Song of the Day: Major Lazer - Watch Out For This (Bumaye)

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Watch Out For This (Bumaye) (feat. Busy Signal, The Flexican & FS Green)” by Major Lazer from the 2013 album Free The Universe on Secretly Canadian.

Major Lazer - Watch Out For This (Bumaye) (feat. Busy Signal, The Flexican & FS Green) (MP3)

Formed in 2008 as a project between producers Diplo and Switch, Major Lazer's globally-influenced dance music stands as one of the current EDM movement's most unique ventures. Before the project's genesis, both producers already had an impressive resume working with M.I.A. and Santigold, and lacking a full-time vocalist, use Gorillaz-style animations to represent the group in the media. In 2011, after the release of their debut album Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do, Switch departed the project, and after carrying on alone for a time, Diplo recruited producer Jillionaire to flesh out the project in the studio. (The band's live incarnation features a revolving cast of hype men, dancers, and, as shown above, the occasional Grimes photobomb.) The group's most recent album, Free the Universe, features a Queens of the Stone Age-worthy guest list, including Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman, and, uh, Bruno Mars on a song called "Bubble Butt." As if Diplo didn't have enough bangers in his catalog already, "Watch Out For This (Bumaye)" is an explosive, dancehall-on-steroids party starter that fits alongside his most infectious material. As Jamaican MCs Busy Signal, The Flexican & FS Green toast to the party, Diplo and Jillionaire's busy production erupts at every corner, providing a worthy soundtrack to whenever Diplo dives out into the crowd into his plastic bubble.

Major Lazer is on tour all summer, but they don't have any Pacific Northwest dates booked right now. Keep an eye on their website, Facebook, and Diplo's mostly funny, always weird Twitter feed. Watch the Jay Will-directed video for "Watch Out For This" now: