When one thinks of DJs and dance music culture, a few faces are sure to come to mind. It seems the world of dance music is inseparable from its celebrity DJs: Steve Aoki, Skrillex, certainly Diplo. The DJ, record producer, Mad Decent founder and Major Lazer member has been a staple in dance music for years now. Well, this week in a GQ style interview, he’s made some comments that might surprise you.

“I mean, DJs in general, the culture’s really ugly. It’s cheesy. Corny. It’s embarrassing. You know, I never wanted to be part of the DJ world. I just fell into it.” Funny statements for a guy who’s been making electronic music and throwing parties since 2004. Though, it’d be completely unfair to act like as though Diplo is the first artist to make negative statements about the world he’s associated with.

In particular, Diplo spoke against the culture of large EDM festivals like EDC and ULTRA. “They’re not fun. The music felt like it was on a loop. It felt soulless.” Earlier this year, Diplo put his money where his mouth when he passed up a big Coachella paycheck to tour Africa.

Though, after skipping out on big festivals for the past three years, Diplo said he’s trying “get more involved” in them. “I’m doing it again this year, because I’m trying to see if I can help steer the direction,” he said in reference to EDC. He went on to express mixed feelings about Las Vegas: “It pays the bills. I can count on that money every year. Four years ago, I hated Vegas, but it’s changed a lot.”

Photo Credit: Mehreen Rizvi