Dancing is supposed to be fun. Dance music should be fun too... I don’t think it’s meant to be taken so seriously... it’s not politics.” The rockstar of EDM roared during a Reddit AMA last year. What makes this 27-year-old six-time Grammy winner special? His brilliant bass drops? Or his non-stop attitude?
Skrillex — Sonny Moore on his birth certificate — is a DJ and producer who has taken electronic dance and dubsteb to vertigo-inducing heights. No wonder his first tour of India for his four Vh1 Supersonic dates (Hyderabad on October 8, followed by Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, all back-to-back) — organised by LIVE Viacom18 — are sold out.
The man whose music and hairstyle have inspired zillions of articles took on a few questions from t2 over email.
Excited about the India gigs?
Yes. I get inspired by the surroundings and culture of the place that I travel to when I make music. A lot of my friends have visited India and have shared that it’s a very, sort of, spiritual place and there’s a lot of different sensory experiences that you wouldn’t get anywhere else in the world. Not to mention the people, the culture, and the food; I’m just really excited to take it all in at Vh1 Supersonic; I hope to have a great time here.
Your take on the EDM scene in India and also Bollywood?
My socials go off so much in India and Bollywood is something I’ve been a fan of for a long time. Seeing guys like Yo Yo Honey Singh taking dubstep and making it Bollywood-influenced and infused is really exciting.
Other than Honey Singh, I don’t know too many local Indian EDM artistes and I’m excited to check it out. I think, eventually, everything is going to sort of cross over. Korean music is getting big in the States and I don’t see why Indian music couldn’t either.
Jack U, your project with Diplo (DJ-rapper-producer Thomas Wesley Pentz)... how did it come about?
Collaborating with Diplo is fun because when we go into a session or whatever, it’s normally never really a session. We’re just kind of hanging out and ideas pop out randomly. We don’t really have any rules on who we work with or don’t work with. Speaking of jamming, doing the song (Breakn’ A Sweat, 2012) with The Doors — they were the strongest ones — Robby (Krieger) and Ray (Manzarek) were just jamming together, so I made a drum loop and they were literally jamming, and from there we pieced stuff together. A lot of the collaborations even happen online; it’s kind of the new way of collaborating.
When it comes to touring – with Jack U or solo — is there a pressure from the crowds?
I’m always been a very spur-of-the-moment guy when it comes to what I play and what I want to do on the show. I’m sure to also get influenced by my surroundings and by the sounds and traditions. Hence the pressure, whatsoever, is always the same.
How did the song Where Are U Now with Diplo and Justin Bieber come about? What do you think of Justin’s new songs?
I always respected Justin Bieber as an artiste and the fact that he was so young, and doing what he did, and just his natural charisma and just him as a person. I was always really intrigued by him. It’s just all about what vibes are right and what feels natural at the time. We ran into him in a very kind of organic situation, so, it was awesome and I think Justin is just one of those talented individuals.
EDM artistes are often criticised for not making “music”. Your take on it.
EDM is basically just a platform for making music, it’s not a genre. People said it was going away a couple years ago…. When kids stop using computers then I think electronic music will go away, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. It’s just a tool. At the end of the day as an artiste, it’s not really about doing something for the sake of it.
You get inspired by a tool because it gets you from point A to B. And that’s what electronic music is. It’s a platform for you to create something, it’s a palette.
I don’t really know what people’s thoughts are because I’m on the other side. I like the myth that people think DJs or people who make music on computers don’t have talent. I actually really love that people think that. It makes me feel like I’m doing something really fresh that parents just don’t understand.
You know how to play the guitar, the piano and so on. Do you consider yourself a musician?
I think the tools of music have expanded, and the means. The definition of a musician is one who makes music, and there are no rules in art. And if there are any rules in art you should break them. So however you want to make music, you’re a musician (laughs).
As you head towards three-o, how do you look at the younger Skrillex?
I think every experience shapes the way you are and I just found independence at a young age. I was different. Wasn’t afraid to express myself through different fashion or wearing pink eyeshadow when I was young because I was into a certain kind of music. I didn’t care, but that’s just what I went through as a kid… being different. It makes you who you are.
You haven’t stopped touring in a decade. Is it time for a break?
I prefer composing songs while on the move since I get influenced by the culture and the surroundings that I am in. That is why I do not think I would want to take time off.
Spin factor
♦ Bangarang feat. Sirah
♦ Rock N Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain)
♦ Summit feat. Ellie Goulding
♦ Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
♦ Kyoto
♦ Make It Bun Dem feat. Damian Marley
♦ First Of The Year
♦ Cinema
♦ Breakn’ a Sweat
In the ZONE
Before he became famous, his moniker was Twipz.
He was a singer with the rock band From First to Last between 2004 and 2007.
He found out he was adopted at the age of 16.
His famous fans include Kanye West who once tweeted: “Tonight I’m definitely playing Skrillex.”
In 2012, Deadmau5 wore a T-shirt (to the Grammy) that had Skrillex’s phone number (626-319-1039) and the line: “u mad bro?”
His thoughts on…
Earlier this year, Skrillex shared his thoughts on a few songs with Rolling Stone
Taylor Swift’s (featuring Kendrick Lamar) Bad Blood:
I think this is an awesome testament to how artistes can evolve.
The Grateful Dead’s China Cat Sunflower:
This song is so psychedelic and free-flowing and deep. It’s like it’s in 3D.
Janis Joplin’s Cry Baby:
If a girl wrote a song like this about me, I would be so flattered.
Radiohead’s I Might Be Wrong:
This is one of the first guitar riffs I ever learned.
Aphex Twin’s Bucephalus Bouncing Ball:
This song in particular is like a zeitgeist for how I produce music.
Mathures Paul
Skrillex is the king of EDM because.... Tell t2@abp.in