Diplo laid on his disdain for EDM culture once again this week in an interview with The Chicago Tribune, following his extremely controversial comments in Billboard‘s June piece.
Back then, Diplo said that, “The DJ world is the corniest f–ing group of people. We’re not celebrities, we’re not famous for any good reason.
“It’s a really lame culture,” he told Billboard in June. I’m sad that I’m part of it, but I play the game.” 
Now, Diplo has resurfaced to give his thoughts on the concept once more, this time even referring to EDM as the deadly White Walkers from the HBO series Game of Thrones.
“I don’t think EDM ever existed to begin with. … All these DJs were already big — they were already part of conglomerate management companies and festival circuits. A lot of cool things were happening in dance and electronic music — you’re in Chicago, so you know. You don’t need EDM to come in and save you.”
“It’s always been like, ‘Oh, how can we sell Sprite?’ Yeah, the EDM winter is here, and the White Walkers are coming to eat you.”
What’s especially interesting about Diplo’s recent comments is his own, deep relationship to the industry and its growth. More than nearly any other DJ in the EDM circuit, Diplo has been known for creating consistent bridges to the mainstream and pop-oriented sides of music. His social media is about as EDM as it gets, not to mention his championing of pop idol Justin Bieber in both his Jack Ü and Major Lazer projects.
Criticizing an industry for being fake and with too many overly hyped conglomerates is an extremely hypocritical position to take when Diplo is one of the most prolific examples of the behavior. His reputation most likely disallows him from breaking away from the image and brand that he’s expected to produce at this point in his career, and it would make sense if his frustration stems from it.
But until he’s able to break the mold and do something different, mocking an industry that he’s helped to create is only making him look bad.
Source: The Chicago Tribune | Photo: Rukes
