I'm going to keep this (as) short (as possible) and sweet.
I'm not into EDM or EMO or whatever club music is called these days. I went to an Electronica night once and found myself wondering what I was doing there. In fact, I find the whole 'dance' word in EDM to be a little ironic, given that for the most part, you end up bobbing your head or shaking some part of your body to whatever beat you can find in it, all the while trying to zone out and not make eye contact with anyone!
(Right, I promised to keep this short - sorry)
Anyway, the point is: I'm not a new-age-trance-weird-music kind of person, at all.
But I still love Skrillex.
First, the man.
This is someone who has an interest in all kinds of music. Who likes throwing different sounds and genres together and sees what comes out. He was recently quoted in a Rolling Stone feature as saying that he didn't see himself as linked to any genre - the next piece of music that came out of him could be entirely different to this. Not only do I respect that about him, but it's reflected so completely in this album.
Now, the album.
It takes a little getting used to, yes. My first reaction to the first Skrillex track I heard was, wow that's loud - and with all that scratching and electronic distortion, is that really music? I downloaded the Bangarang album more as an experiment. After digesting it, there's no going back: I'm a fan.
It's not just dance music. There's some stuff in here that can absolutely make your next house party's play list ('Devil's Den', 'Right on Time'). And then there are these gems that came out of his musical mixing. Take 'Breakn' a Sweat', for instance. It's Middle East meets rock n' roll meets futuristic meets reggae - all rolled into one, somehow. And get this: It sounds really good! For a completely different take, try 'Skrillex Orchestral Suite' - you won't know you're listening to dance music at all (and yet it sounds like him, still). Then there's 'Kyoto', this heavy, angry mix than sounds more like it should sit near Linkin' Park rather than David Guetta on the record shelf. And of course, there's THE 'Bangarang'. Not to be too popularist, but this still is my stand-out track. It's an adrenaline-burst of attitude, energy, beat and funk, and it's a song you'd never have imagined, conceived of or thought to enjoy - unless you're Skrillex.
What kind of artist is this guy? It's hard to tell - and that's what I like. What's this album? It' interesting, edgy and unlike anything you'd have heard before.
I'll end this review with a quote from Skrillex out of that same Rolling Stone Q&A:
"[My music] doesn't have to sound like anything at any certain time."
Perfect sum-up of everything I love about this album.
