Diplo/Various

2005 has been a good year to many, but few artists have had a hotter year than Diplo. The man has his hands in many coffers. As a producer, he’s the inspired beat master behind M.I.A.’s Arular. As a DJ, he’s become North America’s ambassador of Brazilian Baile funk. Last year’s self-released Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1 served as a telling preview of what he had in store for us in the coming months. Now, for those of us who weren’t lucky enough to catch him hawking that mix-tape out of the trunk of his car (or selling it off his website) his new DJ mix for London’s trailblazing Fabric club will fill us in on just how versatile and adventurous a DJ Diplo has become. At 27 tracks, there’s no arguing his generosity, but the crux of Diplo’s mixes has never been simply stringing together a few tracks. Rather, his deft ear for Miami bass, electro, Detroit techno, Baile funk, indie rock, and hip-hop stakes its territory as the aural history of worthwhile music filtering in and out of the South-eastern United States. Outkast rub up against the Cure, Ludacris against Aphex Twin, Cybotron tug on Yazoo, and there’s really no way to explain how Cat Power sneaks in there. No matter what your tastes are, this is hands down one of the most impressive mixes of the year.