The Deep End

Land of the Lost

Comments (0) By Jonathan Zwickel Thursday, Dec 29 2005

Wesley Pentz has come a long way since his days growing up in West Broward. After migrating north from Florida to Philly, he took on the Jurass-kicking moniker Diplo, hooked up with fellow beat junkie Low Budget, and ignited Hollertronix, the DJ duo and weekly party of the same name. Now known among the hipsterati as one of the foremost mash-up artists, Diplo has an ear for the world's most mesmerizing, ass-shaking, basement-rattling beats. His sweat-drenched danceathons unite big-bootied styles from around the world — Brazilian baile funk, old school hip-hop, reggaeton, U.K. grime, Dirty South crunk, and Baltimore house music. Plus, he's got a soft spot for '80s dance-goth and new wave, so you might find yourself bouncing surreally from Siouxsie and the Banshees into Lil' Jon.

More About

"There's a whole network of promoters and kids who are into this forward-thinking way of making music," he says of the global underground he witnessed in '05. "It's a new thing: an urban, club-culture, grassroots movement that's emerging." Diplo is also linked to paramour/hip-hop hottie M.I.A., having worked on the it-chick's Arular album and served as her tour DJ. "I represented for all underground music and was oblivious to genres," Diplo says of what could be considered a banner year. "I wasn't afraid to play what I wanted to play and keep up a discourse with the audience." There's no doubt the guy's a trendsetter for the underground set, and there's nothing the Design District crowd loves more. But it's New Year's Eve, so don't even try to wallflower: it's time to go all tyrannosaurus on the dance floor.