Major Lazer is the digital reggae/dancehall project of
Diplo (Philadelphia's
Wes Pentz) and
Switch (London's
Dave Taylor), two globetrotting, tastemaking DJ/producers whose previous collaborations notably included production work for
M.I.A. and
Santigold. Recorded at Jamaica's Tuff Gong studios, the debut album
Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do featured vocal contributions from noted dancehall stars including
Vybz Cartel,
Busy Signal,
Mr. Vegas, and
Turbulence as well as
Santigold,
Nina Sky, and rapper
Amanda Blank. Much anticipation and online chatter were fueled in part by the novelty video/song "Zumbi," featuring the comedian
Andy Milonakis, the frenetic, legitimate lead single "Hold the Line," and a goofy, invented backstory about a renegade Jamaican commando with prosthetic laser arms who was allegedly a Zombie War veteran and vampire-fighting C.I.A. operative (but was demonstrably a rampant Twitter user). The album was released in June of 2009 as a joint venture between Downtown Records and
Diplo's Mad Decent label. ~ K. Ross Hoffman, All Music Guide