The most hated man in dubstep proves a massive hit in Liverpool. Getintothis’ Gwen Evans gets her womp womp on.
Sonny Moore aka Skrillex takes to the stage in Liverpool looking surprisingly energetic for a man who accepted three Grammy awards a mere 48 hours earlier.
Cause for celebration indeed, as if being one the fastest growing electronic artists in the world wasn’t a big enough accolade already.
While most of us would still be nursing our post award show hangover, the DJ/Producer wastes no time in hopping on a transatlantic flight to continue with his hectic touring schedule.
Tonight Liverpool’s Mountford Hall is a testament of how far dubstep has come. Gone are the days where the ‘dubstep room’ of the house party consisted of little more than a few dreadlocked stoners. While the other kids were busy jumping round to Soulwax and Justice remixes, the brooding sub bass in the room next door was plotting to take over the world.
The last few years have seen the genre climb to dizzy new heights, launching a heavy assault on the UK daytime radio playlists. It was only going to be a matter of time before it made its way stateside.
Then BOOM! before you know it Britney Spears is doing a dubstep middle eight breakdown. People pointed the finger at Rusko accusing him of creating this monster, but he denied having anything to do with the Spears track.
In the case of Skrillex, critics and UK Dubstep artists alike feel the genre has been given an extreme makeover and arrived back in the UK bigger and uglier than ever before.
Many underground, holier-than-thou types accuse him of being the figurehead of ‘brostep’, the derogatory term for the genre since it’s increasing popularity in mainstream America.
His growing commercial success is no doubt leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of UK pioneers who watched the prestigious Grammy Awards ceremony from afar, head in hands thinking ‘it should’ve been one of us’.
But while his critics argue amongst themselves about how terrible everything has become, Skrillex is out winning over huge crowds of people night after night.
After all, his fans are not those who concern themselves with the stigma of authenticity and origins of genre.
They are ignorant to the pretentious blog write ups and the inter-artist community bitching. In this case ignorance is total bliss.
They connect with Skrillex’s music because it appeals to them on the most basic level. They heard it and they love it. That is all.
His self-confessed eclectic music tastes are apparent in his set tonight. A whole host of electronic genres make their way in to Skrillex’s sound.
Maybe his lack of sticking to the rules of genre definitions is what makes him so exciting. The ‘CALL 911 NOW‘ sample in First Of The Year was practically made for people to scream at the live show before getting lost in the sweaty pit of the gig.
But underneath the bass wobbles and screeching vocal samples are some incredible musical ideas.
Some even verge on sounding quite classical in their composition. He finds a clever balance of uplifting vocals and musical phrasing combined with that industrial sound that everybody here craves.
He is the master of giving the people what they want to hear. Isn’t that what being a DJ is all about? Despite the aggressive nature of some of his tunes it feels surprisingly safe, safely dangerous in fact.
One of the most impressive aspects of the evening without a doubt is the Skrillex Cell. In the past, projection mapping was primarily used for art instillations on large buildings; tonight it’s been taken to a whole new level.
The huge white ‘cell’ is essentially a blank canvas for visuals to be projected on to. Some of which were created by British motion graphics designer, Kieran Mithani.
It’s hard to believe that the visuals in front of you are actually happening, they’re that good. Surely this will set the benchmark for all future live dance gig visuals.
It is easy to feel cheated with DJs at a live show. There’s the constant argument of whether pressing play on a MacBook and twiddling a few knobs to filter the bass really constitutes playing live. However, it takes a lot of hard work to be able to press play on something of this scale.
Skrillex, it seems, is not a man to shy away from a bit of hard work. He darts straight from the gig to the after party at intimate venue, The Magnet, taking to the stage with even more energy.
‘This is like playing a house party with all my best friends,‘ he announces. There is no doubt that Skrillex loves people almost as much as he loves music; thriving on the energy given off by the lucky few who managed to get in.
To some, Skrillex may be the most hated man in dubstep, but he’s the most loved man in Liverpool tonight.
Video courtesy of @OfficialSuprex
Main image courtesy of Mark Forrer.
Skrillex setlist in Liverpool courtesy of @CharliezardJ
