Skrillex

Skrillex: Scary Monster and Nice SpritesScary Monster and Nice Sprites (2010)
mau5trap / Big Beat

Reviewer Rating: 1.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: eatdogseatdogs
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on December 13th 2011This is in no way associated with punk, save for the fact that Skrillex, a.k.a, Sonny Moore, was the second singer in the band From First to Last, who were straddling that fine line anyway… Dubstep is popular. It's a form of electronic music that's been around for over 15 years and is only now in.

This is in no way associated with punk, save for the fact that Skrillex, a.k.a, Sonny Moore, was the second singer in the band From First to Last, who were straddling that fine line anyway…

Dubstep is popular. It's a form of electronic music that's been around for over 15 years and is only now in its limelight as far as mainstream is concerned. From what I have read and noticed, Americans took what was once a flourishing, down-tempo, dubby/groovy based music and bastardized it into what is now known as, "Brostep." Brostep, unlike traditional dubstep production styles that emphasize sub-bass content, accentuates the middle register and features "robotic fluctuations and metal-esque aggression" according to Wikipedia. An easier way to understand is to think of Transformers having sex with lots and lots of heavy dropped, WUB WUB WUB WUB, and you'll have a good picture of what this is like.

Skrillex has become the scene leader and is often the reference point in this type of trendy music. His second EP, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, is what most people who have never listened to dubstep will probably get first. Brostep is to electronic music as beatdown hardcore is to…well hardcore, or deathcore to death metal, or country music to farting. There really isn't any merit to this release except for the title track which is rather catchy and harmless. If you had to just pick one current dubstep type song to pretty much sum up the trend, this would be the one. Sampling the excited cry of the girl who became famous for stacking cups on YouTube, Moore ushers in a pretty brutal drop after letting listeners get a bit comfortable at the start of the song. If you ever wanted to just let it rip and show off to your friends, that first drop is nigh impossible to top for those with virgin ears listening to this "music."

There isn't any redeeming quality to this release. It is what it is; the proverbial nail in the coffin to what was once a decent sub-genre of electronic music. Despite what has happened, there are still some very good dubstep artists out there like Burial, James Blake, Benga, Milanese and Scuba. Those who like deathcore have now found something else to latch onto, and other acts like Korn have jumped onto the bandwagon, thus releasing their recent dubstep influenced album, The Path of Totality. And from what's happening currently in the scene, expect the Biebs to be using this on his next release. 2012 is around the corner…

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

heretic (February 11, 2012)

I used to hate brostep. Still do, actually. But I can look past Sonny Moore's boring "drops" to his melodic, progressive house music.
Yeah, I know it's not punk, but you can still mosh to it. Standout tracks would be "Rock N Roll (Will Take Us To the Mountain)" and "Kill EVERYBODY". Weakest points: the remixes. Ugh.

davebrave4 (December 15, 2011)

I've never heard Skrillex, but I didn't know they (or apparently he) had anything to do with dubstep. In fact I always thought it was a metal band.

Also, I've been exposed to a decent amount of dubstep, and so far the only songs I've like have been from the album Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture Vol. 2: Enter the Dubstep. They actually manage to make GZA's "Cinema" even more badass.

eatdogs (December 15, 2011)

jokes and jokes and jokes i guess...

SydBarrett420 (December 14, 2011)

eatdogs, every time one of these reviews is posted someone points out how stupid it is for it to be on this site. Then, like clock work, someone such as yourself posts some long, insipid rant about how "Punks" need to expand horizons and this site is helping people discover other genres of music, blah blah blah.

The 100% truth behind why this review was written and published is for the joke content, not because Aubin is trying to enlighten the masses about some underappreciated gem.

skolarx (December 14, 2011)

"willow smith has skrillex hair..."

So does Danny Brown. Things are amiss in the hip hop culture when the guy with the best album (according to Spin anyway) has the same hair as this turd

eatdogs (December 14, 2011)

this site has stood as a means to help educate people on music. the definition of "punk" is up to one's own interpretation. i stated that this wasn't connected with punk, except for the guy making it who has been written about on this site before. somewhere, there's a kid who likes what he thinks is punk. he might stumble upon this site and be curious to see who and what is on here. he might even type in skrillex just to see what pops up because in his mind, skrillex might be associated with punk music.

today's generation is soooooooo spread out in all aspects of culture, that what some old fart like myself might have thought was this or that, can now be put into an entirely different category. i said that i wrote this review in a short amount of time one afternoon. i wrote it because i thought it should be mentioned, and yes, i did trash it, but i did not judge those who listen to it. i merely gave an overview on an artist that's very popular, the scene in which he's getting the most attention, and who it might connect with. (the kids moving on to the next fad.) i hope that this might be someone's gateway to other, more better talents out there. i sure know i went through that phase.

i also don't expect a review on this site to NOT have snarky comments. it's what makes this site unique and the rants, jokes, and hate are all unique to this place. punknews is its own world...

jephso (December 14, 2011)

"another in a long line of org "troll" reviews meant only to illicit laughs and snarky comments"

Yeah, what's the point of these reviews? They're just here for the punks to laugh at how irrelevant other genres of music are, and frankly they make the site look like less of a serious review outlet.

SydBarrett420 (December 14, 2011)

another in a long line of org "troll" reviews meant only to illicit laughs and snarky comments

LeightonESmith (December 13, 2011)

I'm open to new things and I don't mind me a bit of dub step.
'Scary Monster and Nice Sprites' is a cool catchy song. Its like the smells like teen spirit of dub step => major cross over.
Hating on that shit is easy. Doubly so posting a review for electronic music on a punk site.
Wasted on some good drugs though, this shit is the balls! (same with most half decent electronic music IMO)

eatdogs (December 13, 2011)

Thanks for biting. Please come again...

conduit (December 13, 2011)

Okay, i'll bite: What the fuck was the point of writing this review again? Anybody who has gone outside to any public place in the last few years knows that dubstep is a huge deal, mainly to people who were into shitty music in the first place. Talk about preaching to the choir.

keithybobeefy (December 13, 2011)

I do enjoy myself some electronic music, but I pretty much find nothing redeeming about this. Tobacco, Teen Girl Fantasy is some pretty great stuff.

scorpiondeathlock (December 13, 2011)

i hate anyone who likes this.

heretic (December 13, 2011)

I've never really been able to put my disdain for brostep into words, but you did it perfectly.

eazyd2 (December 13, 2011)

i really enjoy this music after about 10 pills

eatdogs (December 13, 2011)

willow smith has skrillex hair...

cos (December 13, 2011)

i'll just put this here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxk42PWj1sE

ILikeShittyThings (December 13, 2011)

i like every thing sonny moore does!! going to the salon to get my head shaved on the side right now.

nedsammy (December 13, 2011)

I have drunkenly danced to this and enjoyed doing so, but this sounds like a synthesiser got colonic cancer, if that were possible.

It's also mildly depressing to see that our British genre of dubstep is now headed by an American emo making "music" that isn't really dubstep anyway; but as I'm no patriot and our own UKF is monotonous, samey, and less danceable, I don't care. Try Rustie and SBTRKT instead.

eatdogs (December 13, 2011)

'I don't know anything about the genre other than it seemed like everyone was talking about Skrillex and Dubstep on facebook practically overnight. Come to think of it, there was some obnoxious brat blasting (blasting. like, I'm using music to annoy, not enjoy) what sounded like tranformers having sex. I going to assume that's what dubstep is."

those transformers are going at it like a boss. the weird bass sounds are like a robot having an incredible orgasm then smacking the other robot to pieces...

nickvicious (December 13, 2011)

I don't know anything about the genre other than it seemed like everyone was talking about Skrillex and Dubstep on facebook practically overnight. Come to think of it, there was some obnoxious brat blasting (blasting. like, I'm using music to annoy, not enjoy) what sounded like tranformers having sex. I going to assume that's what dubstep is.

cos (December 13, 2011)

I was worried about this... until i saw eatdogs wrote it. Well done.

I still don't understand how a music program filter became a "genre" or how kids even dance to this. Do blow, yeah, but dance? I no get it.

canaandrumzz (December 13, 2011)

I usually tell people its dumb to judge entire genres by a few artists. That doesn't count for Techno/Electronic music.

eatdogs (December 13, 2011)

OMG they posted it...

this was just something i wrote one boring day at work.

mattramone (December 13, 2011)

Electronic music was never good.

yadoneson (December 13, 2011)

Yeah, I only liked dubsteps demo and 7".

mowlio (December 13, 2011)

really cliche (even for a punk site) but i definatly preferred dubstep before it became popular.

allfornot (December 13, 2011)

About 1 star too many.