Skrillex... Credible or Dreadful?

Sonny Moore used to be a scene-core metal kid, in a screamo band called 'From First to Last'. Having left the band in 2007, Sonny Moore decided he needed to let his music out in a different outlet. Having released some material under the name Twipz, he was about to undergo a radical change and become one of the biggest music stars on the planet. In June 2010, and under the new name of Skrillex, Sonny Moore released his debut EP My Name is Skrillex' and less than a year later, he was signed to deadmau5' record label, had released a second EP and was about to embark on a worldwide tour. So why the hate?

The following section is why Skrillex is a credible artist, written by me. After my points are made, my buddy Robbie Powell (@robbiepowell8 on Twitter) will explain why he feels Skrillex is dreadful. Then you, the readers (the few of you there are) will be able to tell us who you feel makes better points!

Skrillex plays a mixture of Dubstep, EDM and House music, all be it, with a hardcore, metal and rock mentality. Having been a metal kid growing up, Sonny uses these influences to create heavy beats which attack the senses, bruising and punching away. Skrillex makes EDM for the metal crowd, and it has the crossover appeal for the mainstream to like him and the music he creates. So much so, that he was able to collaborate on tracks with the Godfathers of Nu-Metal, KoRn and helped to revitalise their career and give them a new lease of life. This has been shown on their newest album, The Paradigm Shift, which features the dubstep wobble that Skrillex gave them. So a kid with actual interest in music, and not just making noise and money? Check

EDM is not heavy unless it's done by Skrillex and to an extent, Knife Party. This gives him crossover appeal and allows him to appeal to both the outcasted metal kids, and the mainstream, which is a huge advantage for him, in terms of both shows and record sales. This is evidenced at the Reading & Leeds festivals. Skrillex headlined the NME Tent at the same time as Green Day, and pulled a sizeable crowd, which was full of people from loads of different subcultures. Metalheads, ravers, steppers, rockers, and EDM enthusiasts, all saw Skrillex's set, which shows he can pull different subcultures together and create harmony. In the days of emo kids getting abuse and beaten, this shows a different side to music fans, which is a good thing to see. Then there's the mainstream media. Skrillex is a Grammy winner, and a multiple time Grammy winner at that. He's created music good enough to win the most prestigious award in Music and he won in more than one category. The kid's done good to be fair to him. So crossover appeal to two contrasting worlds? Check

As Skrillex is a metal kid, he is very in tune with lyrics and what music means to people. When you see these 'Bedroom DJs' bashing away at a laptop and having overnight success, Skrillex crafts his work on an acoustic guitar to begin with. He then records all the instruments, guitar, bass, drums, and keys, he records them all. He then overdubs them on a laptop and creates the wall of noise that he does so well. While he may use a laptop to create his final product, he does all the groundwork the way music should be written; with instruments, thought and practice. Skrillex has never forgotten his roots, he always harks back to them and uses those influences in his music, and you can hear them. The next step would be for him to play live shows with a live band, like Chase & Status and The Prodigy do. It'll add another dimension to his shows, and make the noise that much louder. A guy who writes his own music and does the leg work? Check

I will now hand over to Robbie and his point of view:

The curious case of Sonny Moore

Sonny Moore, former angst ridden emo kid turned electronic music extraordinaire. He sure has come along way since his aforementioned From First To Last Days, completely reinventing himself to in an attempt to change and revolutionise his impact upon the mainstream music industry. In a career that has undergone a radical change, the only constant throughout has been the mediocrity of the work he has put out.

Moore’s new persona Skrillex, the newly crowned king of ‘brostep’ (Dubstep for frat boy douchebags with little or no music taste barring a penchant for heavy drops and ‘phat choonz’) has puzzlingly, found astronomical success with his new creative direction. Skrillex is performing top of the bill slots at a magnitude of dance and electronic festivals and is genuinely celebrated by most casual dance music fans as ‘like, a totally gnarly dude.’

But at the end of the day one truth remains constant, Skrillex’s music is merely unpleasant, unlistenable noise with little to no redeeming qualities. Skrillex’s music is built upon painful irritating noise, heavy drops and all manner of sound effects to provide ambient backing music whilst you and your ‘bros’ rack lines of ketamine on the back of a nightclub toilet seat.
I often hear arguments such as ‘Skrillex writes all of his music on an acoustic guitar, he puts a lot of time and effort into his music and therefore deserves respect.’ This sadly doesn’t alter the fact that Skrillex’s music is unpleasant noise, regardless of how much thought he has put into it. Lou Reed released Metal Machine Music in July 1975, an album consisting merely of unorganised guitar loops, guitar effects and feedback organised into one continual, wank collection of audible cyanide. You could argue Metal Machine Music was an early example of Avant Guard electronic music, a ground breaking album that paved the way for future electronic musicians. You could argue that, but you’d be lying to yourself. Sadly it doesn’t alter the fact the album is completely horrendous and is a Geneva convention disregarding assault on the ear drums. You can big up Skrillex’s music with as many faux compliments in the same way you can dress a badger up like a dog, but it’s never going to win Crufts. It’s worth remembering that you can argue that there’s artistic merit in anything, as art is an intrinsically subjective field and at the end of the day there is no right or wrong answer, all we have are our opinions. Unfortunately for Sonny Moore my opinion is that his music is insufferable garbage and although its lasting appeal remains to be seen, this reviewer believes that Sonny Moore will have to go back to the drawing board if he wishes to better his previous contributions and make any significant mark on musical history.

Any thoughts? Who has better points? Tweet us at @poeticjustice92 or @robbiepowell8 and let us know what you think! 

Pax-Am Days EP - Fall Out Boy: REVIEW

So Fall Out Boy returned this year from their hiatus and set about taking over the world once again, with their unique brand of pop rock. 'Save Rock & Roll' might be a pun, but as the band have stated, it's a lot more about the ideal of Rock N Roll which they are trying to save. The idea of plugging in and playing with your friends, playing music that you want to play. FOB released the album which put them back in the public consciousness. Now they're set to rerelease 'Save Rock & Roll' with an extra EP.

Pax-Am Days is a collection of 8 songs which last a grand total of 13:19 minutes. The band recorded it at Ryan Adams, a band friend and a singer songwriter in his own right, house, just recording whatever they felt like. Being described as a very laid back record, the band didn't know that Adams was recording 90% of the sessions on tape, so they didn't even know what was going to be recorded and what wasn't. The tracks consist of 80s punk and 90s hardcore influences, and are hard to the floor, punk rock songs, showing that FOB can be down and dirty when they want to be. Sounding like early Clash, Sex Pistols and Ramones, all at the same time, is an incredible achievement. The band sound tight, hungry and full of fire. Everyone who claims they're just the sell out punk kids will be shown as to being very wrong here. You can take the kid out of the punk scene, but the punk scene never leaves the kid. Hardcore and punk are a way of life, and all 4 members were in various punk bands throughout their early years.

Of the eight songs, only one of them reaches past the two minute mark, this being the closer, Caffeine Cold, which is a mammoth 2:42. The shortest song clocks in at 1:03, Art Of Keeping Up Disappearances, but it still packs a mighty punch. The riffs and drums are the main instruments on show on the EP, with Pete Wentz's bass taking more of a funky twist, which allows Joe Trohman, Andy Hurley & Patrick Stump to really show their technical playing ability.

All in all, Pax-Am Days was written as an off the cuff, for a laugh, boys day in and that's shown. There's a fun element here which is prominent and allows the band to flex their muscles in ways not seen for many years. Punk Rock is becoming more and more rare to find, but this EP shows that when done right, it can be a great addition to any back-catalogue. Now will FOB play any of it live? I for one genuinely hope so.

4/5