Meet Skrillex – not DJ Skrillex, just Skrillex. You’ve probably heard a bit about the 22-year-old DJ/producer, Sonny Moore, whether due to his eminent Beatport success (the guy pretty much dominates the top 10), his affiliation with the ever popular “Mau5trap” label, his incredibly catchy electro/dub/hardcore remixes, or just his badass hairdo. His style is like nothing I’ve heard before, and although I admit that it didn’t really settle with me on the first listen, Skrillex’s tracks have grown to dominate my iPod and my party playlists. Not to mention his most notable hook—“My. Name. Is. Skrillex.”—first dug its claws into my brain a few weeks ago, and still refuses to release its grip.
Watching Skrillex tear up the stage at Webster Hall this past weekend only solidified my understanding of why he has become so quickly successful. The guy puts on a stellar show, full of stage dives and other rebellious antics to rouse the crowd, and really is uniquely talented. His second EP, Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites, (the first being his self-released My Name is Skrillex) is currently out on Mau5trap/Big Beat and if you haven’t rocked out to it just yet, we suggest snatching that up before you’re left in the dust. If you still aren’t convinced, we'll let him do the talking. Check out our interview with Skrillex below.
Clubplanet: How did you get your start in electronic music?
Skrillex: I downloaded a demo of FL Studio in my early teen years and the rest is history, I guess!
Clubplanet: You were once a member of the punk/hardcore group, From First to Last. Have any of your influences or any part of your style from that project translated to your career as a DJ/producer?
Skrillex: It's funny—I get this question a lot, and it's always a weird one to answer. With that said, the answer is... sure? I mean, I just do what feels right and natural. So being the age of 22 now and having been listening to and playing all kinds of alternative music for years, I guess you could say the answer is yes. As a growing artist, things you've done in the past will always naturally transcend some way or another into what you are doing currently, whether it be conscious influences or not. I am who I am no matter what genre or platform I'm using to create music, and I never consciously think about what I was doing before while I'm creating something now. But, like I said, everything I do is a part of me. So I guess in some way you could say I am subconsciously influenced by that, and many other things. But maybe the subconscious influence is to be different from what I was before and to shut it out from my mind? I don't know... I never think about that sort of thing, really.
Clubplanet: What would you consider to be your “big break”?
Skrillex: I don't really look at my music career in terms of breaks. Once I get to a certain place, all I want to do is challenge myself to do something bigger and better, so I guess the answer would be that I've never had a "big break" and that there are no "big breaks" in this for me.
Clubplanet: How did you and Deadmau5 link up?
Skrillex: I met him through Tommy Lee at WMC this year and we became buddies after that.
Clubplanet: What was it like touring with Deadmau5?
Skrillex: Really great! Great crowds, good times. It worked out perfectly to have that tour in tandem with the EP release the same month.
Clubplanet: You also have your own imprint label, Owsla. Where did you get that name from?
Skrillex: The name came from one of my favorite books called Watership Down by Richard Adams. It's about rabbits, and the elite rabbit solders were called "Owsla."
Clubplanet: I read somewhere that you’re the first “Dubstep” artist to crack the Top 10 on Beatport. I don't really consider you to be a “Dubstep” artist, but how would you describe your sound?
Skrillex: I don't really consider myself one either, but I have been told that it was the first Dubstep track to hit #1 in the top 100. I guess you could say that at the moment the songs I've produced could fall under “dubstep” and “electrohouse” and whatever, but I just make whatever I feel at the moment.
Clubplanet: Where were you when you found out about your Beatport success?
Skrillex: I was on the Deadmau5 tour—I think on the bus or something. I was really, really stoked.
Clubplanet: What are your plans for the coming year? What can we expect next from you?
Skrillex: A lot more touring with some upgrades to my live show and some remixes/collaborations. I'll also be working on my LP. Hopefully that will be out later sometime next year!