128 Beats Per Minute: Diplo's Visual Guide to Music, Culture, and Everything In Between

by Thomas Wesley Pentz, Shane McCanley (Photographer), Alexander Wang (Foreword)

Known internationally as a curator and influencer amongst the world’s top DJs, producers, and artists, Wesley Pentz, better known as Diplo, is at the nexus of music, fashion, and cultural trends. His record label Mad Decent has helped bring Brazilian baile funk, Angolan Kuduro, and other unknown music to clubs around the world, while his work as a producer has brought a unique sound to hits like M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes,” Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” and Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls).”

128 Beats Per Minute follows Diplo on this fantastic journey, from his involvement with dub reggae in Jamaica to the electro/techno underground in Tel Aviv. Each chapter chronicles his tastes and travels, complete with tweets and playlists, as documented by photographer Shane McCauley. 128 Beats Per Minute provides unique access to the hottest scenes shaping music’s landscape today. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2012

Reviews

[Tuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

a travelogue of sorts from wesley, as shane mccauley follows him around the world djing. there is no "writing" in the book, but rather just captions for the pictures, so not much insight into diplo, djing, travel, art or music, though he does say quite a bit for captions. the photographer did a good job. and from each area of the globe diplo adds a "playlist", so if you are interested in music he spins (dated though) it is nice to peruse. some dj's/"bands" i didnt know about, but have heard once i looked them up are Hollertronix calvin harris major lazer felix cartel mstrkrft. not much of a book really, though it did get good reviews in journals, but not sure why.

[Jairo Pineda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cool and professional way to see your work as a dj. Diplo is an amazing guy who doesn't throw his free time to the trash can by being wasted and getting grumpy before each gig. He goes into every city and explores the musical diversity of it, searching for new sounds and life experiences. This is an awesome book that reflects this.

[Shanayhay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the pictures. It paints a picture of the life of a traveling DJ. Kinda. It feels like it's lacking something. Maybe some funny stories or more commentary. It's more like pictures of cities coupled with pictures and one sentence bios of DJs. Diplo is a really funny guy with lots of personality. None of that came through.

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

:)

[Mary Elainne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like I was traveling the world with Diplo. Loved the playlists and played the music while I read it.

[Yvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This helped me a lot.

[Kyle Plunkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very great book on music cultures. The pictures are very outstanding and show what it's like at different locations and the music cultures there. Very cultural. This book can be a great coffee table book as well. If you're into the music cultures behind DJs and electronic music, I highly recommend you to check this book out.

[Chelsea Booth · Rating 3 out of 5]

thought it was going to contain more writing. instead it was mostly pictures. was kind of disappointed.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I don't know. Stick to the music.