I am loving this interview here
http://openingceremony.us/entry.asp?pid=10306
Skrillex last Saturday at MoMA PS1's Warm Up.
Photos by William Nixon
Skrillex and Kelela
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Catching Up With Skrillex At NYFW
BY Kyle Wukasch | Thu. September 11, 2014 | Culture Club
Last Friday, Klaus Biesenbach, director of MoMA PS1, posted
a picture to his Instagram of the dance sensation Skrillex. The caption to the picture read "#skrillex," informally announcing the EDM superstar as the special guest closer for the last of PS1's
Warm Up summer series.
It's impressive to see how the DJ is managing to turn heads in almost all circles. The Skril has come a long way since his inauguration into the dance scene almost five years ago, and his performance at MoMA indicated a nod from the NYC art world.
Unashamed and utterly lucid, Skrillex delivered his characteristic bass-heavy set with exciting poise and sheer fervor. The performance peered into the DJ's deftness as a performer—and his artistry not only as a producer but also as an entertainer.
All in all, it was a busy weekend for the DJ. Between three headlining shows, recordings sessions with
Kelela and
Ratking, and making an appearance at New York Fashion Week (including the Opening Ceremony
show and
after-party), we managed to catch up with the six-time Grammy winner. Below, his thoughts on the Fashion Week experience, the evolution of styles in electronic dance music, and his newfound admiration for artist James Turrell.
KYLE WUKASCH:
How's your Fashion Week going so far?
SKRILLEX: We arrived in NY just to play three shows: Marquee, Provocateur, and PS1. But now we’re still here! New York is a place I've been coming to for years and it's a place where it's always just full on. There is always something going on, so my experience has been spontaneous.
Is this your first experience with Fashion Week?
I've done Fashion Week before. Actually, the first paid gig I ever did as Skrillex was through Fashion Week in 2010—I released a track for free called "
Cat Rats." I originally made it for this fashion show for a line called Native Sons. It wasn't a runway show. It was a presentation. So, yeah, Fashion Week is something I've been coming to for a while and experiencing in a many different forms, both as a creative and as a guest.
Which shows did you take in this year?
Alexander Wang,
Versus Versace,
Opening Ceremony, Skin Graft—each special in its own way.
Was there anything particular that you’re taking away from your experience?
It was crazy to see Opening Ceremony, of course—probably my favorite overall experience. I especially loved the element of surprise when you're sitting on the steps and all of the sudden the curtain drops. You feel like you’re in this mini theater, but you’re really backstage looking at this giant theater. That was cool.
I mean, Spike Jonze and Jonah Hill are geniuses. And it was so cool to see the show. It also got really weird and deep—talking about how models are depressed and whatnot. That was something new for me, and I really appreciated it as art.
How have you seen style evolve in the electronic dance music scene over the course of your career?
I've seen it change from being polar opposites—at least in LA. It started as either very handbag [house] or very raver-PLUR (Peace Love Unity Respect), with lots of beads. And then with Daft Punk and other bands like
Justice and
MSTRKRFT, all of the sudden you saw punk-rock influence electronic music. That added a different element to the style of the cultures. And then with UK bass, it became very preppy, in a UK-vibe. Then with dubstep and trap, a lot of urban music starting to come in; the style took on even newer elements. Dance music has a lot more diversity in it, and the different subcultures of dance music help comprise the fashion of the genre as a whole. So, like the music in the genre of dance, the style will always evolve and take on new facets.
You played three shows this past weekend, from big clubs to private listening parties and, finally, an art space, PS1. How do you adapt to such markedly different audiences without compromising your identity as an artist?
I only play what I like. But, I like a lot of music. I dig deep and I love discovering new artists and listening to them live on various context subsystems. No matter where I play I'm always playing music I like, no matter what style it is. Or music I make, for that matter. There's so much diverse music out there from everything I know to everything I support. It's actually the most important thing. People don't see that side of me as much. They think I'm always playing stadiums.
Do you think playing such a range of venues speaks to how universally accepted your music has become?
I hope so. But I’ve learned that it’s easy to have an opinion about someone without actually knowing; I guess that's what people do and that's fine. If anything, I'd say people should go experience the different ways music as a whole can be experienced.
My favorite thing is playing to different types of audiences. Major Lazer and I have been going to Jamaica together playing for a Jamaican audience. We're the only EDM artists that go out there and do shows like this, and it's a whole other amazing experience to be a minority somewhere and see people that have a different culture of dance music react to what you do.
How has your soundscape changed in the past three to four years?
When I first started putting out free records as Skrillex, it was so much different from when
Scary Monsters came out and then
Bangarang. Things are always going to naturally evolve in my music. I feel the worst thing you can do is try to have too many expectations or try to control what is going to happen. Art is the best when it's free and you react in the whim of the moment instead of over thinking things.
I also think a big thing for me is being able to facilitate a lot of collaborations and learning from them. I've done projects that start out in Korea with CL and G-Dragon, and then [we] take the files and vocals back to LA to finish the track with Diplo. Juggling moving parts and adding more elements has been something I've been able to expand on recently. And splitting that time between film soundtracks and different creative outlets. When I’m doing music as Skrillex is different from when I'm doing music for, say,
Spring Breakers...
Iggy Pop once said, "I like music that's more offensive. I like it to sound like nails on a blackboard, get me wild." Does this quote sum up your music? Perhaps it can be viewed as both offensive and exciting.
I pull my inspiration from a very juvenile, adolescent place. It's also very melodic and has a lot of emotions. You know when you walk into a place and everyone's trying to be seen and standing there stiff? The music I make is the very antithesis of what those people are about. It makes you feel. And that's why you get haters, because some types of people are denying that feeling. That's the music I'll always want to make. I'd rather have something that gets the attention of people. Just like a painting on the wall. If you stare at it for ten minutes and talk about how bad it is, it's better than walking by it and not talking about it at all. At least it gets a real reaction. That's what art is supposed to do. I came from music that's way more offensive than the music I'm making now. But at the same time I'll never lose that. You’re bound to offend someone if you're innovating. If you're not innovating then you’re just boring.
Can you tell us about another artist who is really speaking to you right now creatively?
James Turrell is one whose work has really been speaking to me. I know I'm noob to his work. But I love the concept behind it. Slow changes in hue and of color and light. Being able to walk into a room with no sounds, just light. It's a simple form of making you feel. Talk about being pure and sober and walking out feeling something for hours... at least that how I was [when I saw it].
What's next for the Skril?
Finishing this record I'm doing with Diplo, under the name Jack U. I’m really excited about it. We got to work with Kiesza,
AlunaGeorge, and some other great artists who are up and coming. Probably some of the most favorite songs both Diplo and I have ever produced.
FILED UNDER: Skrillex, Music, Sound Check, Culture, NYFW,Kyle Wukasch,William Nixon, feature
