Diplo Learned Guitar For New Thomas Wesley Country Project

8 April 2023 | 12:07 pm | Mary Varvaris
Originally Appeared In

What does a Diplo record with a guitar sound like? “This is the greatest single piece of work I’ve ever done, I can promise you that..."

(Pic by Kursza)

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Diplo is going country. What does a Diplo record with a guitar sound like? That’s what we will soon find out. 

The famous DJ - real name Thomas Wesley Pentz Jr - is returning to his real name and to his roots with his new project, Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 - Swamp Savant, which will be released on 28 April.

Wesley learned how to play the guitar for his upcoming project, a process which he detailed in a new social media post. 

“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.

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The Cold Water DJ added, “I called every favor [sic] from my rapper friends (there wasn’t a lot that answered my calls), went to Kentucky and Texas and tracked down all the guys there and asked everyone to give me a chance and to be on my new project. 

“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. Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 - Swamp Savant… out April 28.” You can pre-order the album here.

The first teaser of Swamp Savant is a disco-pop banger called Use Me (featuring Dove Cameron), out on 14 April.