Ok, few things have me excited as the upcoming project from producers extraordinaire Diplo and Switch‘s new creation. They’ve been hard at work on this for awhile, spending time holed up in Kingston, Jamaica studios (including Tuff Gong) with various dancehall artists (Vybz Cartel, Ward 21, Fambo, Busy Signal) creating alter ego Major Lazer — “a renegade commando with a lazer arm and a rocket-powered skateboard who fights the spoils of Vampires, Zombies, Pimps, Mummies and other unsavory forces of evil.” That might sound weird, but it’s perfectly in line with the madness first dreamt up by the twisted brain of Lee Perry and later embellished by dub legends like Scientist who’ve been riding this vampire-killing motif for days.

Ever since the explosion of M.I.A., both producer’s profiles have elevated along with. Fitting, as Switch produced more tracks than anyone else on her Kala LP, and Diplo produced the song that put her on the map, “Paper Planes” (I still love that track). According to their PR:

The music is Diplo & Switch’s interpretation and homage to the songs and sounds they have discovered through the years..  The identity of Major Lazer was created by the two producers as a conduit to express their affinity for Jamaican music. The album references dancehall, ska, reggae, dub, calypso, and soca music recontextualized via Diplo and Switch’s club friendly background.

“It’s like digital reggae and dancehall from Mars in the future, pop culture run through a Jamaican filter!” exclaims Diplo.

The best part? The name of the album: Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do. Genius. To be released on June 16th on the red-hot Downtown Records.