Diplo Drops Stagecoach Set On YouTube

Last Sunday, 30 April, DJ-turned-country-artist Diplo (real name Thomas Wesley Pentz Jr) was pretty high up on the bill of country music festival, Stagecoach, held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. 

He performed on the same day as headliner Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, and more of the biggest names in country music.

He played a 70-minute set that included new track Use Me, a remix featuring Zach Bryan, Riddim, a remix starring Creedence Clearwater Revival and Avicii, and more. The whole set is now available to watch on YouTube. Perhaps one YouTube commenter’s prediction of “YeeDM is the future” could turn out to be correct.

Diplo wrote on social media this morning, “A lot of people told me I was crazy to do another project and then they said “country music? are you high??” well maybe i was but .. Ive [sic] never lost a bet when I bet on myself so I went out.. secured a few platinum plaques made a new album and closed out Stagecoach two years in a row . . my favorite [sic] hobby is to prove the doubters wrong .. and my set is now live on youtube.”

On Friday, the popular DJ released his latest album, Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 - Swamp Savant, which led to Diplo going back to his roots and learning to play the guitar.

“To prepare for this new Thomas Wesley project, I went back to my fathers [sic] house in Florida, and I spent six months learnin guitar, gettin in touch with nature, working his boat when the shrimp were running on full moons at the trailer park.. then I went to Nashville and had to take out every manager and a&r out to dinner until my credit card was maxed,” Diplo revealed on social media.

The Cold Water DJ added, “I looked back at my career and the things I learned as a songwriter.. then I researched every way I was good at breaking the rules in my career and tried some new tricks … spent two years going to Stagecoach undercover as an EDM DJ to figure out what people were into … I tried on a lot of cowboy hats. 

"I rode a lot of motorcycles and horses basically reflected on my whole life and career and connection with this music.. there was a lot.. it all started in the swamps I was raised in ... 

“This is the greatest single piece of work I’ve ever done, I can promise you that.” You can listen to Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 - Swamp Savant here.

Check out Diplo’s set at Stagecoach below.