Diplo: Express Yourself EP
Mad Decent
Pop music is a little more excitable with Diplo in it. If there’s one upshot to the producer’s recent overexposure, it’s that the Billboard charts have taken on the Jersey-Turnpiking sound of a Tri-State nightclub. Under his direction, even Chris Brown can’t fuck up too badly; Diplo’s synthesized burps and behemoth drums do all of the talking. The motormouthed Express Yourself EP bears that quality out, filtering the extroverted rhythms of Baltimore club music through Brazilian baile funk on “Set It Off” and Jamaican dancehall on “Move Around” (featuring a rapturous, big-lunged Elephant Man). The EP’s globalized approach makes one point clear: Regardless of class or creed, beatin’ up the beat is one pleasure earthly enough for all to enjoy. (3 out of 5 stars)