“Bangarang,” Skrillex (Big Beat/Atlantic)

When Esperanza Spalding was announced as a nominee for Best New Artist in advance of last year’s Grammy Awards, she was universally dismissed as a non-contender against her much-better-known competition that included Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence + The Machine and Mumford & Sons.

Of course, Spalding won — which is still a head-scratcher, frankly.

At any rate, some mainstream observers might mistakenly regard Skrillex as this year’s Esperanza Spalding, a Best New Artist nominee against the Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole and Nicki Minaj. Yet don’t be surprise if Skrillex, aka Sonny Moore, is revealed as the winner at the Feb. 12 show.

Major clue: Skrillex landed five nominations, including for Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronica Album, which clearly indicates that Grammy voters recognize his trailblazing in electronic music, even if millions have never heard of him.

Unlike the other Best New Artist nominees, Skrillex has unquestionably advanced his genre.

But where are his pioneering ways leading? His latest release, “Bangarang,” doesn’t really indicate.

Skrillex is typically categorized in the “dubstep” subgenre of electronica, but the label only fitfully suits him. For the uninitiated, his sound generally smashes together elements of a chopped-up dance song and overwhelmingly aggressive synthetic assaults and bass drops. Traditional continuity is out the window and vocals are rarely more than minor props, if they’re even used: This listener experience is all about marveling at the man and his machine(s), something equivalent to watching a champion playing a videogame (and often just as disengaging). Some have a primal response to his jarringly disjointed drama, while others struggle to make any emotional connection to the austere commotion.

“Bangarang” hijacks its listeners in typical Skrillex fashion, skittering about between aural air raids in a gamer’s claustrophobic realm of faux sirens, slapping beats and random vocals. Apart from the penultimate track “Summit,” featuring alluring vocals by Ellie Goulding, and a surprising “orchestral suite” finale, “Bangarang” is similar, too similar, to Skrillex’s previous work.

If he’s going to prove worthy of Best New Artist, Skrillex is going to have to step up his innovation — dubstep or not.

Rating (five possible): 3

Popularity of DJs, including Skrillex, increasing

 

Sonny Moore, a 23-year-old electronic music producer — better known as “Skrillex” — is not only nominated for five Grammy awards this year, but is also the first DJ to ever be nominated in the Best New Artist category.

Most people refer to Skrillex’s style of music as dubstep. Both dubstep and electronic house music have become increasingly popular among young adults over the past few years, providing listeners with an explosion of sound and escape from reality.

Sara Freed said this nomination represents a shift in society’s musical culture.

“There’s definitely a changing trend in music from being based on an artist performing original [music] to artists mixing others’ work,” Freed (sophomore-health and human development) said.

Freed added she mainly listens to dubstep-style music at the gym during her workouts to pump her up and keep her motivated.

Former Interfraternity Council President Dan Florencio also counts himself as a dubstep fan. To him, it is incredible to see someone so young have such a significant impact on the mainstream music scene.

“It shows that he’s leading the charge for dubstep to be mainstream,” Florencio (senior-philosophy) said. “The Grammy nod means a lot for other DJs as well. It’s a win for the whole type of music.”

Skrillex is not the only DJ receiving a warm welcome from the public. Swedish DJ Avicii, who performed at Penn State in November to a packed Bryce Jordan Center, has also gained mainstream success and has acquired a loyal fan base.

The increased interest in electronic music is due to the accessibility of technology and social media outlets, Associate Professor of Music Technology Mark Ballora said. Applications on iPhones and Macs like GarageBand now allow individuals to create their own electronic beats and mixes, Ballora said.

He added that electronic music has a certain other “worldliness” to it because of the way it sounds compared to traditional acoustic music.

“We are part of a world with social media and mobile devices,” Ballora said. “I can imagine [this genre] got a new audience because of [these outlets].”

Skrillex is continuing to record, and he recently released his fourth EP, “Bangarang”, which contains seven tracks that sample music from The Doors and features collaborations with Sirah and other artists.
Skrillex never lacks originality and he provides a variety of sounds on each track, Florencio said.
“He’s got a song for every mood and the way he samples songs is exceptional,” Florencio said.

Electronic dance music hits a groove

Will 2012 be the year for electronic dance music?

With dubstep artist Skrillex nabbing five Grammy Award nominations and superstar DJ deadmau5 landing three, all indicators say yes.

“Skrillex is a purely electronic artist, and getting a best-new-artist nomination is Grammy’s way of acknowledging the rise of EDM (electronic dance music),” says Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts at Billboard. The awards “have overlooked EDM artists in the past, like David Guetta and Moby. Skrillex is the face of all EDM at the Grammys.”

Who is Skrillex? With his eerie, spine-tingling samples and grinding bass lines, 23-year-old Sonny Moore — a diminutive, bespectacled Los Angeles-based DJ and producer — is the undeniable leader of dubstep.

“What makes this an incredible achievement is that he has been so successful by being off the radar,” Caulfield says. “Sure, kids know who he is, dance fans know him.” But when the awards show rolls around Feb. 12, “your average music fan won’t have the foggiest idea who he is.”

EDM is having its moment, says electronica pioneer Moby, who broke through to mainstream audiences in 1999 with album Play, which sold 3 million copies.

“For pop stars, their main currency is youth and the record label. For rock stars, their currency is songwriting and their ability to play live,” Moby says. “Electronic music artists are only as good as the last record they played, and their ability to play other people’s records. Luckily, there are a lot of good records out there.”

Last summer yielded a bumper crop of electronic dance festivals, from Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, which pulled in 250,000 attendees, to Live Nation-backed IDentity, the first electronica touring festival, which made 20 stops. Dozens more such fests are slated for 2012.

“If you go to a rock concert, there are four people standing onstage playing songs that sound nice,” Moby says. “You go see Skrillex or deadmau5 live, and there’s a huge production value, the lights, the sound. It’s hard not to be impressed.”

The audience for such spectacles is almost certain to get bigger.

“Pop music has become so aggressively uptempo, when people go to search for more of this kind of music, they’re discovering this whole world that exists,” Caulfield says.

Top music moments of 2011

The music biz is in the middle of a very long and painful transition from one business model to a new and undefined one. But it does feel like the music biz turned a corner in 2011.

Despite some hard bumps the music business has taken during the past decade -- bumps that the film, book and video-game worlds are just beginning to experience -- the industry is more present, ubiquitous and more available than ever before. Nothing breeds innovation like disruption, and we're seeing plenty of both.

For the first time since 2004, overall album sales were up, to the tune of 4 per cent. Of that, digital album purchases increased by nearly 20 per cent and track sales by 9 percent. CD sales were down 5 per cent, but it was a far less toxic number than the double-digit declines of the past decade.

Top music stories of 2011 

Google, Spotify, Facebook: 

This trio underscored the digital surge in 2011-- and the immediate gratification of paying to download a track. Yet people still embraced albums. HMV Canada is now hopeful that a new online streaming subscription service will take off in Canada, joining Rdio, Slacker Radio, Rara and Deezer.

Five women who rocked the world: 

Rihanna, Adele, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry helped dig the music business out of its seven-year sales slump. Adele was the sindustry's hining star of in 2011. She sold five million copies of her Grammy-nominated sophomore effort, and 21 to 33 percent of them were digital. The album has sold in excess of 100,000 for more than 30 weeks, the first time that has happened since 2006. From undergoing throat surgery to cleaning up in Grammy nominations, Adele provided story after story for the music world. "Rolling In The Deep" also sold more digital copies than any song in history, landing Adele on just about everyone's "best of 2011′ lists.

Swift moved 3.8 million copies of her third album.

Perry saw five singles from her second full-length album top the charts, tying Michael Jackson for the record and totalling 15 million downloads.

Rihanna also released two hit albums to bookend the year, racking up sales of 1.9 million.

In terms of pop, 2011 was clearly the year of the female singer.

Adele, Lady Gaga, Perry, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears pulled off radio hits and sold 52.5 million downloads combined. They also toured their vocal cords raw, spent millions on videos and performed at every awards show imaginable.

Arcade Fire's Grammy: 

Arcade Fire rocked the music world when their album "The Suburbs" won the Grammy for Album Of The Year. While many critics thought the accolade was a well-earned choice, the pop-music community retaliated in disbelief and outrage. The win, however, paved the way for other cult musicians and lesser known artists to enter the mainstream arena.

Canadians ruled the world: 

For the first time, four of the Top Five albums on the Billboard pop charts were by Canadians at the start of Dec., 2011. Michael Bublé had the second biggest selling album of the year with "Christmas," joined by Drake, Justin Bieber and Nickelback. The Weekend scored massive play, with more than 500,000 free downloads for this record (hyped by Drake). Deadmau5 broke attendance records in NYC's Roseland Ballroom, which they followed up by throwing a stadium rave filled with 20,000 people at Toronto's Rogers Center. The Sheepdogs, the Saskatoon retro-rockers, also became the first unsigned band to grace the cover of the Rolling Stone. The Sheepdogs became the second Canadian band in history to score that honour.

In short, it's been quite the end to a year that began with the Grammys handing its first-ever Best Album award to a Canadian band, Arcade Fire.

Steve Jobs, Amy Winehouse die:
 
Amy Winehouse has been greatly missed by her fans since she passed away on July 23, 2011 at the age of 27. The release of her posthumous album, "Lioness: Hidden Treasures," allowed the world to glimpse into the raw, unfinished works of the troubled singer.

Steve Jobs also passed away and received a Trustee Award from the music industry. The honour was bestowed upon a man that every label hated. Jobs held the music industry in a stranglehold for years. But death changes the world's perspective on people.

Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray is jailed: 

Conrad Murray became known around the world after Michael Jackson's untimely death on June 25, 2009. Murray attended Jackson at the time of his death. In November, Murray was jailed for four years for involuntary manslaughter. The judge who delivered the sentence told Murray that he had "abandoned his patient, who was trusting him." Fifty-year-old Jackson died on the eve of his much anticipated comeback shows, which were due to take place over 50 nights at London's O2 Arena.

Breakups and reunions: 

The White Stripes, LCD Soundsystem, R.E.M. and (hiatus) Black Eyed Peas all called it a day in 2011. Stone Roses, Black Sabbath and Van Halen with original lead singer David Lee Roth reformed. Prince also performed a cross-Canada tour which sold out.

Nostalgia: 

Record labels and fans celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Nirvana's "Nevermind," Pearl Jam's "10," U2's "Achtung Baby" and The Beach Boys' "Smile" box set.

Beyonce's pregnancy 

It seemed like all anyone was talking about in 2011 was Beyonce's pregnancy, from the initial reveal during her VMAs performance of "Love On Top," (which broke the Tweets per second record) to the controversy surrounding the realness of her baby bump. Now the world waits for the chosen one to emerge from the most revered womb on earth.

It's Friday, Friday: 

Rebecca Black's "Friday" was the runaway sensation of 2011. The strangely hypnotic tune and low-budget video made for the most talked about song of the year, though many ridiculed Black's efforts. Still, with 180 million YouTube views, Black's "Friday" was the Internet hit of the year.

The Black Keys, Coldplay won't share: 

The Black Keys not only found mainstream fame and appreciation in 2011, they also refused to share their new album, "El Camino." The Black Keys announced that they wouldn't be offering "El Camino" on music file sharing devices like Spotify, claiming that it wasn't feasible at this point in the band's career to do so since the band makes its living selling music. Fans spoke out from both sides, marking The Black Keys as the second major act behind Coldplay to shun streaming services.

Bon Iver, Skillrex get Grammy Nods: 

"Alternative" cult artists Bon Iver and Skillrex scored nominations for 2012′s Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist. Controversy surrounded the nominations, as Bon Iver front man Justin Vernon slammed the Grammys by calling them "unimportant."

Skrillex scored a whopping five Grammy nominations and became the first DJ to land a Best New Artist nod. The former Sonny Moore's musical background -- both on his own and as a member of his former group, From First to Last -- carried over into Skrillex's brand of fiery electronica.

Skipping Over Dubstep, Breaking All the Big Beats, an EP that Bangs Genres Together

(Big Beat / Atlantic Records) First released as a download from Beatport on December 24, 2011, widely released on all other digital sites on December 27th, and with a physical drop date set for January 24, 2012 Bangarang -- the fourth and latest EP from Skrillex -- has been introduced to the world as a spitting firework of a release. Fitting to be launched over the threshold of a new year, it's explosive and sounds like the measure of a moment of time.

The Grammy Award-nominated Skrillex tends to split listeners. He's a newcomer who had been around for quite sometime in a previous post-hardcore incarnation as lead singer in From First to Last. He's a Dubstup aficionado who doesn't always regard the rules of genre. He's a Bigbeat specialist who doesn't always treat rhythms as the genre police would expect. He's credibly recognized yet sometimes throws his credentials a curve ball. He's one of the most notoriously experimental names in electronica, yet he is fast to commercial success and to establishment of sound. He's bound to have those who disapprove; he is also destined to receive the adoration of fans who like their tunes club-banged into bewildered dimensions.

Aside from anything, the Bangarang EP stands as a flash-bang of ambition. With a host of contributing artists -- Sirah, The Doors, Wolfgang Gartner, 12th Planet, Kill the Noise, and Ellie Goulding -- appearing across the eight tracks, the diversity is stunning. There's a generosity of spirit from all involved; The Doors, appearing on “Breakn' A Sweat,” was recorded as part of the Re:Generation Music Project -- a movie that married musicians through the ages with contemporary DJs. The track -- for all of its surprises, atmosphere, beat, and lifted vocal commentary -- still sounds exactly as you'd expect if The Doors had ridden the snake into the future to the point where production techniques and the Collective Unconsciousness were ready to receive the message. Hooks are strong, beats are big, and the beauty of the track unfolds like a potentially stormy ocean.

Production across the EP is all Skrillex. Regardless of genre and regardless of what he's handling, the man just brings the best out of sounds. Until you hear it, you'd consider terms like 'cubism' somewhat pretentious when discussing music, but what he achieves with deconstruction, reconstruction, treatment, and fill-ins is other-worldly. Ignore what you expect to hear or what you're told is acceptable, commercial, or credible; listen to the sounds and you'll see that music is nothing but a whole bunch of noise assembled in such a way that gravity can sometimes be ignored and space sometimes has additional dimensions. Phil Spector's Wall of Sound is the closest production reference you could make, but only if you'd smashed in the wall and rebuilt with mirrors, flame, liquids, and glitch.

Sonically, this is a massive EP. Volume begs and deserves to belong over every track, but this isn't a simple dose of bombastic floor-fillers. Ellie Goulding brings ethereal strains to “Summit” and proves that some mountains are both earthly and above the clouds. Her voice here is perhaps as cool as it has ever been. Closing track “Orchestral Suite By Varien” builds on the concept of air and height and feels like take-off. Fans of Skrillex will use tracks like this to illustrate the breadth of the man's vision; the detractors will level some kind of nonsense to do with lack of focus. The fact is that it's just this kind of track and the multi-palette approach that displays a larger truth.

As with the Re:Generation Music Project, the Bangarang EP underlines that music doesn't know its own color, a song has no sense of genre, and emotional content shouldn't be checked against categories, sub-categories, or codes of conduct. In that sense, Skrillex is a purely innovative artist. In the sense of what's hip, what's acceptable and expected, he may occasionally falter, but that's because he's paying attention to the tunes and not to the accessories and attachments. Add volume and await the Grammys.

Skrillex drops new beats in time for the New Year

Rating: 5/5

 

The day before Christmas Eve, dubstep sensation Skrillex announced he had bestowed a new batch of electronic music upon the world. It was an early Christmas miracle for fans, over 2.6 million of them.

One of Bangarang EP’s major highlights is the list of guest artists, including 12th Planet, Wolfgang Gartner, Ellie Goulding and Sirah. 12th Planet is currently finishing up a tour with Skrillex that stopped by Tallahassee during finals week. The timing didn’t prevent the show at the Moon from selling out.

Bangarang makes an evolution in Skrillex’s sound very evident. Elements like the signature high-pitched voices and shouting are still mixed in, but the songs definitely have more depth and are driven by better beats. A lot of it seems more groovy than heavy. Fans of house music should notice some similarities, too.

Overall, Skrillex is demonstrating that it’s not just about bass drops. There is still plenty of innovation left to do in the genre.

Skrillex also has something bigger to prove. He’s nominated for multiple Grammy Awards this time around. The rising star of this genre competing with the world’s most popular recording artists would have been unthinkable only a couple years ago.

The album is legally available through the BeatPort website at a total cost of $17.43. For only seven songs, the price seems uncompetitive with what you would pay on the iTunes Store, for example. It is unknown whether it will be available elsewhere or for less money any time soon.

“Go pirate it if you don't have money..I just want you to have it... or you can buy it here..either way I'll love you,” Skrillex said kindly on his Facebook wall. Fans can make the call whether to follow that advice or not.

deadmau5 to go all the way live in Las Vegas

For deadmau5, there's a world of difference between being a DJ and an electronic dance music (EDM) producer.

"If you want to be called an artist, then you should produce your own music," says the 30-year-old Canadian, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman. "EDM artists need to move away from being human iPods."

If there's any question by now, he prefers to be an electronic music artist. "If people come to a deadmau5 show, I want them to hear deadmau5 music. Just like if I go to a Motley Crue show, I don't want to hear them playing Warrant covers. An artist just can't aspire to being the world's greatest player of other people's music."

If that sounds a little demanding, deadmau5 has the clout to be. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has dubbed Jan. 2 "deadmau5 Day," which marks the beginning of the EDM star's exclusive partnership with Wynn Las Vegas. Zimmerman, wearing one of his signature mouseheads, will burrow in Sin City through 2012, playing at XS and Encore nightclubs for an as-yet-undetermined number of shows.

If he can continue to attract crowds at mainstream and larger venues (he's done stadium shows in San Diego and Toronto), he stands to be the new face of EDM.

"The thing about electronic music is that it's more about the music and production than the individual," says electronica pioneer Moby. "Generally, (EDM artists) are not the most distinctive-looking people. They're nerdy guys who like to make music on their computers. deadmau5 has that very distinctive mouse head. And his shows have a big production value."

He's also up for three Grammy Awards: dance/electronica album (4x4=12), dance recording (Raise Your Weapon, with Greta Svabo Bech) and remix (Foo Fighters' Rope). "I didn't even know that there were that many categories for EDM!" he says.

His nominations weren't the only surprise. "Boom! Five nominations for (EDM artist) Skrillex. His nominations are a win for us all."

More important, what will he wear on the red carpet? "A couple of years ago, I was nominated for a remix and wore a T-shirt that said, 'Your ad here,' " he says with a laugh. "I'm going to do something like that, fake ad, fake company kind of thing."

This summer, deadmau5 became the first EDM artist to headline an all-genre music festival when he topped the bill at Lollapalooza. 4x4=12 spent 54 weeks on Billboard's album chart and peaked at No. 2 on the dance/electronic chart, with 250,000 copies sold to date.

"EDM is the new pop music. It's not just landing on the map, it's developing and growing and being leached into the mainstream," he says. "But that's just how it goes. It's the circle of life. Just because EDM has become popular doesn't mean that it's going to suck, it just means more people are listening to it."

Electronic dance music hits its stride

Uptempo hits by the likes of Skrillex and deadmau5 make their mark on modern music

Will 2012 be the year for electronic dance music?

With dubstep artist Skrillex nabbing five Grammy Award nominations and superstar DJ deadmau5 landing three, all indicators say yes.

“Skrillex is a purely electronic artist, and getting a best-new-artist nomination is Grammy’s way of acknowledging the rise of EDM (electronic dance music),” says Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts at Billboard. The awards “have overlooked EDM artists in the past, like David Guetta and Moby. Skrillex is the face of all EDM at the Grammys.”

Who is Skrillex? With his eerie, spine-tingling samples and grinding bass lines, 23-year-old Sonny Moore — a diminutive, bespectacled Los Angeles-based DJ and producer — is the undeniable leader of dubstep.

“What makes this an incredible achievement is that he has been so successful by being off the radar,” Caulfield says. “Sure, kids know who he is, dance fans know him.” But when the awards show rolls around Feb. 12, “your average music fan won’t have the foggiest idea who he is.”

EDM is having its moment, says electronica pioneer Moby, who broke through to mainstream audiences in 1999 with album Play, which sold 3 million copies.

“For pop stars, their main currency is youth and the record label. For rock stars, their currency is songwriting and their ability to play live,” Moby says. “Electronic music artists are only as good as the last record they played, and their ability to play other people’s records. Luckily, there are a lot of good records out there.”

Last summer yielded a bumper crop of electronic dance festivals, from Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, which pulled in 250,000 attendees, to Live Nation-backed IDentity, the first electronica touring festival, which made 20 stops. Dozens more such fests are slated for 2012.

“If you go to a rock concert, there are four people standing onstage playing songs that sound nice,” Moby says. “You go see Skrillex or deadmau5 live, and there’s a huge production value, the lights, the sound. It’s hard not to be impressed.”

The audience for such spectacles is almost certain to get bigger.

“Pop music has become so aggressively uptempo, when people go to search for more of this kind of music, they’re discovering this whole world that exists,” Caulfield says.

The Best and the Worst of 2011

As the curtain closes on 2011, it's time to look back at the past 12 months on Victoria's entertainment calendar. Times Colonist reviewers Adrian Chamberlain, Mike Devlin and Amy Smart present their favourite moments of 2011 - and a few of the clunkers.

And Slowly Beauty... (Belfry Theatre) - It was a great year for theatre. Few things impressed me more than the Belfry Theatre's excellent staging of And Slowly Beauty - Written by Quebec's Théâtre Niveau Parking troupe, it's a superbly realized portrayal of a middle-aged man's midlife awakening. The Belfry's excellent production was notable for Dennis Fitzgerald's touching leading performances. Sept. 22-Oct. 23.

- Adrian Chamberlain

Chris Cornell - I certainly could have done without some of Cornell's vainglorious attempts at self-importance (a cover of John Lennon's Imagine? Really?), but there is no denying his magnetism. And that voice - Cornell's range was amazing during his solo showcase, which needed not one of his Soundgarden bandmates in order to blow the doors off the Royal. April 29, Royal Theatre.

- Mike Devlin

Jackson Browne - Those in the audience for Browne's charming but low-key concert witnessed something special as the legendary singer-songwriter cherrypicked tunes from one of the best back catalogues in rock 'n' roll. He played for three hours in his Victoria debut, reaching as far back as 1972 for inspiration. March 25, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

- MD

Mom's the Word: Remixed - Within minutes of their first musical number, the five childbearers behind the third iteration of Mom's the Word had their audience guffawing and tapping their toes. If you didn't leave the theatre with an urge to call and thank your mother - or at least give those delirious women juggling toddlers at the supermarket a break, you missed something. It has been 18 years since the international hit comedy theatre series took off. These mamas proved they've still got it. Aug. 3, Belfry Theatre.

- Amy Smart

Literary winners -Victoria's writerly reputation was confirmed dramatically when a playwright and novelist from this city each took top literary awards. Esi Edugyan capped an astonishing year by winning the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel, Half Blood Blues. The book was shortlisted for many prestigious honours, including the Man Booker Prize. Victoria playwright Joan McLeod, meanwhile, walked off with the country's richest theatre award, the $100,000 Siminovitch Prize.

- AC

Lucinda Williams - The grand dame of alt-country can be a touch prickly on stage, but she proved to be as warm-hearted and giving as you could hope for during her to return Victoria after a 20-year absence. Her set was the runaway highlight of this year's TD Victoria International JazzFest. June 27, Royal Theatre.

- MD

Mike Daisey - The Babe Ruth of monologuists touched down in May. New York's Mike Daisey performed his solo show, All Stories are Fiction, as part of Intrepid Theatre's superb Uno Fest. The master storyteller waits until an hour before showtime before preparing his extemporaneous show. Daisey skewered tea at the Empress and the wax museum before delivering an astonishing performance - cerebral, poetic, philosophical and ferociously uncompromising. Wow.

- AC

National Ballet of Canada - Wowsers, talk about a show. Canada's top ballet troupe brought a mixed bag of tricks to the Royal Theatre, but two particular pieces left an ever-lasting impressions. James Kudelka's stark and sultry The Man in Black, set to the weathered voice of an aged Johnny Cash, was captivating in its melancholic simplicity. And Victoria's own Crystal Pite choreographed the show-stopping finale, Emergence. Audiences won't soon forget the swarm of 38 dancers writhing, twitching and hatching into insect-like antihumans. Sept. 27, Royal Theatre.

- AS

Pixies - The Boston band's first time through Victoria was a landmark event on the 2004 calendar; one for the history books, if you will. Fans appeared to be somewhat ambivalent prior to the group's 2011 return, but the performance by Black Francis and Co. had twice the firepower, proving that old punks don't die, they just get better at doing their rock 'n' roll duty. May 5, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

- MD

Prince - The arrival of pop superstar Prince sent shockwaves through the city this month, setting the stage for a pair of appearances that has fans buzzing two weeks after the fact. A two-hour set at the arena on Blanshard Street was magnificent, but that was just the beginning: Prince and his eight-piece crew stepped on the Sugar nightclub stage shortly before 2 a.m. the following morning and let loose a 90-minute set that defied any and all expectations. Dec. 17, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre; Dec. 18, Sugar nightclub.

- MD

Ride the Cyclone (Atomic Vaudeville) - Victoria's funky Atomic Vaudeville company whacked one out of the park with Ride the Cyclone. A hilariously dark satire, created by playwright Jacob Richmond and composer Brooke Maxwell, the revamped musical impressed locals last July before wowing critics and audiences across the country. Truly a nationwide success story (the troupe is now looking at a New York remount). July 8-17.

- AC

Skrillex - Hands-down the most bonkers set of music I saw all year, the debut of dubstep star Skrillex wasn't without its flaws. But to be sure, the wunderkind (Los Angeles native Sonny Moore) threw one heck of a sold-out birthday party for himself, a madcap night that ended with almost the entire club on stage for his final few songs. Skrillex became one of dance music's biggest stars later in the year, earning five Grammy nominations in December. We had him before he broke. Jan. 14, Sugar nightclub.

- MD

Wynton Marsalis - The man who holds 25 honorary degrees, nine Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for music was a study in modesty at this year's TD Victoria International JazzFest. Performing from the trumpet line at the back of the stage, Marsalis gave each of his virtuosic pals in The Jazz at the Lincoln Centre Orchestra time in the spotlight. Furrowed brows, puckered lips and a few escaped fingersnaps transformed the Royal stage into an intimate jam session. June 25, Royal Theatre.

- AS

Skrillex is surprised about his 5 Grammy nods

NEW YORK — Many people were surprised when the name Skrillex was announced in the best new artist category, along with the likes of Nicki Minaj and The Band Perry, during this week's televised Grammy nominations special.

Count Skrillex as one of them.

A day after earning a whopping five nominations in total, the 23-year-old dance and dub-step producer is still taking it all in.

"It just hasn't really hit me yet," he said in a phone interview from Manchester, United Kingdom on Thursday. "I wouldn't have thought I would come this far in so many ways."

Skrillex scored the third-most nominations, matching Lil Wayne. Kanye West leads with seven nods; Adele, the Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars scored six each.

The Los Angeles-based Skrillex, born Sonny Moore, may be best known for "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" (he's also a producer on Korn's new album, "The Path of Totality," out next week).

Skrillex hasn't had much success on the Billboard charts -- he's more of an underground artist. He'll have some tough competition in the best new artist category: Besides facing The Band Perry and Minaj, who were both nominated for Grammys earlier this year and have dominated their respective fields and at other awards shows, he'll compete with Bon Iver, a critical darling, and J. Cole, who had a No.1 album and is the protege of Jay-Z.

Skrillex is nominated for best dance recording for "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," and also nominated for best dance/electronica album for his EP, which shares the same name. In 2010, Lady Gaga earned those trophies, and Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)" was the winner of best dance recording earlier this year.

Skrillex will have to battle Toronto's Deadmau5, Robyn and David Guetta, acts who come from a similar background to his.

"I feel very proud of where I come from," Skrillex said of being in the electronic music scene, a genre that has exploded on Top 40 radio in recent years. "I do feel like I represent something and I'm a part of something and it's an honour to be there."

Skrillex, who is also nominated for best remixed recording (non-classical) and best short form music video, says he hopes his Grammy love will give more attention to the dance music genre.

"I just hope it opens more doors for next year, not only Grammy nominations, but just everything in general," he said.

The Grammys will be held Feb. 12 in Los Angeles.

Skrillex is just killin’ it

Lots of usual suspects popped up on the just-released roster of Grammy nominations — Adele, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, the Foo Fighters.

But who, folks might wonder, was the wild-maned artist who calls himself Skrillex, who logged no less that five coveted nominations?

First, the 23-year-old born Sonny Moore in Los Angeles was a band member (in From First To Last), then a top-flight producer (he just finished working on the upcoming Korn album). Now, he’s a solo artist, as well, with his recent “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” nabbing a Grammy nod for Best Dance/Electronica Album.

Skrillex also got a nom for Best Music Video (“First of the Year (Equinox)”), and he now owns the honor of being the first electronic musician to ever be nominated for Best New Artist.

Chalk it up to his insane work schedule, perhaps — over the past year, Skrillex has also: released two EPs, played over 300 performances, collaborated with Kaskade, made the cover of Spin Magazine, and even launched his own “Watership Down”-inspired label OWSLA, and signed hot new artists like Bristol’s dubstep maestro Koan Sound, singer Alvin Risk, and San Francisco’s own M Machine.

The guy should be throwing one helluva crazy New Year’s party!

2011 a good year for music - here and elsewhere

New stars, more concerts show industry is adapting to tough financial times

OTTAWA — All not lost, music fans. Although sales of concert tickets and CDs declined in 2011, the music kept coming, a clear indication of an industry learning to adapt to the changing landscape.

The year 2011 was marked by the dominance of a new generation of pop superstars, including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Selena Gomez, who mounted ambitious world tours and produced lavish videos, each trying to outdo the other. Electronic music also continued to worm its way into mainstream culture, thanks to the rising popularity of artists like Skrillex, Girl Talk and Deadmau5.

Amid the battle to supply instant gratification, the year's biggest story in pop evolved over a period of months. Adele, the young British singer-songwriter, released her 21 album early in the year, demonstrating a stunning voice that bore a similarity to Aretha Franklin's, with an added level of husky emotion.

It sold well, and then kept selling, achieving the No. 1 spot in most countries around the world. It's also up for a handful of Grammy Awards. There was no flashy video, blue hair or leggy outfit. What Adele represented was the power of natural talent. Her soulful music felt like an antidote to the over-produced electro pop that dominated the rest of the charts.

Signs of vitality could also be observed on the Canadian music scene. Drake and Justin Bieber maintained their status as household names around the world. Arcade Fire surprised everyone when they won the Grammy for album of the year, and fulfilled expectations when they also took home this year's Polaris Prize for the best Canadian album of the year. Acts like Mother Mother, Hey Rosetta, Dan Mangan, Elliott Brood, Sarah Slean and Ron Sexsmith, to name a few, released excellent albums, while Saskatoon's Sheepdogs made a splash by winning a contest to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, proving that rock 'n' roll is alive and well.

Canada was also a popular place to tour for almost everyone (except Adele, who cut short her touring schedule to undergo vocal cord surgery, but is planning to resurface for the Grammy Awards on Feb. 12). However, tickets proved to be a tough sell across the industry.

Attendance was lower than expected at several Scotiabank Place concerts, most notably Kings of Leon, Avril Lavigne and the Moody Blues, although the hottest stars were able to pull in the crowds. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Selena Gomez all attracted more than 10,000 people to their Ottawa concerts, while the year's biggest arena show was a rock concert by Bon Jovi that attracted 18,000 fans.

In Ottawa, the music community is thriving, both in the live setting and in the studio.

There was an unprecedented number of great albums by artists like MonkeyJunk, Lynn Miles and Craig Cardiff, and plenty of concert activity, from house concerts to club gigs to theatre shows.

Both the National Arts Centre and City of Ottawa increased the number of concerts presented in their softseat venues, to the delight of aging concertgoers who no longer see themselves standing in a club all night.

The festivals continued to expand and diversify, defying the economic conditions that affected the rest of the business. It was a growth year for Capital Hoedown, Westfest and the Ottawa Folk Festival as all three events moved to spacious new locations. The Ottawa International Jazz Festival presented pop and rock acts, a move that accomplished the goal of attracting younger patrons.

The most shocking thing that happened in the Ottawa music scene this year was the July 17 collapse of the main stage at Bluesfest. It crumpled during a freak storm, while Cheap Trick was on stage. Luckily, injuries were minimal and the accident did nothing to tarnish the reputation of Ottawa's biggest music festival. By fall, organizers had inked a deal with a major new sponsor that provides millions in additional funding and puts a new name on the marquee. Next year's RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest takes place July 4-15.

2012 Skrillex Tickets: New Year’s Eve, NYC & L.A.

Coming of a year in which he exploded onto the electronic music scene, Skrillex will attempt to take is stardom to new heights in 2012. He has already announced two multi-night runs in both New York and Los Angeles that will see him performing at a different venue each night out. The Grammy Award-winning DJ will also be throwing a New Year’s Eve party in Milwaukee at the Eagles Ballroom on December 31, 2011. Anyone who has ever attended a Skrillex Concert will tell you that the show is like nothing they have ever experienced, which is one of the main reasons for his surge in popularity: the live performance. If you plan on seeing Sonny John Moore (that’s his real name) producing beats in-person in 2012, you can get your Skrillex Tickets for every show currently schedule right here at BroadRippleTickets.com.

Sonny Moore was formerly the frontman for the emo band From First to Last, which he left in 2007 to pursue his solo electronic music project. Now known as Skrillex, Moore has seen a steady rise in popularity in the past five years, and totally exploded into the mainstream in 2011. His album Scary Monster and Nice Sprites earned him five Grammy Award nominations, and with each live performance his audience grew, to the point he was selling out venues in a matter of minutes. 2012 doesn’t figure to be any different, and in fact Skrillex may even reach Deadmau5 level of popularity if he continues cranking out hit songs in the new year. If you want to see him perform on NYE, or in New York or Los Angeles (or anywhere else Moore may be DJing), get your Skrillex Concert Tickets as soon as possible, as these will be some of the most in demand Concert Tickets of 2012.

Skrillex: Happy Holidays! Pirate My Music, I’ll Still Love You

As negativity surrounding online piracy grows to epic proportions in the United States, Sonny John Moore is playing the intelligent game. Moore, better known to his fans as Skrillex, has a total of six 2011 Grammy nominations under his belt but he’s still not towing the corporate line on file-sharing. As he drops his brand new album, Skrillex tells fans that don’t have the money to go ahead and pirate it instead.

 

Today, on a Christmas morning with giving, kindness and sharing on our minds, we thank Sonny John Moore for his contribution to the holiday spirit.

These days Moore is better known as Skrillex, and since taking his current form in 2008 he’s been going from strength to strength. Last year he released his debut EP, My Name is Skrillex, as a free download and he hasn’t looked back.

He’s currently nominated for no less than six Grammys including Best New Artist, Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronica Album. Everyone seems to love Skrill’ and today his fans will love him even more.

After delivering his much anticipated new album Bangarang this week, Skrillex reached out to fans both rich and poor, and trashed the mainstream recording industry mantra that “file-sharing is evil”.

“Happy holidays just like I promised,” said Skrillex on his Facebook page. “Just like I always say, go pirate it if you don’t have the money, I just want you to have it.”

“You can buy it here, either way i’ll love you,” he concludes.

Quite how long Skrillex will be able to deliver this crowd-pleasing attitude is unclear. He’s signed to Big Beat Records, an Atlantic Records subsidiary which in turn is owned by Warner Music. Hopefully, though, Skrillex will be left alone to do his thing, and here’s why he should be.

Modern electronic music, and by that I mean material from the last 25 years, has drawn its lifeblood from piracy. Sampling, cut-and-paste, mixtape and more recently file-sharing cultures have ensured that artists like Skrillex can hit the mainstream, gain a huge fanbase, get Grammy nominated and yet still give stuff away for free. And make money.

But perhaps more importantly in these turbulent times, this kind of approach gains the respect of fans, regardless of how deep their pockets are today. And tomorrow, one way or another, they will spend. If they actually enjoy doing that, the rest is easy.

New Skrillex Album, ‘Bangarang’, Out Today!

If you’re already sick of all the Christmas music playing everywhere, why not cleanse your palette with the newest EP from Skrillex, “Bangarang”.

The highly anticipated album features collaborations with The Doors, Ellie Goulding, Wolfgang Gartner and many more. Skrillex, nominated for 5 Grammys, promises this new album demonstrates his growth as an artist.

In the new year, you can expect the Dubstep dynamo to be performing to plenty of crowds in the new year.

He announced two multi-venue takeovers of L.A. and New York in the next two months. He’ll surely make his way up to Canada in no time. A Skrillex concert is the equivalency of the biggest college party of all time.

Don’t hesitate and purchase “Bangarang” via Beatport and have something good playing through your speakers if Christmas music just doesn’t do it anymore.

Skrillex RE:GENERATION Interview

The RE:GENERATION project has become one of the most interesting collection of collaborations of the year. With all of the videos and music finally being released Hyuandai sat the performers together for a little chat. Here is a clip from the interview with one of the hottest names in electronic music for 2011, Skrillex. Sonny gives some insight of what it was like to work with musicians he has been listening to as long as he can remember as well as what a surreal experience it was to find he was nominated for more than just one Grammy.

The Dubstep Era is upon us.

Just as the '80s spawned movements like hair metal and synthpop, the '90s gave way to grunge rock and hip hop’s-golden age, and the first decade of the 2000s birthed house music and autotune, our current generation will undeniably go down in history as giving rise to the phenomenon that is dubstep.

As this music culture begun by experimental producers in the underground scene of early-millennium London continues to evolve and transform into myriad subgenres and styles, the general public that’s not privy to frequenting raves and light shows remains in the dark, and the music fest regulars remain divided about what exactly is going on underneath all the womps and scratches.

One of the biggest names and most divisive figures in this equation is Sonny Moore, also known as the five-time Grammy-nominated electronic DJ, Skrillex, whose sold-out performance at The Moon in Tallahassee on Monday, Dec. 12, as part of his Mothership Tour still has the town’s ears ringing.


After reinventing himself into Skrillex about three years ago, the Los Angeles native and former lead screamer of From First to Last has taken the traditional wobbly bass of dubstep and basically thrown it into a hyperactive hadron collider and then cranked it until it sounds like pulsing vomit from the mouth of Satan himself. He’s selected the most extreme and energetic nuances out of traditional dubstep, combined them with an epilepsy-inducing spectacle of light, and amplified everything to the highest gauge the average concert-goer’s senses can realistically process.


By injecting this style into his own versatile beats along with remixes of some of the most popular acts in the pop world including La Roux, Lady Gaga and Benny Benassi, Skrillex has heralded dubstep’s transition into the mainstream by making the perfect music for the current demographic of American college thrill-seekers.
As a result, opinions on his public reputation are somewhat polarized.


Whereas some praise his eccentricity and originality, others lambast him for spitting out the opiate of an idiotic mass while portentously mourning the loss of the subtleties of dubstep past. If the performance at the Moon is any indication, however, audiences don’t seem to mind about the latter group’s opinions.

That distinction is crucial to understanding what Skrillex, and dubstep in general, is and is doing in this generation.

The music is less interested in impressing critics and music aficionados than it is in driving hordes of people together with synthesized, synchronized and syncopated impulses. On Monday night, the Moon was host to all walks of life: constant ravers sporting electronic toys in their mouths and rainbow Pomeranians on their boots, frat boys caught in a continuum of fist bumps, hip-hop enthusiasts, MDMA-riddled dancers, artists seeking inspiration in the sheer spectacle of it all, PLUR-obsessed “Kandy Kids,” wide-eyed newcomers and seasoned veterans alike. In that moment when Skrillex screams through the music for everyone to jump to the beat together and dance, though, it’s impossible to not feel connected to the hundreds of people whose brains are being massaged in unison by dozens of stage-dominating speakers, regardless of any previous division.

When cannons of confetti blast out over you and every individual piece changes color with the rhythmic pattern of dizzying lights, a feeling of elation is unavoidable. It’s no wonder there were guys handing out Capri Suns and “Good Vibe Tribe” arm bracelets free of charge near the front of the stage; the love in all that madness is undeniable.


Even so, the music is like a f***ing religious experience the first time you hear it live.

All these elements showcase how an artist like Skrillex can still sell out during a recession when the average ticket price is so extreme. For example, if you weren’t lucky enough to get involved in one of the Tallahassee-based contests like local clothing company Top Notch Era’s free ticket promotion a few months back, the average price ended up upwards of $120.


While it was previously dismissed as an inevitable fad that would just fade away quietly, it’s now clear that dubstep is here to stay. With the rise of artists like opening acts Foreign Beggars and Two Fresh and Skrillex’s cementation in music history with the first-ever Grammy nominations for an electronic artist, it’s easy to see that dubstep is a powerball that’s ready to roll full steam ahead.


Hopefully the post-modern hippies of the dubstep movement will pave the way for a more tolerant world. Every generation does have its soundtrack to freedom and love, after all. Ours just happens to involve raging.

Skrillex, Little Dragon and ChromodaData

Breathe (Vocal)

So some dude sent some email which was a reply to a reply to a reply to some dude claiming he hacked into OWSLA-computers and got the vocal version of Skrillex’ ‘Breathe’. Not sure about giving you the download yet. But this could be a pretty intentional ‘leak’, or just a hoax. Let’s wait what OWSLA and Skrillex himself have to say about this. On track: Really nice recording, sounds like a legit Skrillex production. Will probably update on this. Also keep your eyes on the Skrillex and OWSLA twitter pages.




Little Man (ChromadaDate Remix)

cool (relatively short) rendition by ChromodaData on Little Dragon’s ‘Little Man’. The original minimalist production is a perfect track to remix, leaving room for ChromadaData to add solid beats and additional synths. Though I’m not really sure if he used the original track with an EQ on it or if he just got the acapella somewhere.

Louisiana artists grab Grammy nominations, also Skrillex is now "Grammy nominated"

Nominations for the 54th annual Grammy Awards were announced yesterday, and hey, Louisiana didn't do so bad!

In the ring for the new "best regional roots album category" are three Louisiana acts: Rebirth Brass Band received a nomination for the impeccable Rebirth of New Orleans. C.J. Chenier also earned a nomination for Can’t Sit Down.

Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys also land in the category, for the album Grand Isle — read Dege Legg's story in Gambit on the oil disaster-inspired homage (produced by C.C. Adcock) from Lafayette's Cajun music pioneers. Legg wrote, prophetically, "Like recent albums by other eminent Cajun/zydeco artists, it's likely Grand Isle will be nominated for a Grammy Award. The songs, the timing, the collective effort and the historical stature and robust discography of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys are very much in evidence on this album even when they are attempting to deconstruct and/or evade the legacy of their past."

Other Louisiana nominations: New Orleans' ex-pat Lil Wayne somehow grabbed five nominations from his disappointing Tha Carter IV. Harry Connick Jr. was nominated for best traditional pop vocal album for In Concert on Broadway. Gospel group Trin-i-tee 5:7’s Angel & Chanelle earned a nod for best gospel album.

And a surprise nomination went to The Banana Plant for GulfAlive, up for best children's album. The album uses music to bring to life the wildlife of Louisiana's Gulf, using funk and Cajun music geared for kids' ears. (GulfAlive also comes with a coloring book.) Portions of the sale of the album benefit the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. "When we heard that the oil-spill response plans of major oil companies discussed how to protect walruses in the Gulf, we felt an obligation to enlighten the world about this wonderfully unique region," said Gwynn Torres, part of The Banana Plant duo with Sid Berger, both ad executives and jingle writers.

In other Grammy notables: Skrillex, a musician from the fictional "dubstep" universe and rare water-based Pokemon, somehow earned five nominations. (What is a Skrillex, you ask? Here you go.)

Also, Kanye West (who with Jay-Z performs at the New Orleans Arena on Saturday; tickets are $mortgage payment-$GDP of New Zealand) earned seven nominations, for both the near-perfect My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and his Jay-Z collab Watch the Throne. Bon Iver received four noms, including record of the year, song of the year, best new artist and best alternative album.

We plot our top 10 2011 dance music trends | 2011 in review

With its biggest year yet, there was a lot going on in the dance music world in 2011.

When dubstep poster child Skrillex nabs almost as many Grammy nominations as one of the world’s biggest pop stars, that’s saying something. Namely, that 2011 was a big year for dance music. With this club-land achievement as our top trend, our other favorites of the last 12 months count down to it.

10. Steampunk
With its gothic tendencies, wild fashion and wilder parties, the Victorian-inspired sci-fi world of the Chicago Steampunk scene ran away with our imagination this year.

9. Moombahton
Its name sounds like the onomatopoeia of a Martian sneeze, but the burgeoning moombahton genre—pitched-down electro mixed with reggaeton’s midtempo chug—experienced a meteoric rise and is poised to take over in 2012.

8. Looking back
Electronic music is routinely breaking some new sound, but 2011 was also about its roots, be it Chicago’s Trax Records’ 30th birthday, Pete Tong’s 20 years on the radio, or the boys at DJhistory.com honoring DJ originators in The Record Players.

7. Dance bands
Disco rockers LCD Soundsystem may have called it quits, but reunited indie dance originators the Rapture (pictured) and Grammy-nominated Aussie outfit Cut Copy carried the torch with two of the year’s best records.

6. The Mid
Locally, no club traversed the varied trends in dance music better than the Mid. In its first year, the West Town venue managed to welcome trance kingpin Tiësto, dubstep architects Skream and Benga (twice), and even hip-hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa.

5. James Blake
Sure, James Blake was a press darling this year, but the bluesy crooning, masterful piano and rattling sub-bass productions on his self-titled debut and subsequent live sets deserve the hype.

4. Bass music
While many were fashioning dubstep for a rave, producers like Apparat, Jamie xx, SBTRKT and even Thom Yorke (in work with Modeselektor and Burial) lent bass music intense musicality. (For more, see James Blake.)

3. Deep house
Disguised by journalists using fancy titles like gothic house and even underground pop, acts like Art Department, Benoit & Sergio (pictured), Soul Clap, Visionquest and Wolf + Lamb really spent this year blazing a trail for a new generation of deep house producers.

2. Festival season
From deadmau5’s (pictured) mud-crusted Lollapalooza dance party to the three-day rave that was the North Coast Music Festival, dance music ruled 2011’s festival season (and that’s just locally—look to Electric Daisy Carnival or Coachella for more convincing).

1. World domination
Spin and Rolling Stone magazines are just two outlets that crowned dance music as this year’s force to be reckoned with. Replacing hip-hop as the pop music framework of choice, electro’s buzz, dubstep’s bass growl and house music’s infectious thump left no one immune in 2011.