Jack U

Diplo hits ’em with the dab in Paris. (DMahoney)

Billboard has named Diplo “Dance Artist of the Year” in their third annual Power List of DJs and Execs. The magazine also interviewed him for their current cover story.

The attention makes sense. Since 2015, Diplo’s groups have scored two worldwide hits: Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On” featuring MØ and Jack Ü’s “Where Are U Now” featuring Justin Bieber. The tracks have amassed more than 758 million and 3.4 million combined streams and sales, respectively. In March, Major Lazer performed a historic concert in Cuba, becoming the first US act to do so in decades. Now, the group is working with Bieber and MØ together on “Cold Water,” the lead single off Major Lazer’s upcoming fourth album.

Here’s what we learned from the interview:

1. He’s focused on producing for his own groups now.

“Beyoncé is the only artist I’ve produced for the last year, because it’s more lucrative for us to make our own music now. When we put out a song with Beyoncé, cool, we’ll get a fee, we’ll get some [publishing] splits, but Beyoncé is going to make a billion dollars touring it. If I make a song and it’s my song, like ‘Lean On,’ we’re going to make money off the synchs, the Spotify and we get to headline festivals on it. That’s the model I want to explore.”

2. He’s still an independent artist at heart.

“It’s complicated because we just want to [release ‘Cold Water’] indie. And convincing Team Bieber to do that is hard. We don’t need to have some guy tell us, We don’t need to have some guy tell us, ‘Oh, this is what the market research says.’ I’m on the ground. I see it.”

3. He finds greater purpose when performing in places where other big American acts don’t go.

“In Pakistan, people were in tears. I’m not like the Red Cross, but the kids in Pakistan and Cuba want this. It feels like I’m doing something that’s important — I’m helping them create something that wasn’t there before.”

4. He doesn’t like the EDM scene.

“The DJ world is the corniest f–ing group of people. We’re not celebrities, we’re not famous for any good reason. We’re just … really lame. Besides people like Dillon Francis, who makes fun of the whole thing, or Calvin Harris, it’s a sinking ship. It’s a really lame culture. I’m sad that I’m part of it, but I play the game.”

5. He uses Spotify and his own shows to find the next hit.

“I think Spotify has been killing it with playlists. With Mad Decent we’re putting out like 400 songs this year. And we’re just doing it because we can find out which are playlist-friendly . . . Labels pay a lot of money for market research. I get it for free. Just give me an afterparty to DJ at.”

Related: Diplo Discusses Major Lazer’s Historic Cuba Concert

 
Skrillex and Diplo have released visuals for the AlunaGeorge-assisted “To Ü” — the third single off their debut Jack Ü album. The song recently received remixes from Armand Van Helden, Clean Bandit, and Oliver.
 
Watch the video above and download the original track and its remixes on DJcity.
 
Related: Skrillex and Diplo Drop ‘Where Are U Now’ Video Feat. Justin Bieber

Craig David performing on Kurupt FM’s BBC Radio 1Xtra takeover. (Credit: 1Xtra)
 
R&B legend Craig David has released an official version of his “Fill Me In” and “Where Are U Now” blend exclusively through DJcity.
 
The British singer made headlines last week after he sang the 2000 classic over the instrumental of Jack U’s hit during Kurupt FM’s takeover on BBC Radio 1Xtra. A video clip of him singing the blend was shared by Diplo, Justin Bieber, Scooter Braun, and numerous blogs.
 
Watch below and download the official version on DJcity. Shout out to 1Xtra’s MistaJam for sending us the track!
 

Thank you! ??? @kuruptFM @mistajam @bbc1Xtra @stormzy1 @sholaama @diplo SG MCDT @OriginalVapour #SixtyMinutesLive pic.twitter.com/brQtN4MZgt

— Craig David (@CraigDavid) September 11, 2015

????? https://t.co/P72FwmeWjH

— diplo (@diplo) September 11, 2015

daaayyyyuuuuummmmmm @CraigDavid ?https://t.co/cLHdgJd6q0

— SKRILLEX (@Skrillex) September 13, 2015

 
Related: Jack U and Justin Bieber Discuss the Making of ‘Where Are U Now’

“We’ve always been outsiders in this dance world.” – Diplo

 
Veteran journalist Charlie Rose has interviewed some of the world’s most important people on his PBS talk show. From President Obama and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, Rose has achieved legendary status.
 
While the award-winning host has spoken with all kinds of celebrities, his musical guests are usually few and far between. Wednesday night’s episode was one of the rarities, though, as Rose sat down with Skrillex and Diplo aka Jack U for an intimate half-hour discussion about the group’s mission and philosophy. Other topics that were discussed include drug use in EDM and whether producers should be considered musicians.
 
If you like Rose’s style, we also recommend watching his interview with Nas from last year.
 
Related: A-Trak Gets Busy with Jack U’s ‘Beats Knockin”

 
It’s been over a year since A-Trak released a routine video, but today the heavyweight turntablist makes the wait worthwhile with a new episode of “Short Cuts.”
 
Using Jack Ü’s banger “Beats Knockin’,” the Fool’s Gold chief once again gives a demonstration on the art of “Real DJing.” His routine contains nearly three minutes of flawless scratching and juggling, all without losing the song’s energy.
 
Watch ‘Trak get busy above, and download “Beats Knockin'” and its remixes on DJcity.
 
H/T: Dancing Astronaut
 
Related: A-Trak Pays Tribute to Club DJs While at Coachella

 
Some fans were skeptical when they discovered that Skrillex and Diplo’s debut Jack U album includes a song with Justin Bieber. “Where Are U Now” has been a huge success, though, and many of the naysayers have embraced it.
 
With the single currently at number 15 and climbing on the Billboard Hot 100, Skrill and Dip have released a video for the song, which features hundreds of pieces of art from fans.
 
The following message was included with the video:
 

“We are being overwhelmed, in a good way, by the success of ‘Where Are Ü Now’ with Justin Bieber, so with the video we wanted to just take it back to the beginning of the record & essentially create an ode to our fans. Doing what we do, it’s entirely all about the fans. We walk a fine line by being ‘famous’ and in the public eye but we are only here because of you, the fans. Justin wrote this record during a tough time in his life and it comes to us that sometimes, as artists, we are also just objects and we have to take that as much as we have to use that to create. We all do this for you, respect that you put us here and it’s Ü that made the video.”

 
Watch above and download “Where Are U Now” and its remixes on DJcity.
 
Related: Watch Jack U’s ‘Take U There’ Video ft. Kiesza

 
In an unexpected move, Diplo and Skrillex’s Jack U group dropped their highly-anticipated debut album on Thursday night. The release comes as the duo hosts a live 24-hour DJ set through video streaming website, Twitch.
 
The 10-track album includes two previously released songs that are both available on DJcity: their debut single “Take U There” with Kiesza and a remix featuring Missy Elliot.
 
The following tracks from the album are now available on DJcity:
 
– Beats Knockin ft. Fly Boi Keno
– Febreze ft. 2 Chainz
– Jungle Bae ft. Bunji Garlin
– To U ft. AlunaGeorge
– Where Are U Now ft. Justin Bieber
 
Related: Diplo and Skrillex Discuss Similarities Between Hip-Hop and EDM

 
After last week’s teaser, Diplo and Skrillex (aka Jack U) have unleashed Missy Elliot’s remix of their Kiesza-assisted single, “Take U There.” The new version is much like the original, except that it adds Missy’s powerful and distinctive vocals.
 
With her spectacular Super Bowl performance and now this remix, we can’t help but wonder if Missy is set for a comeback this year.
 
Download: Jack U – Take U There – Missy Elliot Remix
 
Related: Watch a Recap of Jack U’s Mad Decent Boat Party Set

 
Those who weren’t able to attend the Mad Decent Boat Party last November can now enjoy a recap of Jack U’s surprise performance, which was said to have been pretty wild. The seven-minute video above also includes footage of Flosstradamus’ set and cameos from DJ Snake, Riff Raff, ILoveMakonnen, and others.
 
Related: Watch Jack U’s ‘Take U There’ Video ft. Kiesza

 
As promised, Diplo and Skrillex aka Jack U released the video for “Take U There” on Tuesday midnight. The track, which features rising singer-songwriter Kiesza, was one of the most downloaded on DJcity in September. Shout to Sir Marcus from the Tall Boys for the heads up.
 
Download “Take U There” and its remixes on DJcity.
 
Related: Diplo and Skrillex Discuss Similarities Between Hip-Hop and EDM