UPDATE: While the songs were originally uploaded to Skrillex’s Soundcloud for free download, they are now available for purchase only. You can buy them online at iTunes or Beatport.
Last night, Skrillex cleverly delivered us a stream for his new album through his new smart phone app/game, Alien Ride. With the announcement of his second Mothership Tour featuring such artists as Dillon Francis, DJ Snake, What So Not, and Milo & Otis, It was a perfect time to release his 11 track LP titled, Recess.
It has almost been three years since Sonny Moore has released the Grammy award winning Bangarang, and many people wondered if he could create the same type of caliber album, and he definitely succeeded in doing so.
During his three years between albums, Sonny toured all over, made more hits as Dog Blood with Boyz Noize and formed another super duo with Diplo, Jack U. During his vacation as Skrillex the producer has obviously mature and grew up both mentally and musically, and his new album is a great example of his growth.
It is hard to really top an album like Bangarang. It was nominated and won Grammys….Grammys, not MTV moon men. Along with receiving the highest honors in music, it was stacked with absolute bangers…Kyoto, Breaking a Sweat, Right In, Bangarang, The Devil’s Den, etc. It was a track like Bangarang that made Skrill such a commercial success, being featured in the movie trailer for Ben Stiller’s “The Watch” and being the song for X-Games commercials last year. It was this success that made Skrillex the face of American Dubstep.
So, how do you top that? Well, you don’t. You make something different and you show people how you develop as an artist, Kanye did it, so why not Skrillex?
Recess is quite the eclectic album. All eleven tracks serve as an example of how he has grown as an artist and how Skrillex is not just constrained to the screams and wobbles of Dubstep. All Is Fair In Love And Brostep, and Ragga Bomb, both feature UK based Jungle/DnB MCs the Ragga Twins and are both prime example of the Skrillex we all have grown accustomed to, the grimey sounds and wobbles that have made him the artist he is today. All Is Fair In Love And Brostep features these vocals in the third drop, “Guess Whose Back MotherF*ck.” And as the first track on the album, it gets you excited to hear what else the album has to offer.
The second track , Recess, is clearly the track that will have the same type of commercial success that Bangarang did. It has elements of Trap, Moombahton and Dubstep that will propel this tune to even have mainstream radio success.
Stranger featuring KillaGraham and Sam Dew is a very special track on the album. This tune has very Deep House/ House rooted vibes but is surprising a Twerk/Trap track. While the two genres are very far apart in the real world, Skrillex manages to make it into a fan favorite. Stranger is also featured on the soundtrack for film, Divergent, along with other EDM artists such as Zedd and Gesaffelstein.
Try It Out (Neon Mix) with Alvin Risk is a track we all heard many month ago. First released as a part of remix pack for Try It Out (Original Mix) in October, the Neon mix is just another track that adds to the Skrillex persona that we all know and love.
And here comes the first curve ball of the album! Coast Is Clear with Chance The Rapper and The Social Experiment was a highly publicized collaboration between Sonny and the up and coming rapper. Everyone was wondering was kind of sound would be offered from the collaboration, and during the TakeOver Tours in San Francisco and Brooklyn, audiences got their first taste. The eclectic song has elements of jazz, 80’s new wave, drum & bass, and of course hip hop. The collaboration really shows Sonny’s versatility in production.
Dirty Vibe with Diplo, G-Dragon from Big Bang and CL from 2NE1 has the Caribbean bounce vibe that Diplo’s Major Lazer is famous for. One thing that Skrillex and Diplo have in common is that they love having some Caribbean influences on some of their tracks. This Twerk/Trap tune should be a good example of what the Jack U sound will be like, and with them playing the main stage at Ultra in just a few weeks, only time will tell.
In the words of Skrillex, himself, “I never know what I’m gonna make, I just start creating and it always turns into something else.” In a nutshell, that is all I have to say about Doompy Poomp. It’s definitely a strange track that’s worth checking out.
Fuck That is another track with really cool Deep/Tech House vibes that accumulates into a his signature womps towards the end. The Deep/Tech movement that has been moving into the American EDM culture definitely makes its presence known on this album.
Ease My Mind with Niki & The Dove starts off with a lot of great melodies from the female singer. You would think that this track would become some sort of ballad much like Summit featuring Ellie Goulding. But this is not the case at all. All the sweet harmonies flow into what I would call unique Mediterranean-influenced Dubstep.
And just like Bangarang ended with the sweet voice of Ellie in Summit, Recess also ends with another ballad that is similar in nature. Fire Away featuring Kid Harpoon is an incredibly melodic drum and bass track featuring both the vocals of UK singer/songwriter Kid Harpoon and Sonny Moore. A sweet track to end an excellent album.
Overall, Recess is a great album. Very different from his first commercial success in Bangarang and very different in sound from his previous EPs. Skrillex manages to take many different elements and takes in new influences to make a very complete album. While this is not entirely the old Skrillex we have all known, it’s definitely an accumulation of what he has been doing for the past few years, and as he get older and experiences new things, his sound will changes as well. Top notch album from one of the most successful EDM producers in the world. Make sure too catch him on his Mothership Tour 2014 this summer to hear all these new track plus other unreleased tracks that he has in store for us. With Redbull sponsoring the tour, it should be some what of a spectacle. Skrillex has been working on the whole production of the show for a while and I cant wait to see what such a creative person has lined up for his American audiences. Dates are listed below and Check out the video to see a sneak preview of what this 2014 tour will be like.
May 23rd – OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | ZOO AMPHITHEATRE
May 24th – BONNER SPRINGS, KS | CRICKET WIRELESS AMPHITHEATER
May 26th – LOUISVILLE, KY | LOUISVILLE WATERFRONT PARK
May 27th – CLEVELAND, OH | JACOBS PAVILION AT NAUTICA
May 28th – DETROIT, MI | MASONIC TEMPLE
May 30th – TORONTO, ON | TD ECHO BEACH
May 31st – TORONTO, ON | TD ECHO BEACH
June 2nd – CANADIAGUA, NY | CMAC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
June 3rd – ALBANY, NY | THE WASHINGTON AVENUE ARMORY
June 4th – GILFORD, NH | BANK OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PAVILION AT MEADOWBROOK
June 7th – NEW YORK, NY | GOVERNORS BALL
June 8th – BALTIMORE, MD | PIMLICO RACE COURSE
June 9th – RICHMOND, VA | BROWN’S ISLAND
June 13th – MANCHESTER, TN | BONNAROO
June 17th – ST. LOUIS, MO | CHAIFETZ ARENA
June 18th – COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA | MID AMERICA CENTER
June 20th – DENVER, CO | RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
June 21st – DENVER, CO | RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
July 30th – PORTLAND, ME | CUMBERLAND COUNTY CIVIC CENTER
**BUY TICKETS HERE**