About
Skrillex is the stage name of the American electronic music producer Sonny John Moore (born January 15th, 1988). He has gained notoriety for his distinctive style of dubstep, his unique hairstyle, as well as the memes that he has inspired.[1]
Musical Career
Discography
Skrillex originally joined the band From First to Last as a lead singer before leaving for a solo career in 2007. He released Gypsyhook EP, his first tenure into electronic music, in 2009, under the name Sonny.
Although he had been producing music for a few years previously, Skrillex’s first release under the current name, My Name is Skrillex, came in 2010 as a free download on his MySpace page. Since then, his music has been picked up by dubstep DJs around the world, and he has exploded onto the scene to become one of the most popular dubstep artists today. He won three and was nominated for an additional two Grammy awards in 2012. He has also been credited for bringing the genre into the American market. His most recent release is the EP Bangarang, which released December 23, 2011. His first full length album, Voltage, is scheduled to come out sometime in 2012.
Stylistically, his music tends to be “fidgety,” often juxtaposing harsh synths against gritty beats and basslines. It is widely popular, and has become synonymous with mainstream dubstep. Because of this, he has garnered some hate for being too commercial-sounding (see Hipster for more information).[1][2]
Reputation
Skrillex is known for being one of the most polarizing artists in the music industry today. He has simultaneously received much criticism and acclaim for similar reasons. The top voted Urban Dictionary[3] rating was submitted November 30th, 2010 by user crashride, praising his musical ability, which has garnered over 800 upvotes and 400 downvotes.
One of the hottest dubstep artists currently out. Signed to Mau5trap recordings
However, another highly rated submission was submitted October 9th, 2011 by user Dexcell, criticizing his ability. This definition has garnered almost 100 upvotes and over 70 downvotes
Skrillex is part of a wave of American producers coming into dubstep from other genres. More often than not, these beatmakers make a violent racket characterized by overwhelming midrange “wobble” basslines, and have a general obsession with gore, macabre and the almighty “filth.” It’s “mosh” music as opposed to dance music… His sound is overbearingly plain and simple. While he has a firm grasp on melody that eludes many of his peers, they’re usually coated in headache-inducing layers of abrasive muck. The trancey hook of Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’ title track is equal to nails on a chalkboard, and the less said about its onomatopoeic bass growls the better.
Related Memes
Cooking with Skrillex
Cooking with Skrillex is a Photoshop meme originating from a single-topic Tumblr of the same name. It is presented in the style of instructional videos that might appear on the Food Network; it takes images of Skrillex DJing and photoshops in cooking equipment. Its popularity comes from it’s juxtaposition of Skrillex’s often wild facial expressions while DJing with the mundane act of cooking.
Tribute YTPMVs
In the manner of many dubstep remix videos, Skrillex’s song Kill EVERYBODY has inspired a large number of YTPMVs. The first such video was uploaded by YouTube user McMaNGOS on December 9th, 2011.[3] Since then, it has remained one of the most popular subjects for YTPMVs.
Search Interest
Search interest for Skrillex and terms related to Skrillex first began rising in September 2010.
External References
[2]The Guardian – Is Skrillex the most hated man in dubstep?