerboard again?""There's a story about the hollerboard history on Vice. i need to read it. i just have WhatsAp and Email conversations now a days with different DJs." | Hollerboard was a pretty successful gathering place for people in music and admirers of it. Pre-dating sites like Facebook, Twitter, and even MySpace, it helped DJ's like Diplo and current heavy weights like A-Trak to communicate, share music, and book gigs beyond Philly and kick-started their international dominance. Unfortunately, it also sparked many feuds towards the end of it's existence in 2010 and was later terminated entirely. More at THUMP |
"I heard you told riff raff he had to focus on the lyrics in his songs because a lot was riding on his album. Is this true?"
"this is really tru"
"it was rumored that [neon icon] was to have many high profile features on it. But all the features seemingly bailed on him one by one. What's up with that? Politics? i saw some interviews with riff and he seemed GENUINELY frustrated with the industy after all that happened. real shame and looks cowardly on all the other rapper's part."
"Yes and about Riff Raff...Major [Labels] just totally suck. We had a lot of verses from people but it's not just the rappers that have to give the green light to it's labels. Sometimes there's a lot of red tape that we can't cut thru. We just want to bid his profile so that we don't need any features the next time."