‘Breakin’ A Sweat’ by Skrillex

Skrillex is twenty four year old American music producer Sonny John Moore. Following a moderately successful three year career fronting post-hardcore outfit From First to Last, Moore embarked on asolo electronic venture in 2007. Subsequent extensive touring of the underground electro scene gained Moore a soaring popularity, and Skrillex was formally born in summer 2010. Widely referred to as the Prince of Dubstep, Skrillex has amassed a Twitter fan base doubling that of contemporary electro royalty Steve Aoki and Diplo. But don’t take Twitter’s word for it. With no less than FIVE Grammy nominations for 2012, and a C.V. boasting A-List clientele such as Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Skrillex is contributing in a big way towards bridging the gap between underground progessive-house/dubstep and the mainstream.

This Radio One advertisement features the anthemic Breakin’ A Sweat:

What sets Skrillex apart?

After all, the diminutive Californian is hardly the first to navigate a two step beat through what often sounds like a laser battle. Still, something about Skrillex obviously excited perhaps the biggest name in the laptop music world at the moment, Deadmau5, who signed Skrillex to the Mau5trap label on the strength of six track debut EP My Name Is Skrillex, released for free over MySpace in June 2010. In October of the same year, Skrillex released second EP Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites through Mau5trap. This release rocketed brand Skrillex to no fewer than 47 million YouTube hits, which secured enough momentum to see third EP More Monsters And Sprites (also 2011) win MTV’s prestigious Electro Dance Music award on December 12th, beating off competition for the honours from David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, and Tiësto.

Less than a month later, December 27th saw the digital download release of Bangarang, Skrillex’ fourth and most commercially successful offering to date. Again only in seven track EP format, Bangarang’s chart success was head turning, taking 15th spot on the US Billboard 200 at the height of December’s Christmas sales -that’s just two behind Adele, and a full five places ahead of the massive Jay-Z and Kanye West collaboration Watch the Throne. It is not hard to see how this meteoric yet under the radar rise to stardom landed Skrillex the Alex Zane Radio One TV commercial in the UK.

Taken from Banagarang, the Radio One advertisement features the anthemic Breakin’ A Sweat. The pounding chorus line is perhaps the most accessible serving to be had at Skrillex’ veritable buffet of tectonic tunes, with tracks Right In and The Devil’s Den also thumping their way in to the hearts of those who like their dubstep in bold underlined capital letters. Final track Summit rounds the EP off nicely. Thanks to a relaxed vibe and the supple yet confident vocals of Ellie Goulding, Summit will no doubt find its way onto every Chilled Ibiza compilation going. One small step for Skrillex. One giant leap for dubstep in the mainstream.

Skrillex’ first studio album Voltage is due to drop in early 2012, in the mean time also check out Doctor P, Zomboy, and KOAN Sound.

Amazing songs

The year 2011 saw many artists release amazing songs and some, well, not so amazing. Either way, we enjoyed them!

From the amazing Adele to new entrants such as Bon Iver, Skrillex and Nicki Minaj, all fought profusely for the top spot. No questions asked, it belongs to Adele, obviously.

I decided to find out the top 20 songs of 2011 as we don't have much of year-end charts in Bahrain.
So here they are, and remember they are based on the music, not popularity.

I'm sure most of you haven't heard some of these songs. If you haven't, then you must. They are amazing. The Top 20 Songs Of 2011:

1. Adele - Rolling In The Deep
2. Adele - Someone Like You
3. Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
4. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Niggas In Paris
5. Frank Ocean - Novacene
6. Bon Iver - Holocene
7. Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory
8. Chris Brown Ft Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne - Look At Me Now
9. Nicki Minaj - Superbass
10. The Joy Formidable - Whirring
11. Katy Perry - Firework
12. Beyonce - Countdown
13. Radiohead - Lotus Flower
14. Nicola Roberts - Beat Of My Heart
15. Lady Gaga - You And I
16. Drake Ft Rihanna - Take Care
17. SBTRKT - Wildfire
18. Pistol Annies - Hell On Heels
19. Rihanna - We Found Love
20. Tony Bennet & Amy Winehouse - Body & Soul

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.

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.

Skrillex Killed Dubstep

2011 has been one of the biggest years ever for Dubstep, quite possibly the most significant since its decade-old inception in the UK. The Pop music industry as a whole has witnessed a massive transformation taking place over the last year, as major artists from all around the world have begun incorporating the instantly recognizable sounds of dubstep into their music. Britney Spears and Rihanna, two of the biggest female stars in American pop-music have already “jumped on the dubstep bandwagon” so to speak, harnessing the unrelenting, high-energy sound typical of the dubstep genre to infuse their music with a whole new dimension of appeal. Even more telling, industry juggernaut’s such as Jay-Z and Kanye West licensed the classic Flux Pavilion track “I Can’t Stop” in their official single “Who Gon’ Stop Me”. To top it all off, dubstep-icon Skrillex has not only released recent collaborations with several music-industry giants such as Korn and The Doors, he also just received a whopping FIVE Grammy Nominations, including the first “Best New Artist” nomination EVER to be awarded to a DJ/Producer.

What started as an entirely underground movement has begun to gain mainstream recognition, and the community response to this transition has been dramatic and highly conflicted to say the least. To fully understand the ramifications of what Skrillex has accomplished, we have to begin by looking at the structure of another genre that has gone through a very similar evolutionary process, the Hip-Hop industry.

The first lesson to be learned from the history of Hip Hop is the supposed fate of the underground and the role Skrillex is playing in “reshaping” the sound of dubstep. Hip Hop is by far one of the most influential and expansive musical genres currently in existence. New Hip Hop acts are constantly emerging, many of them reaching millions of followers within their first few months of touring. However, despite the monumental reach and power of contemporary Hip Hop, it has still maintained a wonderfully rich and vibrant underground culture that is hardly diminished at all by the explosion of Hip Hop and Rap in the mainstream. If Hip Hop becoming mainstream didn’t kill the underground, why would the story be any different for Dubstep? If anything, the underground has matured and evolved into a relatively unaffected category separate and distinct from the Hip Hop mainstream, but with the added benefit that underground artists are able to make a living from their craft.

There is another important aspect of Hip-Hop that deserves to be noted in order for this comparison to be relevant. The dominant role in Hip Hop is almost always granted to the MC (just as in pop music it is granted to the singer). This is not to say that it is impossible to gain attention as a Hip-Hop producer, but it is certainly significantly more difficult as the majority of the attention and praise is awarded by default to the MC. In many cases, incredibly talented producers are ignored entirely as relatively untalented figure-heads spit mediocre rhymes over their producers finely-honed instrumentals. Whatever your personal opinion concerning Skrillex may be, his nomination for Best New Artist as a dj/producer has the potential to completely change the way this model functions, opening wide the doors for a whole new generation of producers to gain the respect and attention they so rightly deserve.

At the end of the day, producers make music so that people can listen and enjoy it, just like all other musicians. Any success for the Dubstep community at large is ultimately a success for the industry as a whole. Brilliant producers like Skrillex are casting light on what the mainstream has been missing out on, and this illumination will only serve to benefit those who follow in his footsteps; whether they choose to produce in a mainstream or underground style is completely irrelevant . Until very recently, many critics have been reluctant or even unwilling to consider producers to be musicians, instead preferring to think of them as some other sort of entertainer unworthy of the “artistic” title of “musician”. With his boundary shattering nomination for Best New Artist, Skrillex has boldly demonstrated the falsehood of these unjust claims, stating that he’s “only hoping that his nomination this year will carry on to the next year, and open doors for more people to come up and be noticed and recognized as actual musicians.”

The important thing to keep in mind is that when people begin to accept Dubstep as a whole into what people refer to as “actual music”, the generally accepted value of the producer will increase dramatically. Before Hip Hop was recognized as part of popular music, it was extremely rare to find an artist that was able to support themself solely from their musical career. The same is true now for the producer; the general populace is relatively ignorant to the musical complexities of dubstep, and as a result it is extremely hard to get recognized as providing a service genuinely worth enough money to live on. Most producers are instead forced to rely on a side-job that prevents them from focusing all of the necessary energy on production, a vicious cycle that inevitably prevents many talented individuals from ever reaching their full potential. When the genre is accepted as an essential part of popular culture, talented producers will have a much better chance of being able to direct all of their energy at developing their musical career rather than struggling to support their musical through various odd-jobs. Although dubstep being incorporated into the mainstream may dramatically increase the number of producers (and many of them will surely copy Skrillex, as he is the very definition of “Whats Hot”), it is important to remember that there will always be an underground, and there will always be quality producers of all styles and varieties….it’s just a matter of finding them!

If bridging the gap between the mainstream and the underground helps clarify for the listener how they can personally relate to and interact with the music they are hearing, there is certainly no harm in such a simple endeavor. If Skrillex being nominated for a Grammy helps pave the way for a whole generation of up-and-coming producers, that is a tremendous accomplishment regardless of how you feel about his music.

Scene & Heard: Grammy grab

What do local lads Cut Copy have in common with multi-million selling acts Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Radiohead and Lady Gaga? The answer? They’re all nominees at next year’s Grammy Awards.

The Melbourne electro outfit celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, and has been nominated in the Best Dance/Electronica Album category for its third album Zonoscope – released to rave reviews in February.

The band will battle David Guetta, Deadmau5, Robyn and Skrillex for the award at the annual ceremony, to be held on Los Angeles on February 12.

They may be at long odds to win, but if they do, they will join an exclusive list of Australian Grammy-winning acts that includes Kylie Minogue, Keith Urban and Wolfmother.

Having scored a prime timeslot at Meredith last weekend (sandwiched between Icehouse and Grinderman), Cut Copy will take a break over summer. So plenty of time to work on that acceptance speech, then.

Slamming nationally

Last February, more than 20,000 Melburnians took to the city streets in support of live music – and to save Collingwood’s iconic Tote Hotel. Next year the event, known as SLAM (Save Live Australia’s Music), will go national.

February 23 will be a nationwide celebration of live music. Venues and musicians are being encouraged to curate ‘‘national SLAM Day’’ gigs.

Music lovers can become fans of the event on Facebook and keep up to date with the latest news and, closer to the date, comprehensive gig listings. Visit facebook.com/SLAMrally

W ith a bullet

If you’re on to a good thing, why change it? Melbourne blues-rock troubadour Jordie Lane had such a good time in the US recording his second album Blood Thinner (which hit stores in July) that he’s decided to take his latest batch of songs back to the States and try it again with album number three.

Before he leaves the country, Lane will play a farewell show at the East Brunswick Club on February 12. Tickets are on sale now. Visit eastbrunswickclub.com

Mu st see

Future of the Left
Fresh from a set at Meredith, Welsh four-piece Future of the Left (pictured) brings its high octane live show to the Corner tomorrow. The band will preview tracks from its third album, The Plot Against Common Sense, due out early next year.

D: Friday
V: Corner Hotel
$: $44 plus booking fee

Harmony
The self-titled debut album by local band Harmony – the latest project by ex-Nation Blue singer Tom Lyngcoln – is set to top plenty of ‘‘best of 2011’’ lists. Intense and atmospheric, the six-piece will launch new single Heartache on Saturday.

D: Saturday
V: Phoenix Public House
$: $10 plus booking fee

The Rechords
Haven’t heard Melbourne trio the Rechords? Think a little bit hillbilly, a little bit R&B and a little bit western swing – and you’re halfway there. Having only formed in mid-2009, the band has been turning heads for all the right reasons.
D: Sunday
V: Northcote Social Club
$: $12 at the door

NEW YORK — Taylor Swift doesn't think the Recording Academy is mean. Though she won the Grammy for album of the year in 2010, she's not sad her latest multiplatinum effort isn't up for the honor this time around.


"I got three nominations. I was just so excited," she said Friday, before she was honored as Billboard's "Woman of the Year."


Among the Swift achievements that led to her Billboard honor was the best-selling performance of her third album "Speak Now," which has sold more than 3.7 million copies and generated hits like "Mine" and "Mean."


There was some surprise when the critically acclaimed album wasn't among the overall best album nominees when the Grammy nominations were revealed Wednesday, but Swift says she's excited by her nominations, which include best country album and two for "Mean," in which she answers her critics and challenges bullies.


"That song is so personal, and I'm so glad that the Grammys recognized it," she said on the red carpet ahead of the event.


Swift got a standing ovation as she accepted her honor. Swift recalled reading Billboard as a teen, pouring over its pages and hoping one day to see her name in the trade magazine.


"I got here today and there were all these flashing camera bulbs ... I got to the table, and I saw the magazine on the chair and it had me on it," she said. "All the daydreams I had as a little kid, I guess this is what it looked like."


One of the country singer's favorite artists, Nicki Minaj, was also honored at the event as Billboard's "Rising Star."


Like Swift, Minaj was rocking blonde bangs.


But the rapper and singer got teary-eyed at the event when Minaj received her honor. She's costarred on dozens of hit songs in the last two years, and her debut CD, "Pink Friday," has sold more than 1.6 million copies in the United States. Minaj is nominated for four Grammys, including best new artist, pitting her against the Band Perry, Bon Iver, Skrillex and J. Cole.


"I don't ever expect to win those kinds of things, but it's good to be recognized and it's good for girls to see that you can do whatever kind of music that you want to do," Minaj said on the red carpet.


Minaj is also up for best rap album, where she'll face her mentor, Lil Wayne, as well as Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco. She says she's diligent, and that lethargic people annoy her.


"I always say hard work pays off. Don't be lazy. I am racist against lazy people. I wish they would not exist in this world," she said.


Minaj, known for her outrageous and colorful fashion style, says she's learning to "trust my first instinct." The 28-year-old says proof of that will show on her upcoming album, "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded," due out on Valentine's Day.


"Things are happening so much easier for me now because I was over-thinking on the first album. I was trying to give people what I thought they needed, and what I needed my reputation to be," she said. "And now it's like, 'I don't care what you think. I'm going to do what I wanna do for my core fans and if you like it, you like it. If you don't, bye!'"

A Grammy Nominations Rundown

The 2012 Grammy nominations were released Wednesday Nov. 30:

Kanye West topped the charts receiving seven nominations, including "Song of the Year," "Best Rap Album," "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" and "Best Rap Performance."

Following West's seven nominations, Adele, Bruno Mars and Foo Fighters all received six nominations.

Coming in third in number of nominations, DJ Skrillex and rapper Lil Wayne tied with five nominations each.

Amusingly enough, this year's Grammy crowd is actually carried by one of the oldest members of the crew, West, who is 34.

With four of five of the artists up for "Album of the Year" under the age of 26, Adele, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars, it seems that the Grammy Awards may finally be shifting to the younger generation of artists picking up the year's largest prizes.

Nominations for "Best New Artist" include:

Nicki Minaj
Skrillex
J. Cole
Bon Iver
The Band Perry
And for "Song of the Year:"
Adele
Bruno Mars
Bon Iver
Mumfor & Sons
Kanye West ft. Rihanna
Fergie

Despite West's impressive seven nominations, spotlights have actually been shining on Adele, as her six nominations shout loud and proud as she recovers from vocal surgery after cancelling her remaining shows for this year.

One of America's beloved sweethearts, Taylor Swift, actually slipped under the radar this year picking up only two nominations, for "Best Country Solo Performance" and "Best Country Song."

Nominations for "Best Rap Performance" include:

Lupe Fiaso
Wiz Khalifa
Nicki Minaj and Drake
Jay-Z and Kanye West
Chris Brown with Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes
And for "Best Rap Album:"
Jay-Z and Kanye West
Lil Wayne
Lupe Fiasco
Nicki Minaj
Kanye West

Two of the largest controversies surrounding this year's nominations actually include two of the top recipients, as well as America's country sweetheart once again.

The world was shocked to find out Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" was not nominated for "Song of the Year," and equal emotions were felt as West and Swift both missed nominations for "Album of the Year."

According to a poll on CBS.com, fans believe Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" will end up as the "Album of the Year" winner, as all other nominees trail her high percentage in the poll. Metrolyrics.com has similar predictions; "Song of the Year Predictions" names "Rolling in the Deep" as the top contender.

Apparently, West's high number of nominations won't make a difference, according to The Atlantic. Their predictions appear quite similar to others with Adele taking home the top prizes and West's songs coming out far from the top.

Although some shocks and surprises were shared, as they are every year, this year's Grammy's look to be a competitive, exhilarating and monumental competition that will match some very talented artists up against one another.

Grammy surprise: Who's that? His name is Skrillex

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 Robyn, Deadmau5 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 honor 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.
____

Online:
www.skrillex.com
www.grammys.com

Don't Know the Difference Between Dubstep and Brostep?

Dubstep might be the new heavy metal. It's dark, it's aggressive, and it's already conquered North American suburbs with little mainstream media support. Born in the clubs of south London in the early oughties, Dubstep is a hybrid of dub, drum and bass, and glitchy electronica. At its most inoffensive, it's moody restaurantica. At its best, it's an obnoxiously fun and angry assault on your ears; the kind that makes you say, "What is this shit? That's not music," just like every generation of old people has uttered when they were confronted with a new and exciting musical genre.

Maybe you love it, maybe you hate it, maybe you've never heard of it. Regardless, it's impossible to ignore anymore as it's gradually popping up everywhere. You'll hear a Rusko song between whistles at sporting events, read a great review of Burial on your favourite blog, see a hilarious YouTube video with a dubstep score or watch a stripper dance to a Skream remix of La Roux at the No5 Orange (it was an incredibly classy performance). And it's only going to keep spreading. This past week, Justin Bieber announced his next album is going to include some dubstep while the biggest name in the genre, Skrillex, was receiving five Grammy nominations -- including Best New Artist.

Skrillex, who seemingly appeared overnight, is so huge YouTube will probably make you sit through a Procter & Gamble ad for VapoRub or a digital pregnancy test before you can watch his excellent video for "First of the Year (Equinox)" (It received a Grammy nomination for Best Short Form Music Video). Or maybe give a listen to this one, "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," which is closing in on a stupefying 50 million views. To give you a little perspective, the first single from Jay-Z and Kanye West's album Watch the Throne has nearly 30 million views. Skrillex is a pop star that's never had his music played on commercial radio or television.

In his previous life, when he was 18, Skrillex went by his given name Sonny Moore and was the lead singer of screamo band From First to Last (Yep, that's him screamo-ing.) Now practically geriatric at 23, it only seems fitting that a kid who was signed to Epitaph Records and played the Warped Tour is the one to triumphantly bring dubstep from the trendy areas of London to the Hot Topics of every mall in suburban America. Feel old and out of touch yet? I sure do, and I'm the one writing about this shit.
Purists of the dubstep genre, of course, hate him. They say he looks like a jackass and his music lacks subtly; that it's too in your face. His sound has petulantly been labeled brostep -- the connotation being that only jockish idiots and frat boys listen to it. Having observed his fans closely when Skrillex was in Vancouver for two sold out shows at the PNE Forum in October, I'll attest that they do look suspiciously like participants in the Stanley Cup Riot, only groovier. But maybe hockey's not the violent sports reference I should be making. The dubstep snob's critique of his music is comparable to a boxing fan ragging on MMA Fighting. Can't we just all agree that, so long as someone’s face or ears get viciously maimed, it's great entertainment?

Grammy surprise: Skrillex

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 last week’s televised Grammy nominations special.

Count Skrillex as one of them.

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

“It just hasn’t really hit me yet,” he said in a phone interview from Manchester, England. “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 this 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 have dominated their respective fields, 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,” as well as 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 Robyn, Deadmau5 and David Guetta, acts who come from a background similar 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 honor 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 Feb. 12 in Los Angeles.

Guessing the 2012 Grammys

Predictions on who will be honored on “music’s biggest night”, based on a mixture of rumors, critical acclaim, and the academy’s voters.

Last week, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the upcoming 2012 Grammy Awards on both a lavish concert special (that was slightly better than last year’s event) and their official website. Many of this year’s nominees are new artists, and some of the categories have been changed, but one thing hasn’t changed: people are already making predictions. Here’s a look at some early guesses on who will win in the biggest categories on February 12th, 2012.

Album of the Year

Adele’s 21 vs. Bruno Mars’ Doo-Wops And Hooligans, Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, and Rihanna’s Loud

Adele is one of those rare artists that both critics and music fans adore. You don’t have to be psychic to foresee her leaving the ceremony with an armful of trophies, which will include this nod to the most-lauded album of the year.

Record of the Year

Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” vs. Bon Iver’s “Holocene”, Mumford & Sons’ “The Cave”, Katy Perry’s “Firework”, and Bruno Mars’ “Grenade”

“Rolling in the Deep” was THE song of 2011. You heard it in commercials, on multiple radio stations every five minutes, and repeatedly covered on TV talent shows.

Song of the Year

Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” vs. Mumford & Sons’ “The Cave”, Bon Iver’s “Holocene”, Kanye West feat. Rihanna, Kid Cudi, and Fergie’s “All of the Lights”, and Bruno Mars’ “Grenade”

Being that this is a songwriter’s award, the voters love to see it go to a song performed by its main songwriter. Not to mention, it would be a shame to see it not go to Adele’s modern classic.

Best Pop Solo Performance

Lady Gaga’s “You and I” vs. Adele’s “Someone Like You”, Katy Perry’s “Firework”, Pink’s “F***in’ Perfect”, and Bruno Mars’ “Grenade”

A combination of the former “Best Male Pop Vocal” and “Best Female Pop Vocal” categories, look for the best track off of Gaga’s latest album to take the prize. (Especially after this performance aired on the 2011 Grammy Nominations Concert special.)

New Artist

Niki Minaj vs. the Band Perry, Bon Iver, Skrillex, and J. Cole

This year’s Grammy’s will be another “ladies’ night”, with Minaj being another big winner. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if the voters chose the up-and-coming country group instead.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse’s “Body & Soul” vs. Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks”, Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera’s “Moves Like Jagger”, the Black Keys’ “Dearest”, and Coldplay’s “Paradise”

A few years ago, Amy Winehouse brought a lot of excitement to the awards, which helped introduce her talent to a nationwide audience. Though her promising career was put to an end by her tragic death, voters still have the chance to honor her one more time, with this duet with a Grammy favorite. 

Best R&B Album

Kelly Price’s Kelly vs. Ledisi’s Pieces of Me, R Kelly’s Love Letter, Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E, and El DeBarge’s Second Chance

The academy’s new rules made controversial changes in the R&B categories, merging “traditional” R&B with the more well-known acts. So look for one of those lesser-known, critically acclaimed artists to be honored instead.

Best Rap Album

Niki Minaj’s Pink Friday vs. Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne, Kanye West’s My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy, Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter IV, and Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers

Niki Minaj was one of last year’s biggest success stories. Voters love to see a woman take charge in a typically male-dominated field, and given that this album was the introduction to her career, they will easily choose to honor it.

Best Country Album

Lady Antebellum’s Own the Night vs. Taylor Swift’s Speak Now, George Strait’s Here for a Good Time, Blake Shelton’s Red River Blue, Eric Church’s Chief, and Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party

Lady Antebellum are the country darlings of the awards, and since they haven’t had a “Need You Now”-sized hit recently, this is their category.

Best Country Song

Taylor Swift’s “Mean” vs. Thompson Square’s “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”, Vince Gill’s “Threaten Me With Heaven”, Dave Barnes’ “God Gave Me You”, Kenny Chesney & Grace Potter’s “You and Tequila”, and Trace Adkins’ “Just Fishin’”

Due to lack of other nominations, the Academy seems to be feeling a little Swift fatigue, but chances are that they will like this self-written ode to critics.

Best Rock Album

Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light vs. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ I’m With You, Kings of Leon’s Come Around Sundown, Wilco’s The Whole Love, and Jeff Beck’s Rock N Roll Party Honoring Les Paul

The Foos are Grammy favorites, but haven’t had the chance to be honored in several years. Look for their first #1 album to also please the voters.

Best Rock Performance

Mumford & Sons’ “The Cave” vs. Foo Fighters’ “Walk”, Radiohead’s “Lotus Flower”, the Decemberists “Down by the Water”, and Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall

Mumford & Sons are obviously loved by the academy, as proved with their many nominations this year. While they won’t take home any of the big categories, they will certainly pick something up.

Best Alternative Music Album

Bon Iver’s Bon Iver vs. Foster the People’s Torches, Radiohead’s The King of Limbs, Death Cab for Cutie’s Codes and Keys, and My Morning Jacket’s Circuital

A favorite of many “best of the year” lists, this award clearly belongs to Bon Iver’s sophomore breakthrough. 

Best Dance Recording

Duck Sauce’s “Barbra Streisand” vs. Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend”, Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Spirits”, Deadmau5 & Greta Svabo Bech’s “Raise Your Weapon”, Swedish House Mafia’s “Save the World”, and David Guetta & Avicii’s “Sunshine”

Call me crazy, but isn’t it likely that the vast majority of the Academy’s older voters will vote for “Barbra Streisand” based on its name (and lyrics) alone?