Major Lazer is a collaborative musical project from DJ/Producers Diplo and Switch

Switch (DJ)

Switch is a UK-based DJ, songwriter, sound engineer and record producer. He is best known for his work with M.I.A. and Santigold.In the fidget house genre, Switch runs his own music label "Dubsided", as well as the label Counterfeet, established in 2006 with fellow producer Sinden...

.

Background

Made up of DJs Diplo and Switch

Switch (DJ)

Switch is a UK-based DJ, songwriter, sound engineer and record producer. He is best known for his work with M.I.A. and Santigold.In the fidget house genre, Switch runs his own music label "Dubsided", as well as the label Counterfeet, established in 2006 with fellow producer Sinden...

, the two were introduced after working with M.I.A.

M.I.A. (artist)

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...

. The duo's first album Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do

Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do

Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do is the debut full-length album by Major Lazer, collaborative music project from DJ/Producers Diplo and Switch. The album is heavily influenced by Jamaican dancehall music and features guest appearances from Jamaican artists on every track.-Reception:Rhapsody...

was released on June 16, 2009, on Downtown Records

Downtown Records

Downtown Records is a record label owned and operated by Downtown Music LLC. Music on the Downtown label is distributed by Universal Music's Fontana Distribution and, for certain releases, as a joint venture with Atlantic Records and also for select releases, by Alternative Distribution Alliance...

. It was recorded in Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

 at Tuff Gong

Tuff Gong

Tuff Gong is a record label that was formed by the reggae group The Wailers in 1970 and named after Bob Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari movement, Leonard "The Gong" Howell. The first single on the label was "Run For Cover" by The Wailers...

 Studios. Vocalists such as Santigold, Vybz Kartel

Vybz Kartel

Adidja Palmer , better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall artist, songwriter and businessman. He has many nicknames, including Addi Teacher and Gaza Emperor.-Biography:...

, Ward 21

Ward 21

Ward 21 are group of dancehall musicians and producers hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, named for the psychiatric ward at the University College Hospital in Kingston. Ward 21 are renowned producers and have created hit dancehall riddims like "Badda badda", "Da Joint", "Bellyas", and "Volume" as well...

, Busy Signal

Busy signal

A busy signal in telephony is an audible or visual signal to the calling party that indicates failure to complete the requested connection of that particular telephone call....

, Nina Sky

Nina Sky

Nina Sky is an American musical duo composed of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino .-Early life and career:Albino's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger...

, Amanda Blank

Amanda Blank

Amanda Blank is an American singer and member of the performance art band Sweatheart based in Philadelphia.-Early life:Amanda Blank was born in Germantown, a neighborhood in northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

, Mr. Vegas

Mr. Vegas

Mr. Vegas is a Jamaican dancehall star.-Biography:Smith was born in Kingston in 1974. The moniker "Mr. Vegas" was given to Smith by his schoolyard football-mates, who thought that he kicked the ball like a Las Vegas dancer...

, Turbulence

Turbulence (Musician)

Turbulence is a Jamaican reggae artist. He is a self-proclaimed member of the Rastafari movement. He was discovered in 1999 by Philip "Fatis" Burrell...

, Mapei, T.O.K, Prince Zimboo, Leftside and others contribute guest vocals to the album, as well as additional production from Afrojack

Afrojack

Nick van de Wall, born 9 September 1987, commonly known by his stage name Afrojack, is a Grammy Award winning Dutch music producer and DJ. Born and raised in Spijkenisse, Netherlands, He was listed as number 7 on DJ Mags top 100 DJs of 2011...

 and Crookers

Crookers

Crookers are an Italian DJ/production duo who have worked together since 2003. When the two artists met, both were trying to branch out of their genre and explore dance music. Their first collaboration worked...

. This is the first release to come out of the label partnership between Downtown Records

Downtown Records

Downtown Records is a record label owned and operated by Downtown Music LLC. Music on the Downtown label is distributed by Universal Music's Fontana Distribution and, for certain releases, as a joint venture with Atlantic Records and also for select releases, by Alternative Distribution Alliance...

 and Diplo's label Mad Decent

Mad Decent

__FORCETOC__Mad Decent is the name of the Philadelphia via Los Angeles based record label spearheaded by Thomas Wesley Pentz, who's better known as Diplo, the Grammy-nominated producer of M.I.A’s “Paper Planes”, and one half of the collaborative music project Major Lazer...

.
Major Lazer ended a US tour last summer. The album's first single was "Hold the Line", the video for which, directed by Ferry Gouw

Ferry Gouw

Ferry Gouw is an Indonesian musician, illustrator and video director working in the United Kingdom. He is the frontman of the indie band Semifinalists, and has directed and produced music videos for several bands in the UK indie music scene, including Lightspeed Champion...

, was nominated for a MTV Video Award

MTV Video Music Awards

An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

 in the Breakthrough Video

MTV Video Music Award - Breakthrough Video

The MTV Video Music Award for Breakthrough Video was first awarded in 1988, replacing the award for Most Experimental Video. Along with Best Direction in a Video, this award was considered to be one of the most important professional categories at the VMAs, as every once in a while it was even...

 category. "Hold the Line" was also featured in the video game FIFA 10

FIFA 10

carlos leivaFIFA 10 is the 17th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it was published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on 2 October 2009 in Europe, 30 September in Australia and 20 October 2009 in North America...

. The track "Zumbie" has a music video that features comedian Andy Milonakis

Andy Milonakis

Andrew Michael "Andy" Milonakis is an American actor, writer, rapper, and comedian of Greek descent best known for creating and starring in The Andy Milonakis Show on MTV and MTV2.-Life and career:...

. Music videos for the songs "Pon de Floor

Pon de Floor

"Pon de Floor" is a song by Major Lazer, which is made up of Diplo and Switch. It was released in 2009 by Mad Decent and Downtown Records as the second single from Major Lazer's first studio album, Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do . The duo wrote the song and produced it with Afrojack, while...

" and "Keep It Going Louder" were both directed by Eric Wareheim

Eric Wareheim

Eric Wareheim is an American actor, comedian, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric. Wareheim, along with Tim Heidecker, created the television shows Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Check It Out! with Dr...

. Major Lazer performed at the Falls Music & Arts Festival (Lorne, Victoria, Australia) on the December 30, 2009, the Coachella

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...

 Music Festival in April 2010 they also performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival

Pitchfork Music Festival

The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media and held in Union Park in Chicago, IL. The festival, which is normally held over three days in July, focuses primarily on artists and bands from alternative rock, rap & hip-hop, electronica, and dance...

 in July 2010 and the Sasquatch Music Festival on Monday May 30, 2011. Live visuals were created by Pomp&Clout. Major Lazer recently performed at the 618 Music and Arts festival that took place at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 18, 2011, and the 2011 Outside Lands festival in San Francisco.

A mixtape with La Roux entitled "Lazerproof" was made available for free download on May 26. Diplo posted cover art on his Twitpic. It is the character Major Lazer in War Machine's silver suit, Elly Jackson

Elly Jackson

Eleanor Kate "Elly" Jackson is an English singer-songwriter and the lead singer of the electropop duo La Roux. She is well known for her red hair and androgynous style.-Biography:...

 of La Roux

La Roux

La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...

 in the signature Iron Man suit, and Whiplash, the villain in the Iron Man 2 movie.

On June 20, 2010, the group released an EP titled "Lazers Never Die". It contained two new songs and three remixes, by Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke

Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...

 and others.

Major Lazer's live shows usually include hype man

Hype man

A hype man in hip hop music and rapping is a “backup rapper/singer who is also responsible for increasing an audience's excitement with call-and-response chants” according to The Hilltop and author Grant Barrett....

 Skerrit Bwoy.

Switch provided production for Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

' "Run the World (Girls)

Run the World (Girls)

"Run the World " is a song performed by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Knowles, Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, David "Switch" Taylor, and Adidja Palmer and produced by Switch, The-Dream, Knowles and Shea Taylor...

", which sampled "Pon de Floor" and Nicola Roberts

Nicola Roberts

Nicola Maria Roberts is a British recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2002 Roberts auditioned for the reality televisions series and competition Popstars The Rivals which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud...

' "Beat Of My Drum

Beat of My Drum

"Beat of My Drum" is a song by British recording artist Nicola Roberts. It was released on 3 June 2011, via Polydor Records, as the first single from Roberts's debut solo album, Cinderella's Eyes. It had an on-air, on-sale release date which meant originally it received no prior promotion,...

".

Albums

• Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do
  Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do
  Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do is the debut full-length album by Major Lazer, collaborative music project from DJ/Producers Diplo and Switch. The album is heavily influenced by Jamaican dancehall music and features guest appearances from Jamaican artists on every track.-Reception:Rhapsody...
  
  (2009)
• Lazers Never Die
  Lazers Never Die
  Lazers Never Die is an EP by Major Lazer released in 2010 that includes two brand new songs and three remixes of songs from the album Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do.-Track listing:...
  
  (EP) (2010)

Mixtapes

• Major Lazer Essential Mix (available as podcast) (2009)
• Lazerproof (with La Roux
  La Roux
  La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...
  
  ) (2010)
• Major Lazer Summer Mix (available as podcast) (2010)

Singles

• "Hold The Line" (2009)
• "Zumbie" (2009)
• "Pon de Floor
  Pon de Floor
  "Pon de Floor" is a song by Major Lazer, which is made up of Diplo and Switch. It was released in 2009 by Mad Decent and Downtown Records as the second single from Major Lazer's first studio album, Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do . The duo wrote the song and produced it with Afrojack, while...
  
  " ft Vybz Kartel
  Vybz Kartel
  Adidja Palmer , better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall artist, songwriter and businessman. He has many nicknames, including Addi Teacher and Gaza Emperor.-Biography:...
  
  (2009) 125 UK
• "Keep It Going Louder" (2009)
• "Jump Up" (2009)
• "Original Don" (2011)