The long-anticipated documentary chronicles Diplo and bandmates Jillionaire and Walshy Fire as they bring rhythm to the masses at a March 2016 concert in downtown Havana. A report byfor Vegas Seven.
“Every artist begs for like a moment in time when people are paying attention to you, and when it actually gets to you, you have to seize the moment ’cause it’s not going to happen again.”
The film, directed by Austin Peters, chronicles the DJ as he and Major Lazer bandmates Jillionaire and Walshy Fire bring music to the masses at a March 2016 concert in downtown Havana—the first by a major American artist since the “Cuban Thaw” between the United States and the Caribbean nation.
Described in the trailer as “the first Cuban-American–produced concert of this scale,” tensions rise when it’s reported that a crowd of an unexpected 400,000 is ready to attend the show.
Give Me Future steps beyond the traditional music documentary by keeping much of the focus on Cuba’s youth in “a city suspended in time,” interweaving concert footage with shots of Major Lazer mingling with the locals. Recognizing the lack of internet in Cuba, significant moments are spent showing how piracy delivers Major Lazer’s music to the impoverished people.
The documentary debuted at January’s Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for the Knight Documentary Achievement Award at the Miami Film Festival. An accompanying soundtrack, Major Lazer Presents: Give Me Future—Music From and Inspired by the Film, also drops November 17, and features new and unreleased Major Lazer tracks, as well as contributions from Cuban-Jamaican artist Herizen Guardiola, and a Valentino Khan–Sean Paul collaboration titled “Gold.”
Diplo, meanwhile, continues his 2017 Wynn Nightlife residency December 30 with a performance at XS Nightclub.
Repeating Islands 