Major Lazer was 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 back-story 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. Lazers Never Die, an EP with two new songs and three remixes, followed in 2010. The two parted ways in late 2011.

K. Ross Hoffman, Rovi