Nominated for five Grammy Awards, shortlisted for the prestigious BBC Sound of 2012 poll, and courted by everyone from Chicago producer Kaskade to metal icons Korn, former From First to Last frontman Sonny Moore's transition from post-hardcore vocalist to dubstep producer couldn't have realistically gone any smoother.
However, despite his unprecedented success, there's still a question as to whether he can apply his now trademark, demonic, wobble bass drops and thumping syncopated beats to a whole album.
Named after the battle cry of the lost boys in Steven Spielberg's Hook, his fourth consecutive EP Bangarang (also his first Top 40 entry in both the U.K.
and U.S.) suggests he'll have to be on his game on the forthcoming full-length Voltage if he's to avoid an Emperor's New Clothes scenario.
While the bombastic Wall of Sound displayed on 2010's Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites initially provided a unique take on the U.K.
dubstep genre, Skrillex's lack of progression means there's a distinct sense of déjà vu among its seven tracks, particularly on the relentless, scattershot bleeps, chopped-up vocal hooks, and repetitive loops of opener "Right In" and the rap-metal fusion of "Kyoto." Even when he does think outside the box -- as on "Right on Time," a percussive, hard house collaboration with 12th Planet and Kill the Noise which eventually builds into a feverish slice of happy hardcore, and "The Devil's Den," a chaotic hook-up with Wolfgang Gartner which takes in everything from old-school rave to ska to techno -- the results are more headache-inducing than thrilling.
There are a few more encouraging signs, such as the Doors-featuring "Breakin' a Sweat," which combines proggy guitar hooks, psychedelic organ chords, and Jim Morrison samples with a snarling, Prodigy-esque vocal and a filthy slab of dub bass to produce one of the year's most unexpectedly successful partnerships, and the multi-layered trance of closer "Summit," given an ethereal sheen thanks to Ellie Goulding's lilting tones, both of which suggest Skrillex should utilize his melodic leanings more often.
But overall, Bangarang is a disappointingly formulaic affair which hints for the first time that the wheels may soon slowly begin to fall off.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Right InSkrillex | Skrillex | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | BangarangSkrillex | Skrillex | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | The Devil's DenWolfgang Gartner, Skrillex | Skrillex, Wolfgang Gartner | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 39 MB |
| 4 | Right on TimeKill the Noise, 12th Planet, Skrillex | Skrillex, Kill the Noise, 12th Planet | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | SummitSkrillex | Skrillex | Play | 06:14 | 14 MB | 42 MB |
| 6 | Breakn' A Sweat | Skrillex, Members | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 41 MB |
| 7 | Kyoto (Original Mix) | Skrillex, Sirah | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 27 MB |
| 30 mins | 69 MB | |||||
| 30 mins | 236 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12th Planet | Composer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 2 | Clayton Blaha | Publicity |
| 3 | Martin Dodd | A&R |
| 4 | The Doors | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 5 | Kathryn Frazier | Publicity |
| 6 | Wolfgang Gartner | Composer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 7 | Ellie Goulding | Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 8 | Kill the Noise | Composer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 9 | Robby Krieger | Vocals |
| 10 | Ray Manzarek | Vocals |
| 11 | Chris Morris | A&R |
| 12 | Sirah | Featured Artist |
| 13 | Skrillex | Composer, Engineer, Mastering, Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 14 | Tim Smith | Management |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |